Hi, I want to know how I can learn Finn to give me a dummy in stead of dropping it in front of my feet? He retrieves perfectly, but if I want him to sit he drops the dummy and sit. He throws it to me, rather then sit and hold it up. I hope that you understand what i mean!
Interested in this too. I'm about ready to move on to this. I have done quite a lot of work on not taking toys off him recently when he returns, to teach him I won't take from him so he can stop running away at the first sign.
I do the exact opposite with my pups and take everything they pick up and offer to me and reward generously to nurture their desire to retrieve.
There are a few different ways to train this. It's a pretty complicated thing you're trying to teach, even though it seems easy at face value. I would approach it by first teaching a solid hold, away from any part of the retrieve process. Present a dummy to him, if he takes it, mark and reward. Build duration. The Retrieving For All Occasions website has a free video series on reverse luring which I found very good for this. Of course, you need a release cue from the hold that enables them to drop it. It's perfectly OK for them to drop it on the floor - in fact, that's probably preferable at the very beginning stage of getting a solid hold on cue. So the dog holds until you give the release (I use "dead") and then drops for their treat. Then you can introduce your hand, very gradually. At first, just a slight movement towards the dummy while they're holding it, building up to touching it so you're both holding it at the same time. Still, with him not dropping it until you give your release cue. Anyway, go have a look at the RFAO series - it will explain it far better than I can! https://www.retrievingforalloccasio...se-five-simple-steps-master-perfect-retrieve/ Shadow used to spit quite a lot and the reverse lure really helped him get through that.
Gundogtraining. Finn retrieves very good. I never learned him to sit and give the dummy. He drops it at my feet. I tried to learn this with a clicker. At first he took the dummy and hold it. I gave him a treat after he was holding it whilst sitting. Now he will turn his head when I want him to hold the dummy....Betterto show it in this YouTube film...f The first stages he performs well. After I give him the dummy to hold, he turns his head away and doesn’t want to do the excersises....
I don’t think that there is one way that always works when teaching a sit delivery as it depends on what your dog finds difficult. But I will say, if your dog is avoiding, ie turning his head away, then I would stop. He’s telling you that the game is no longer fun. With one dog I taught a sit and hold and then backchained it into the retrieve. That worked very well and is the strongest part of my retrieve chain. With my other dog I trained a strong sit on a place board and a standing hold and merged the two. He had huge problems spitting out the dummy when I asked for a sit previously. It is really really easy to overdo this exercise and make the dog absolutely fed up. There is a reason that they are using a collie in the video and not a gundog!! Little and often and make it fun is the key.
I'm trying to do this too - and reading your post snowbunny, am doing it 100% wrong. Right, I'll watch that video and start again from scratch
My German Pointers were more interested in hunting that retrieving, so I used to put their dinner on the side and a dummy on the floor, they soon taught themselves, that if they wanted their dinner, they had to give me the dummy. There was no pressure, I never said a word
I wrongly used to take things off him he wasn't supposed to have and it ended up he would run away when he knew I was going to take something off him - so that option wasn't available to me. Particularly annoying after a storm and on the beach when he finds a dead bird. But changed all that now with the approach I moved on to. So all good.
We were taught to do it by "back chaining." Google that up but here's my attempt to explain it. YOu Start with the end behaviour. So, place the dummy in his mouth, take it out yourself while saying GIVE. Work up to longer than a nano second in his mouth to a couple of seconds hold. WE also taught TAKE and HOLD. Along with GIVE, DROP and LEAVE IT. They are all connected but dogs can distinguish if we figure out how to teach it.
I am working on this with my boy Legend. He drops the bumper too. I started saying "good hold as he was coming to me after a retrieve. That is working some and then when he is carrying a toy around the house I say the same thing " good hold." I did this with my golden and he got it.
I only do this stuff for fun with Charlie so here is my very novice input When Charlie has retrieved a dummy he usually delivers to hand but if the odd time he drops it I don't say anything, he knows to pick it up then I take a couple of steps backwards so that he holds it a little longer then delivers to me without dropping and of course he receives great treats for working it out himself I found those few steps really helped him know what I like him to do Someone (I can't remember who) experienced on the forum advised me to do this, so thank you xx
