Hello, My male chocolate lab is almost 2 years old now and he does not retrieve. That's why I started the clicker training method to shape this behaviour (as described by Pippa on the Gundog site). I'm doing step 1 now: rewarding my dog to simply look at the dummy (I use a Kong rod, because he starts chewing a canvas dummy). The problem is that my dog at this point does not understand what I want. I wait and wait and wait... for him to look at the dummy, but instead, he lies down and his full focus is on me! This is behaviour I normally would highly appreciate of my dog, but still, he isn't looking at the dummy, so I can not reward him. Upon this, he gets really frustrated and starts jumping and barking at me. He freaks out, so I can not continue the exercise or end it with a good note. I have no idea what to do, except maybe rub something smelly and tasty on the dummy? Maybe that would help? It's not that he has never looked at the dummy, he did it a couple times, so I gave a click and treat. But it didn't happen regularly enough, so he doesn't understand yet what I would like him to do. I'm frustrated over this, because, I wanted to have some fun with him, doing this. I hoped it would help to bond with him a little more. But what happens now, is that both of us get upset. I realize I should be very patient and take it slow, but right now, I feel out of control. I've succeeded in learning him some other stuff, using the clicker training method, like touching my hand, and when he was 2 months old, to sit and lie down. For a long period, though, I haven't been using the clicker. Only recently, I picked it up again. Advice and help would be highly appreciated.
Hi @Obi change the object to something else. Make sure it's not something he plays with. Only to be used for retrieving. When he looks at it. Click and treat. But throw the treat away so that he has to come back. Click the moment he looks at the object, then cast the treat away. Make sure you can see where he is looking as he comes back.Repeat 3 more times. Next session he does not get the click unless he goes a little closer to the object. Here's the art. If you don't get the desirable action, and don't click he will lose interest in the game. But if you keep just clicking looking at it, he will never give any other behaviour.
Hi there, @Obi ! I had similar difficulties with my 1,5-year-old Ema. She learned to touch the dummy but then used to freeze because she did not understand the goal... So, I just gave up that technique and learned to be patient. It was trial and error, observing her and learning from her. I began retrieving outdoors (only when she is not interested in any other thing like sniffing or her dog mates ) whenever she feels like it. At those times she does it perfectly. So, I guess my suggestion is as simple as letting the dog tell you when she/he's up to it. Good luck and have fun!
Took your advice, tried it and: hooray! It worked. Managed to reward him several times for walking in the direction of the dummy. Thanks a lot!
You sometimes hear of Labs not wanting to retrieve over land. And you also hear people being to focussed on technique making the job not fun for the animal. A lot of times if you just simply throw the object to be retrieved into the water the labs who never had interest before suddenly became keen to have fun and retrieve where they had no interest in the home or over land. You can then work backwards or work on refining the process as you see fit. Establishing the desire in whatever form should be first and it must be enjoyable to the animal. That’s all I was saying when i said did you try over water. Sometimes it’s as easy as throwing a tennis ball in a river to ignite the desire.
Thanks. I now understand what you meant. And I agree with you: ìf something is not working, then try another way.
