Dog Training Help

[Woodduck Commander]

Hey guys I have another dog training help request if anyone can help. Training with my new dog dixie is going pretty well, for 7 weeks old I think she is doing great. I have her sitting, staying, waiting to fetch until I say, retrieving the dummy without seeing the throw, retrieving in the water, around bushes, down slopes, and she is even super interested in any ducks and birds that pass by our training ground (right next to a drainage canal full of woodducks) but she is struggling with coming directly to me after the retrieval. She comes about 4 feet from me and lays down with it, not really chewing or anything, just won't come put it in my hand. Any tips on how to correct this? I know she is just a puppy, but she just keeps learning everything I try so I want to refine her while she is interested. THanks in advance!

[cajunforeman]

Put a long cord on her and encourage to always deliver to the hand. Raymond had some good tips a while back, might want to check those out. He talks about holding young dogs back at such a early age. I did it to mine and he is very vocal especially on a blind retrieve. Just a thought but good luck and best of luck to you.

[Ducktrickster]

Slow down. All the things you say this dog is doing takes several months or more to teach. She is only 7 weeks old. Let her be a puppy. I thi.k ypu are expecting too much.

[Ducktrickster]

Exposing the dog to different places and things is great for young dogs but never expect her to do things that you have not thoroghly taught her reliably.

[Spunt Drag]

Only throw what you want him to retrieve 3 times at most. Always stop retrieving when he dying for more.

[Feesherman]

It's a puppy, you are expecting way too much. Just let the pup have fun and keep it interested. It's not time for formal training and delivery to hand.

[irokcj5]

I agree going a bit too fast for 7 weeks. Sounds like really smart dog. without retrieving anything, play with it. Have it sit, stay, and go around the corner, then give command to come....it'll come running for you. Let it get used to coming all the way in. Then when retrieving it will continue.

[Shawn Braquet]

7 weeks and sitting??? Let that dog be a puppy or else you may have a dog with no interest in the end due to too many corrections initially. Throw wings and run from him/her to entice a better retrieve. In the end collar conditioning should fix the lack of retrieve to hand...that and force fetching!

[hadabite]

he must mean 7 months.

[Spunt Drag]

Originally Posted by hadabite

he must mean 7 months.

Yea because at 7 weeks old all my pup did was sleep. You could've rolled a meatball past him and he wouldn't go after it. He didn't start retrieving til about 12 weeks. But even if he did mean 7 months, delivery to hand is still a bit much.

[simplepeddler]

I agree with all that is above about rushing her.........
But I think the time you are spending with her is great.

right now, I would encourage you to get some reading material that supports a training level you like.

I am a Robert Milner fan and train with clickers at that puppy stage.
If you want to persist, and to answer your original question, when the pup starts coming back to you..........walk away from her.....her natural instinct is to follow you, when she catches up, simply turn around, grap the dummy and "good girl" her.

I will tell you that you have to pick a method and work within it.........getting "tips" on forums can be overwhelming...........all with good intention, but guys have very different methods and ideology on what works........some of it is conflicting.

Good luck man..........pups are great fun

[Raymond]

Will not comment on this thread other than pasting a reply from another site I frequent by a friend of mine. His response was to someone who always asks questions but never seems to take the advice. This is not directed to the OP but to all who ask for help and ignore it when given by qualified individuals.

Robin,

Good luck in what you choose. Some of the programs that are published have some pretty major credentials behind them.

Only you can choose what's "better".

There is no right, there is no wrong. There is no single size to fit everyone.

If you find someone you want to emulate to try and achieve their results, go for it.

If not, keep on searching.

I will tell you one example and I'm punching out.

For nearly a decade, I worked reasonably hard at becoming a "World Champion" in the competitive duck calling circuit. In that venue, there are human judges who score competitive routines, basically 90 second long "songs", and the highest pointed caller at the end wins.

Some folks in that venue would emulate a role model and strive to reproduce their results. This is particularly true of the RNT crowd, many of whom emulated John Stephens, with very good results.

Others would approach judges after each contest to get their comments. Each judge, would offer their own personal preferences. The callers were constantly chasing their tails, making adjustments to address what they were told by last week's judges, in an attempt to better please next week's judges.

A retired callmaker (Wendell Carlson) had a phrase called "The Search for the Magic Flute". This was the phenomenon of competitive callers changing up techniques and getting new calls - constantly trying to find the new trick that would put them over the top - as opposed to role modeling a world champion and striving to consistently be just like them, to try and produce the same results.

Here's the thing: some guys WANT to constantly search and be the rebel. If they do, that's OK.

But some of the most knowledgeable in the sport, once they realize someone operates in that manner, eventually choose to not spend a whole lot of time trying to help those individuals. The reason is that they know that person will run down the road and repeat the whole dialogue with someone else. Those who spent their time trying to help the magic flute searcher, wind up feeling like they could have spent their time doing something more productive.

Good luck in your quest.