Lab retrieveing question!

[2forty]

I have a 5 year old black lab female trained very well, but when we go hunting she still gets very excited.In the last two seasons he will bring the bird back until the last 20 yards and she will circle and doesn't want to give the bird up rite away.She will take some feathers out but not harm breast much,any suggestions on how to correct this thank Gord.

[labguy]

I have a 5 year old black lab female trained very well, but when we go hunting she still gets very excited.In the last two seasons he will bring the bird back until the last 20 yards and she will circle and doesn't want to give the bird up rite away.She will take some feathers out but not harm breast much,any suggestions on how to correct this thank Gord.

Maybe move this over to the hunting dog forum. It's a training issue and you might get some insight.

[ACB]

I have a 5 year old black lab female trained very well, but when we go hunting she still gets very excited.In the last two seasons he will bring the bird back until the last 20 yards and she will circle and doesn't want to give the bird up rite away.She will take some feathers out but not harm breast much,any suggestions on how to correct this thank Gord.

I'm no dog expert in any stretch of my imagination, but the guy that trained all three of the Labs that I'v owned say's one thing, if a retriever won't retrieve a shot bird or thrown dummy they might as well stay home and be a pet. I have a question, was your dog ever forced fetched. If she was you know what I'm talking about , that there is no if's and's or buts about retrieving a bird or dummy and if she was force fetched it sound's like she need's some training reinforcement to complete the retrieve and if she wasn't force fetched sounds like she need's to be. If you are just counting on her retriever breeding to retrieve your bird's there won't be any guarantee where she retrieve's the bird's, she has to know the bird come's back to you. No if's and's or buts.

[Jimbo]

Your dog won't give up the bird, and takes out a few feathers !?! Sounds like a definite gap in her training.

I think ACB is right in suggesting Forced Fetch or Conditioned Retrieve. Maybe find a pro trainer asap and have the dog retrieve like a veteran before the season closes.

[2forty]

Thanks for the help.She will retrieve good, she retrieved a mallard from at least 100 yards. It it just the last 10 -20 yards where she starts to circle or keep her distance.

[Cdn-Redneck]

You could try and throw a few marks close and have her on a check cord. When she picks up pull her in.

[2forty]

I was thinking of trying that thanks.

[ACB]

Do you use a E collar? If so when she gets too 10-20 yards and starts to mess around and playing keep away, because thats what she's doing, playing keep away. Maybe you do this in play or in a training session and let her get away with it and she thinks she can do it in a hunting situation, you can't let her get away with it. She would get a correction.( my collar is a DOGTRA NCP,nick for N constant for C and page for P) When you press the button for nick it doesn't matter how long you press the button it will only give 1/10th of a second of stimulation. So when she start's messing around she would get a command of fetch then the collar nick then another command of fetch in quick succession. Believe me she would get the message that it's not time to mess around. And if you don't have a E COLLAR , get one and have a professional condition her to it and train you how to use it and she has to be whistle trained too if she isn't. There's people out there that will say that mean using a E COLLAR. Well my oldest lab is going to be 12 in FEB. and he still hunts, not a long time maybe an hour or so of upland on level ground and I don't have to even turn his collar on, he listens! He listens to me and the whistle, he just want's to hunt. Not play around. My younger lab of 2 1/2 yrs. rarely get a correction but when he gets it, it's a command then nick then the command again in quick succession. I never have to give the constant. It stops the messing around.

[ACB]

I was thinking of trying that thanks.

She's 5, she's to old for a check cord. It's one thing with a puppy of 20lbs. but a whole new ball game with a 60-70lb. Lab. Get a E COLLAR and have her whistle trained and trained to the E COLLAR!

[2forty]

I will do that thanks for the help!