Trying to get dog to retrieve

[pupper]

here is my field experience with roofus my golden lab:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fOscID4cCA

roofus since has learned how to retrieve with a dokken mallard

[BlacktailStalker]

lol he sure is a happy dog, might be a vegetarian though !

Only thing I can suggest (after repetition and time) is more enthusiasm in your voice and try talking to him less, only when he's doing what you want. If you praise him before he does what you want him to (ie good boy as soon as he noses the duck) he might think thats enough.
Sometimes if you just sit and watch, he'll eventually wonder why you arent paying attention to him (ie being quiet, ignoring him) and he'll want to please you.
They're smarter than we think.

Also, if hes as young as he looks, shorten his sessions and quit while he wants more, but always on a good note.
15 mins tops is a good session for puppy learning curves and taking breaks (as in days or even a week) helps when they hit a "plateau" or just arent catching on.
Some dogs "turn on" sooner than others and just need to get more of that play out of them.
Letting them tire out before working them often helps too, as they'll focus a bit better.

Looks like a lot of fun though, good luck.

[todbartell]

Im not much help with training but that video was funny thanks for the laugh. Nice looking dog btw

[Asper]

Get the DVD "the wildrose way" and at 14 mths old you'll have a champ. Pardon the pun ,but nobodies going to throw you a bone on this one by looking at what your dogs doing and comming up with ideas. No free rides. I begrudged the thought of buying it, but now that I have a dog thats responded to my every bodily motion and whistle since a year old, yes even 5h1ts when I tell him. If you think I'm fooling yer wrong. You can even train them to go try to relieve themselves before a session or ride. The DVD and 10 minutes every other day. Thats it

[Dirty]

Start with basic obedience and work your way up. You said come to him a couple of times when he wasn't retrieving and he just looked at you. Another good tool is a really long leash (30ft). If he doesn't want to bring it back when you are training him you can "reel" him in! It looked like he didn't really like the taste or was afraid of the duck. Try giving him some wings to play with. I started my dog on a small dowel then tied a duck wing to it. Then went to a duck training dummy. Then full sized ducks hand thrown and hidden. The key I found to training my dog was persistence and patience. Alcohol may be necessary in the patience department .

[pupper]

I kept some duck wings and played fetch with them, he would retrieve them 3-4 times then quite. I wrapped it around a peice of small wood and he wouldnt even lift it up. He does not really care for birds, I try to let him play with live chickens and get him to chase birds but he doesnt like birds. He will just sniff them.

[Jimbo]

This sounds very familiar. My year old lab was great on wings and dummies but would not pick up a real bird. You may need to read up on Force Fetch training. A lot of trainers recommend it as part of the overall training picture
Worst case senario is you might need a pro.

[Marc]

I think you need to start being consistent with him so he understands what you ask of him. Like with my dogs I've always use "Marshall fetch!" if he's hunting it up and doesn't find it right away encourage him with " find the bird!" and "good boy!" when he finds it and starts coming in. The first year hunting can be frustrating as he tries to figure out what you expect of him if you're not spending a lot of time training him for that specific purpose.

[GoatGuy]

The forced fetch method works well. Probably plenty on google.

One other thing, he has to be excited about retrieving in general. Most retrievers do it instinctively but the excitement and willingness to retrieve is sometimes generated by the owner's voice.

Funny video.

[Jimbo]

Finally saw the video and it looks all too familiar. Have you made any progress since hunting season? Do you have a frozen duck available?