Retrieving Tip

Here’s a quick tip to keep your dog happy and enjoy retrieving. Reward before you take. What I mean is a lot of us have the tendency to grab the bird from the dog when he first brings it back. Don’t do this! When working your dog on his retrieving send the pup on  a retrieve, but when he brings the object back reward him first. You could reward him by petting him on his head and rubbing him down his spine or patting his side to let him know a job well done. Also, a cheerful “thata boy/girl” will help boost the dogs confidence. Then you can take the object from him. Don’t take the bird from him right away. Let him know that you are happy that he brought you the bird and then give him the release command. This is really important when working with young dogs or dogs that haven’t had the chance to retrieve many birds. A pup will realize that you are glad he brought you the bird and will encourage the dog to continue to retrieve. If you take the bird right away this can lead to the dog wanting to either not bring the bird, play tug of war, or even make it so the dog wants to play a game of keep away (come get me boss). So keep this in mind while working on fetch. Make sure you keep it fun at first. Make it a reward for the dog to get to fetch a bird and when he does reward him when the bird is brought to hand.