Lab won’t retrieve for owner

We have a three-year-old black Labrador that is meant to be a gundog for my father. However, my father works all week and is barely home so the dog is left at home with the family. I have been training the dog because she didn’t seem to be making progress with him. She will retrieve dummies for me but will not pick-up for him. I think she is scared of him because he sometimes raises his voice. My father is furious at the thought of a ruined gundog. With the season approaching is there anything we can do to make her pick-up for him instead of me?

The issue here is clearly that your bitch spends far too much time either alone or not with the person with whom she is supposed to belong. And it appears that when your father does have contact with her he is not using it as a time to bond with the dog.

Your Labrador may be sensitive but that should in no way prevent her from being an excellent worker. Indeed, it sounds like she is proving that she will work for you, so your father needs to start spending more time with her so that she learns to trust him and wants to be with him. Her reluctance to work for him would suggest that she lacks trust and is afraid of him, and that is consequently reflected in her attitude towards him.

You say your father is “furious” and “raises his voice” — and that clearly suggests he lacks the patience needed to deal with this sort of bitch. Only if he builds a much closer relationship with her, both physically and through adopting an encouraging approach to all the communication he has with her, will he achieve anything. He needs a major shift in his attitude towards her and her lifestyle — only then will any improvement be achieved.

Dogs like this are not machines — treated correctly they can be brilliant and loyal workers. If your father vents his frustration on her with harsh treatment, her attitude towards him will deteriorate even more. Does he really need a dog at all? JH

with your dog Latin name: Vaccinium myrtillus Common name: Bilberry

Other names: Blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry, windberry, blackheart, huckleberry

How to spot it and where to find it: This low shrub is found on welldrained heathland and moorland, particularly in upland areas, and as understorey in acid woodland of birch, pine and oak. It has bright green stems and oval glossy leaves that sometimes flush red in the autumn. The urn-shaped flowers, usually pink, appear in late spring to early summer, followed by blue-black round berries in September to October. Interesting facts: Considered the European blueberry, the bilberry’s fruits are sweet, sharp and deliciously intense. They are great in pies and tarts, and make wonderful jam. They contain a potent type of antioxidant flavonoid known as anthocyanoside, which is believed to support vision and eye health and the cardiovascular system. Bilberries also have antiinflammatory properties and a high vitamin C content. They are believed to brighten the skin and reduce sun damage, either eaten or applied topically. But it is not only the berries that can be beneficial; the dried leaves of bilberries are used in the treatment of complaints including urinary ailments, haemorrhoids and even diabetes — the leaves contain glucoquinones, which reduce the levels of sugar in the blood — though are not recommended as an alternative to conventional therapies.

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