Training dogs not quite easy

MY BROTHER is training a young Labrador pup and has come to the same crossroad again where the dog drops the dummy at his feet rather than holding the dummy until commanded to “Give”.

He has been here with two previous retrievers and concedes it must be something he is doing wrong in the way he trains his dogs.

Daryl sought out the sage advice of Dr Duck, renowned Labrador trainer. The Doctor diagnosed that Daryl was training the dog to drop the dummy by putting the cart before the horse.

The progression of training should not have been “Sit, Stay, Fetch”, but “Sit, Stay, Hold, Give, then Fetch”. In other words, Daryl had skipped to Fetch before the dog had been taught the correct presentation.

To correct the bad habit of dropping the dummy (or game), he had to go back to basics.

He had to stop sending the dog on retrieves.

Place the dog on the tailgate or bench and place the dummy in the dog’s mouth with the command “Hold”.

Keeping his hand under the dog’s bottom jaw to enforce the “Hold” for a reasonable amount of time, up to one minute.

Then tell the dog to “Give” and remove the dummy from the dog’s mouth with one hand, while patting the dog’s head with the other hand.

This pattern has to be repeated numerous times over a week or two without any of the retrieving fun that the dog craves.

Then with the dog sitting on the ground and dummy in mouth under the “Hold” command Daryl has to walk around the pup, stand next to it, walk away, walk back to the pup and stand right up close with the pup directly in front of him. Then say “Give”, take the dummy out while again patting the head and cooing “Good dog”. Repeating this will cement the correct presentation. In the field, this will ensure that wounded game is not dropped at Daryl’s feet for it to scurry off or flap around in the boat. Daryl intends to do retrieving trials with this new pup and a lot of points can be lost by poor presentation. This is a lesson in correcting a fault that Daryl created, but also as much as the proper progression of commands. Hold and Give should have been instilled before Fetch.

NT Field and Game has clay target practice every Friday from 4pm and a 75-target competition this morning from 8am at the Mickett Creek range. Sunday mass practice will resume next from 9am till noon. All are welcome.