Don’t let gundogs go ‘flat’

How do I get my dog more excited to retrieve? He is a 16-month-old cocker spaniel and will retrieve off water all day. But on land he simply doesn’t show the same drive.

It is not uncommon for dogs to find retrieving on water much more exciting than on land. When swimming, they have to focus on the retrieve and cannot mess around or get as distracted. He is still relatively young, so make sure that you are not overdoing the retrieving work. So often dogs are made ‘flat’ by repeating the same exercises over and over.

Other dogs find water retrieves exciting because they are more difficult than on land. Make sure the work is challenging him without setting him up to fail. If necessary, you could try a rabbit-skin ball or dummy to make retrieving work more exciting. ES