Should I be worried

[TLAR]

So my 7 month old springer is not showing a lot of desire to retrieve birds. He will retrieve bumpers and toys, but does not always pick up birds.

Today I had him training with a pigeon. I would toss the pigeon out to he go out to retrieve it but would stop and just look at it. After a couple times I got my older dog out and had him make a retrieve. After that he would go out a pick up the bird and bring it back about half way and drop it.

So what can I do to help him start to make the retrieve on birds?

[Angie B]

Don't worry about it. What your doing is fine. Just keep trying and one of these days he'll pick up the pigeon. Can you access a game bird like a chukkar, quail or small duck/pheasant?

Angie

[Bryan Manning]

I have not had a lot of experience with bird dogs ( pointers, spaniels, etc). But from what I have seen and heard they are a little more sensitive to what type of bird they like. I would try Angie's suggestion try some quail or chukkar. Had a young GSP that would pick up quail all day long, but would run straight past a pigeon.

[TLAR]

Don't worry about it. What your doing is fine. Just keep trying and one of these days he'll pick up the pigeon. Can you access a game bird like a chukkar, quail or small duck/pheasant?

Angie

Angie,

Thanks for the advice on the chukkars. I do have access to them and will give it a try this week. Until I get to the live birds again any advice on bumpers to increase the drive? My guess is to just keep it fun and let it take care of itself.

[SaltCreek]

That dog is 7 months old and ready to be forced fetched on Birds. May want to ask an experience springer guy or gal if springers take to Force fetching.

[Angie B]

That dog is 7 months old and ready to be forced fetched on Birds. May want to ask an experience springer guy or gal if springers take to Force fetching.

Springers ff just fine. I wouldn't be in a hurry though. There's plenty of time for that.

Try to get him fun retrieving for a while yet. Get some wings/feathers and duct tape them to a bumper. That will help.

Angie

[Bridget Bodine]

Has he chased live birds at all?

[TLAR]

Has he chased live birds at all?

Yes he has chased lived birds before both pigeons and chukkars. One of the pigeons did not make it through the play time and he did pick it up and run around with it.

What my concern was is that we were doing some drills were I was tossing the pigeon out in front of him and he would simply run up to it poke his nose around and then come back with out the bird.

I will try the feathers on the bumpers in our playtime and see if that helps. I will have him on some birds again later this week.

[Bridget Bodine]

Thats what I would do...lots of flapping birds, or running chukar.Build the prey drive, get to shooting birds for the dog in the field, After shooting for him, THEN FF
My focus is hunting dogs , not HT or trials so I start all of my dogs in the upland field young, 5 mos or so . They learn how to hunt , use their nose , build prey drive and HAVE FUN. After that then I start with more formal OB, FF,TT etc.

[Colonel Blimp]

Not all ESS are mad keen on retrieving; they weren't bred for it.

The advice given is mostly right but confuses hunting drive with retrieving drive. So take it easy, use some feather / dummies to build up desire, and build in heaps of praise; I've found a rabbit skin covered dummy even more effective than feathers.

The only thing I'd add is to keep the number of retrieves at this stage right down. If in a general training session he gets two retrieves right, leave it at that. The sticky ESS tend to get bored with dummies very easily.

Eug