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HELP! 7 month old not retrieving and wont get in water!

2K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  RookieTrainer 
#1 ·
I have a 7 month old lab that has very little interest in bumpers right now. At 4 months, the drive seemed better, but after the adult teeth came in, everything changed. He still has a good amount of energy, he just has trouble with focusing it on retrieving. He is collar conditioned to here, and I am loosely following Evan Graham. He will retrieve just fine in the back yard, but when he gets in the field, we cannot do much work because he has little interest in retrieving, and lots of interest in EVERYTHING else around him. Today I was going to introduce him to water, but he was having none of it. We got another MUCH more experience and titled dog out, and tried to induce some drive through competition, but that didnt work either. I dragged him out in the water with me and waded out waist deep to show him it was OK, and nothing to be scared of, and he swims just fine...swam well, actually, but will not get in on his own. Then we did some short retrieves on land, and he did fine, but still did not have the "want" that you would like to see from your retriever with pretty darn good pedigree on both sides. I want to make sure that what i am doing wont ruin this dog....He stays in the house much of his day kenneled....the kids play with him every day, and he is getting to be a pretty good dog in the house. Any help on getting his drive up, and getting him wanting to get in the water would be great! Thanks in advance.
 
#3 ·
I have a 7 month old lab that has very little interest in bumpers right now.

What about other retrieve items? Canvas bumpers? tennis balls? ... sometimes it takes a bit of creativity to “turn it on” ... hopefully once its “on” it will translate to your training items/birds.

He is collar conditioned to here,

Everyone does this a bit differently ... but, at 7 months (obviously well prior to FF) you can CC your dog and thinking back - is there any chance your young dog may have associated your use of the collar with his bumpers? Have you ever nicked him on “here” with a bumper in his mouth?

and I am loosely following Evan Graham.

As BlaineT said ... careful about “loosely” especially if you are new to this game.

He will retrieve just fine in the back yard, but when he gets in the field, we cannot do much work because he has little interest in retrieving, and lots of interest in EVERYTHING else around him.

Mostly normal for hormonal young male dog with middle of the road drive... as the drive increases, the dog matures, and the distractions become desensitized by further exposure this should fade

Today I was going to introduce him to water

Adding one more frustration to your headaches ;) give him time ... let him play in the water he’ll probably come to like it over time.

We got another MUCH more experience and titled dog out, and tried to induce some drive through competition, but that didnt work either.

You are on the right road here... how about another YOUNG less experienced dog just to goof around and have fun with in the water?

I dragged him out in the water with me and waded out waist deep to show him it was OK, and nothing to be scared of, and he swims just fine...swam well, actually, but will not get in on his own.

you are lucky... deciding to drag him out may very well could have had the exact opposite reaction and he would never want to swim again

Then we did some short retrieves on land, and he did fine,

Good - progress :)

but still did not have the "want" that you would like to see from your retriever with pretty darn good pedigree on both sides.

All dogs are different - perhaps he does not have the stuff to cut the mustard, perhaps he is a late bloomer and just needs to mature. Have patience and have fun - he may just surprise you.

I want to make sure that what i am doing wont ruin this dog....He stays in the house much of his day kenneled....the kids play with him every day, and he is getting to be a pretty good dog in the house.

HMMMMM.. this is my red flag. IMHO A middle of the road dog with drive (as you are describing) needs to think that RETRIEVING is the most entertaining thing humans can provide. A BORED dog = an eager dog. Kids are great to exercise a pup but can inadvertently entertain them to the point where retrieving is not “that important” because the dog can find amusement in other ways. My 7 month old pup is either crated/kennels/ or being trained & aired under my supervision. (I know thats WAY tougher with kids in the picture) ... but, if I (and the work) are his greatest loves in life ... then his work this stays up.

Any help on getting his drive up, and getting him wanting to get in the water would be great! Thanks in advance.
A Bored dog = an eager dog. Dont force him into water. Follow a program. try different retrieve items. ALWAYS put him AWAY in his kennel or crate when he wants “ONE MORE THROW” (this may mean he only gets 1 retrieve then goes away - maybe next time 3)... if the game of retrieving gets boring ... well, other things will occupy his mind.
 
#4 ·
Step by step, what I have done:

1) Take walks in the field and let him investigate everything. Don't correct for anything if you can. A long rope on him just to keep track of him. Let him get used to the smells.
2) Dragging into water is a big mistake. Put on your waders and just walk around and play with him near any body of water including puddles. Walk out into water, see if he follows you. Have someone hold him, you walk across a puddle, and entice him to chase you. Start in shallow water. As confidence builds, go to deeper water. This may take one session or several sessions.
3) If the retrieving desire is strong, retrieves first into shallow water, then an occasional one into deeper water. Patience is needed.


Ask yourself if you did anything to him in the field that may have dampened his enthusiasm.


Runningdawgz gave you excellent advice. My advice comes from dealing with my own dogs as well as several other goldens. I actually saw one golden who required a long time to get comfortable in the water but he is quite good now.
 
#5 ·
I had the same problem kinda when it come to the water part. When I bought my lab last fall it was starting to get to cold out for her to start swimming so this spring was the first time she has gotten the opportunity to try out water. I started out by going in ankle deep and calling her to me. It took a couple of trys to get her to run out to me and then run back to shore. After awhile she figured out how much fun the water can be. I started by throwing bumpers so she could run in the ankle deep water to retrieve it and gradually increased the depth. After a while she was swimming and not even noticing she was that deep. Now we can't walk past the pond without her jumping in it. Take it slow and make everything fun.
 
#9 ·
One thing I had to learn - among many - was the importance of airing time. It is so easy when trying to fit dog training into a hectic schedule to want to get where you are going, get set up, run the dog, and go home. It is very important to let the dog sort of have the run of the place before starting a setup or training session. Yes, they need to go to the bathroom, but it also gives them some time to clear their head and just be a dog for a few minutes. You might find him better able to concentrate once he has sort of checked everything out. Birds would probably help him get focused too, as another poster said.

You might also avoid teaching your dog that when you leave the house something is about to happen in short order, so your dog learns to get JUBAR whenever you start out, get in the truck, etc. Ask me how I know that.

Good luck with your pup.
 
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