I have an 11 month old female black lab with great hunting lines. I have put some training into her (Hillman) but if I have to be honest not as much as I could/should have. She did have the basics down before her first trip for pheasant in October however. Sit/stay, heel, here, retrieving, etc. I did not get the chance to introduce her to live birds before hunting, but did throw/hide pheasant wings quite a bit.
So on her first trip she got the chance to find and retrieve a few quail and pheasant for me. She did good. A little bewildered when one of them moved, but she grabbed them and brought them to me just like she does with wings/bumpers. She had some handling issues, but the retrieving part I thought went well. This trip lasted 4 days.
Second trip two weeks later lasted 3 days and was more of the same with better handling. She got out in front better and was doing more "hunting." Flushed several birds and did some retrieves.
Third trip two weeks later (I just got home from) handled even better but....has decided to absolutely DESTROY bids and DOES NOT want to bring them to me. When I say destroy I mean shaking them, growling, yipping, tossing them in the air, etc. She acts as if it's the enemy and she is trying to kill it. I was stunned to see this and frankly I didn't know exactly what to do. My instinct said to yell NO, but then I was afraid that would make the fact that she found it a bad thing. So I ran over got grabbed it away from her the first time she did it. Then it went on for the next three days. Every bird she found she did this to. One of them was down in a nasty briar covered ditch that I couldn't get into and I could hear her down there destroying the bird. I was yelling here but she wouldn't come (she normally is great with this). She finally did bring that bird up out of the ditch to me but it was completely destroyed.
I have no idea why she all of the sudden starting doing this when she was great at first. Nothing happened or changed between the trips. I'm at a loss and frankly don't want her retrieving game until I get this sorted and worked out.
I'd love to hear some thoughts and advice on where to start.
Chris
So on her first trip she got the chance to find and retrieve a few quail and pheasant for me. She did good. A little bewildered when one of them moved, but she grabbed them and brought them to me just like she does with wings/bumpers. She had some handling issues, but the retrieving part I thought went well. This trip lasted 4 days.
Second trip two weeks later lasted 3 days and was more of the same with better handling. She got out in front better and was doing more "hunting." Flushed several birds and did some retrieves.
Third trip two weeks later (I just got home from) handled even better but....has decided to absolutely DESTROY bids and DOES NOT want to bring them to me. When I say destroy I mean shaking them, growling, yipping, tossing them in the air, etc. She acts as if it's the enemy and she is trying to kill it. I was stunned to see this and frankly I didn't know exactly what to do. My instinct said to yell NO, but then I was afraid that would make the fact that she found it a bad thing. So I ran over got grabbed it away from her the first time she did it. Then it went on for the next three days. Every bird she found she did this to. One of them was down in a nasty briar covered ditch that I couldn't get into and I could hear her down there destroying the bird. I was yelling here but she wouldn't come (she normally is great with this). She finally did bring that bird up out of the ditch to me but it was completely destroyed.
I have no idea why she all of the sudden starting doing this when she was great at first. Nothing happened or changed between the trips. I'm at a loss and frankly don't want her retrieving game until I get this sorted and worked out.
I'd love to hear some thoughts and advice on where to start.
Chris