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Boykin Puppy, first bird, chomped down and wasn't giving it up.

8K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  Julie R. 
#1 · (Edited)
Everyone,

First post here. I'm a newbie at this. I'm sure you all know how to deal with this. I have a Boykin Male, about 14 weeks. Treat training and transferring to the leash, etc. is going well. Basic obedience is going well. Sits (on whistle), stays, comes (on whistle), place, kennel, beginnings of heel (understands to follow) all going great for treat and beginning leash, choke collar training. He brings the puppy bumpers back no problem! He Has started swimming and bringing those bumpers back. Loves feathers, etc.

So today I decided to try a simple fresh dove retrieve. (neighborhood cat killed it). I figured I would start to introduce dead birds in the yard and the field soon. Well, needless to say the dove put that dog on another level, fired up about it. I showed in the bird, he got laser focused. (he has his check cord on) I tossed it out 10 yards in the backyard. He charged it, grabbed it, I gave him the three whistle toots, and had to drag him back to me where he proceeded to clamp down on that dove. I got stern, then praised him tremendously, then had to drag the dog and bird into the house to grab a treat to have him let go. Bird is totally mush at this point.

Help? Please? I'm happy about his tremendous desire to gets birds! That was only the first, but I certainly don't want to reinforce the behavior over and over again with more birds. Thoughts.

Don't want to make a miss-step with the second and third birds.

Best,
Matt
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Many dogs will eat a dove. Don't know why. This was a handler mistake. Don't use doves for training. Wait a bit and try a pigeon or small duck. Everything will be fine.
PS. Since you know she is birdy, no need to rush back into birds.
 
#4 ·
After she has gone through the transition phase, she will probably retrieve doves fine. Oops, he not she.
 
#8 ·
Transition is part of most retriever training programs, the transition from basics to advanced training. Way beyond dead and live birds. Wayne's correct in pointing out your dog passed the birdyness test in spades. Now that you know birds are not a problem with your dog, I would just use bumpers until after force fetch.
 
#7 ·
Doves are such a tasty little morsel...I've seen several dogs gulp on down...GONE!! except for a couple feathers.

Pigeons....are there any highway overpasses around there? Go at night with a flashlight and a fishing net.....pigeons are pretty easy to catch. Fun!!
 
#13 ·
Go to Mike Lardy's website. He has a free down loadable flow chart that shows the steps in basics, transition and advanced. I would suggest you buy Volume 1 of Lardy's Retriever Journal articles ($30). It defines and describes the steps in basics. For instance explains force fetch.
I will stop here and let someone familiar with Boykins pick it up.
 
#14 · (Edited)
OK I got it. "FF" is force fetch. Sorry just did not understand the abbreviation. Yeah, no one ever said I force fetched trained the dog yet. That is WAY too early. Just used a bird, that's all. Thanks, Wayne.

Wayne, on the flow chart I'm still in the "Socialization and Intro to Field" Section, and I know it. Not sure how this got off track to FF and so on. We are simply exploring and taking it all in. That's all. Thanks guys!
 
#16 ·
OK I got it. "FF" is force fetch. Sorry just did not understand the abbreviation. Yeah, no one ever said I force fetched trained the dog yet. That is WAY too early. Just used a bird, that's all. Thanks, Wayne.

Wayne, on the flow chart I'm still in the "Socialization and Intro to Field" Section, and I know it. Not sure how this got off track to FF and so on. We are simply exploring and taking it all in. That's all. Thanks guys!
We're just looking down the road a ways. It was good to test your pup with a bird at this age. Some dogs aren't that interested in retrieving or birds, so we test them. Your dog passed with flying colors, so we can check that box off.

You might try a larger bird that the dog can't swallow whole, and see if you can entice the pup to bring the bird to you. Some lucky guys get pups that naturally bring you the bird, most pups this early in training want to keep that prize for themselves. Right now you don't have any tools built in the dog to deal with that, so if your dog doesn't want to come back right now, I would hold off on the birds until you are having him return with the bumper to ingrain that habit. Much later, maybe six months, you can force fetch, or better yet, have an experienced trainer FF, then you'll have the tool to deal with proper delivery of the bird.
 
#20 ·
I've long kept a loft of roughly 30 homers, but once a wee pup like yours has shown that he likes birds (which yours has), he'll not get his lips on another until good retrieving habits have been well established with bumpers.
 
#22 ·
My boykin pup was 9 weeks old on the dove opener, he went bonkers over a flopping dove, grabbed it and didn't want to let go. Like others said, it is that he's birdie, now get him to love bumpers.

Join a group, get a program and follow it, take it slow and be thorough. Most importantly have fun!
 
#23 · (Edited)
I have a 5+ mos. Ches. pup that started freezing and growling at me over ducks at 7 weeks. She would willingly return bumpers, but not birds. We tried again at about 12 weeks (because I'm a moron and hosted a Chesapeake field training day at my farm; and we had lots of other puppies and lots of nice fresh ducks) same thing. So she hasn't had any since then and we are in FF right now; when I am certain of her reliable response she'll be able to have birds again. I had her at retriever club training Sat., and we ran the marks as singles with bumpers, but the last station must not've heard and he threw her a duck. That was the only one she did not deliver to hand, but at least she didn't growl at me for taking it from her. If they love birds as pups, they'll still love them after FF.

This is the little thug at 7 weeks. Notice her foot possessively on the duck and the classic stink eye. LOL.
 
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