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Realistic Force Fetch Time Line

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#2 ·
Every dog is different. I tell myself a month but it really varies. Some dogs fly through it and others seem to take forever.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
I'm with Wayne, every dog is different. I'd guess normally 3 to 4 weeks.

The shortest I've done was Chena River Wild Lady. She took about 10 days. Heck, it took me 3 or 4 days to find something she did not want to fetch. Finally found that she didn't like tin cans in her mouth and got refusals on them. When she'd pick up a mini pile of tin cans at 4 or 5 feet away without refusals I considered her done with ff.

The longest was over 6 weeks just on the ff and she fought me every step of the way. Got her picking up the wooden buck but she refused the red 2" bumper. Worked on her with the bumper but then she wouldn't fetch the 2" white bumper. After she was fetching the 2" red, white and black plastic bumpers I started on 3" bumpers. Every step was a fight that lasted a day maybe two. Then we had fights over the canvas bumpers. Then fights over a pile of mixed bumpers at 4-5 feet and then a fight over walking fetch, stick fetch, and fetch no fetch. All during these steps she'd regress just to see if I still would make her pick up something or other, always testing me. She was one hard bitch to ff. AND this one liked retrieving and birds. She was one stubborn bitch. FTP and the TT was just as hard as FF with her.
 
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#4 ·
im on day 23 right now with a boykin and i feel like he's progressing very well and at a timely fashion. id rather do it too long than have any holes. we are about to start walking fetch in about 3 more days.
 
#5 ·
To me, a complete force fetch procedure includes forcing to a pile, forcing into water, and through water.
I have found that with a dog of reasonable intelligence, and with a good attitude, this can be done in 12 days. There are some exceptions, but this usually works.
 
#9 ·
Most that I have done take right around 3 week with some pushing 4 weeks.
 
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#10 ·
It's not a race!
 
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#11 ·
About 6 weeks on the table this is done in some small steps, no rushing, no skipped steps once a day. Then off the table and a couple of sessions on over force followed by force to the pile. Again no rush but no breaks in the program once you have started. Single T , double T force to the water, swim by, 8 handed casting
 
#13 ·
Each dogs different. I had one that took 2 mo's and the one I'm training now went through it in 2 weeks. Average I would say 3 to 4 weeks. No hurry ajdust to the dog and keep your standard up.
 
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#14 · (Edited)
RailRoadRetrievers said:
Okay, in all honesty, how many days (not rushing, taking enough time to teach each step, and making certain they know it before the next step). So if I went from hold to walking fetch or FTP, how long would that take with two a day sessions?

I took my time on the last two dogs
Click to expand...
You really should list the steps from start to finish. Everybody has thier own idea of FF being complete.

For me its
1) Hold. This is done when I can get a 5 minute OB session with paint roller in mouth, no dropping

2) Ear pinch. This is done when the dog is picking up off the ground even though I let go of the collar. I am now using a 2 in bumper.

3) Waking fetch. This is done when the dog will pick up even while I hold him back with the check cord. I want them to really work for it.

4) Fetch no fetch. This is finished when the dog understands that fetch is done on my command.

5) Stick fetch. This is finished when the dog will fetch 100% of the time with the distraction of the healing stick.

6) Collar condition

7) Collar fetch. Finished when the dog understands that the collar pressure is no different than the ear pinch. I bring the dog through fetch from my hand all the way to walking fetch using collar pressure. I use bumpers and birds at this stage.

8) Force to the pile.


I have NEVER been able to finish this in 12 days.

Most often around 8 weeks
 
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#15 ·
7pntail said:
It's not a race!
Click to expand...
Hallelujah!

I don't place any length of time expectancy on any step or aspect of the FF process. The dog determines that.

How long?

It would be nice to offer an expectable time frame so you could tell if it’s taken too long, or has gone so fast and easy that you should be suspicious of the depth or quality of the lesson, but there is no real yardstick. Let me offer a brief story that may offer some consolation for those who may feel they’re spent a great deal of time on this without seeing a fully developed response.

While training as a pro, circa 1990, one of my dogs was giving me a special challenge with force fetch. “Star” was a bright and talented pup with lots of go, but was resisting pressure during force fetching, and just wouldn’t give relief a chance. She had been at it for nearly eight weeks, and had yet to reach for a bumper.

She had the kind of owner all pros would love to have; devoted to his dog, very interested in her progress, and listened to his trainer! He didn’t just listen; he worked with me in his dog’s best interests.

I had decided, one day, that if we didn’t make some kind of clear breakthrough today that I was going to have to call him and break the bad news that he would be better served to start over with another dog. He knew ahead of time that it hadn’t been going well.

About three minutes into our morning forcing session she suddenly snatched the bumper from my hand! Suddenly, after eight weeks, the lights came on!

What a joy to see this otherwise fine little girl get the message. She sailed through the remainder of her basics and transition, acquired seventeen Derby points, took four Qualifying second places during the process, and has been a marvelous duck dog for all of her twelve years.

I still feel that eight weeks is a very long time in which to have made so little progress, but I also know that, for this little dog, it was worth it. You just don’t know with any one dog, as you proceed into force fetching, how long it will take. Whether it becomes too long, you will simply have to decide for yourself.(From SmartFetch)

Evan
 
#18 ·
Alec Sparks said:
Didn't some guy that use train say something like:

Less then 6 months through the yard, I worry about the quality of the training. More then 8, I worry about the quality of the dog.
Click to expand...
Well done, Alec. That was Rex Carr. I was sitting beside him when he said that in answer to someone asking him "Rex, how long should it take for a dog to complete Basics?" I was surprised that he was so direct about the reply.

"About 6 months. If it takes much less than that I'm suspect of the quality of the training. If it takes much longer, I become suspect of the dog." I've found that to generally be true.

Evan
 
#19 ·
I spent about a month and a half with my first one but I feel like I eventually got it right. I have a shaq pup that was at a pro and I think his took about 2 weeks. Started about 5.5 mo when his teeth were ready and was well into walking fetch by short of 6 mo.
 
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#20 ·
claimsadj said:
I spent about a month and a half with my first one but I feel like I eventually got it right. I have a shaq pup that was at a pro and I think his took about 2 weeks. Started about 5.5 mo when his teeth were ready and was well into walking fetch by short of 6 mo.
Click to expand...
And onward to force to pile? How long? All the steps?

Evan
 
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