[murral stark]

What do I need to do to get my pup to hold the bird when delivering it? He will hold it all day long in the sit position, butr when you call him to you, he drops it at your feet. Help please.

 

[WBF]

There are many ways to do this but what I like to do is teach Hold either on the table, truck bed, or while sitting on a bucket in front of the dog. Once the dog has the stationary hold down well, start getting him to walk on lead while holding the bumper/bird. This takes time so have patience with him. The first few steps are the hardest and you might have to walk in a position so that you can monitor his hold. I like to say hold softly as I'm doing this. If the dog drops the object put it back in his mouth and reenforce hold. This takes time. Once that is done and he is walking on lead with the object start doing your obedience routine while he is holding the object. Sit/whistle, Remote sit, Heel, Here. After all these steps are done returning with the bird and coming to Heel without dropping shouldn't be a problem. Like I said this is one of many ways to teach this. Just stay patient and consistent.

 

[Evan]

How old is your pup?

Evan

 

[murral stark]

he is 10 months old. Thanks for asking Evan. I hope to hear more from you. I have the smartfetch DVD's

 

[Evan]

Have you spent some time on walking Hold, and are you starting to ear pinch?

Evan

 

[murral stark]

Have you spent some time on walking Hold, and are you starting to ear pinch?

Evan

No i have not done either. Should I do walking hold before retrieving? When should I ear pinch him. I thought the ear pinch was for force fetch.

 

[Evan]

No i have not done either. Should I do walking hold before retrieving?

What I'm getting at is that if he's dropping the bumer he's violating a standard you're trying to establish, and that is working against your goals. Stop marking for now with this dog, and move on in "Hold" work, and that is best served by doing Walking Hold because movement tends to disrupt concentration on a task. That will provide you with opportunities to solidify the Hold before moving on to ear pinch.

When should I ear pinch him. I thought the ear pinch was for force fetch.

I only asked about ear pinch so I could know more about where you are in the process. Firm up Hold, and then start ear pinch. Take your time with this.

Evan