[WRL]

ANY dog with retrieve drive can get a JH title.

After 4 weeks of FF, it is COMMON for a dog to shut down or whatever. The key with FF is to work through issues.

I don't know what pro you have your dog with, BUT if your pro is telling you after 4 weeks to wash him out, I'd find a different pro.

If the pro has had the dog for 12 weeks or so, then you might consider it depending on the pro.

FF is not about delivering to hand, it is about control and "who is boss".....FF is one of the first steps in changing the retrieving game from the dog's game played by his rules to the human's game played by human rules.

WRL

 

[WRL]

brockdb,

Lets be a little more basic here....

How long has the pro had your dog? You said you have paid $2600 plus for the dog and training.

How much are you paying the pro, how long has he had the dog and how long has the dog been in FF?

Unless you paid $1500 for the pup, it sounds as if you have paid multiple months of training fees.


Yanking a dog from a trainer in the middle of ff is unually not the best option.
WRL

 

[WRL]

OK....here it is, plain and simple.

Some dogs have REALLY REALLY funk attitudes in FF. They can be the biggest SOBs during this time. What works is time and patience.

Your pro has obviously made a great commitment to get the job done. It often takes two or three weeks of hammering at a road block in order to break through. Fortunately, usually when you do, the rest of training sails.

This is not a dog that will likely not retrieve a bird you have shot when out hunting...he might not deliver it to hand (at this time) but I would not worry about hunting this fall.

Another thing, you need to have a heart to heart with your trainer. In my opinion, you are asking WAY TO MUCH WAY TOO SOON.......NOBODY trains their dog for four hours straight. It is 5 or 10 or 15 minutes here and 10 or 15 minutes there. You can't hammer away at a dog for 4 hours straight.

If I were you, I'd buy the book "The Ten Minute Retriever"....it will explain to you why short sessions more often are better than one session that is way too long.

WRL