[Kendall Steffensen]

My 10 month old female lab is running 100 yard singles in light to medium cover, stepping on about half of them.

The concern is that she seems to believe she can step on every mark as she runs to where she believes the bird is at and hunts a 20 foot area or less.

If the bird is within a few feet, she completes the mark. If not, she hunts for 15 to 30 seconds then stops and looks at me.

Any ideas for increasing her area of fall hunt and/or hunting for longer than 15 to 30 seconds.

Thanks,
Kendall

 

[BJGatley]

Salt the area.

 

[Kendall Steffensen]

Give me your thoughts regarding salting the area. It may be the perfect solution, but my first thought is that would increase her perception that she can step on every mark as she will find a bird easily.

 

[BJGatley]

Give me your thoughts regarding salting the area. It may be the perfect solution, but my first thought is that would increase her perception that she can step on every mark as she will find a bird easily.

And that is the idea. Build up the confidence and let your dog understand that. Make it fun. Your dog will read that from you. Let her be a dog and let you be a trainer that understands.

 

[Kendall Steffensen]

Fair enough. I am truly looking for possible solutions, not a way to make this thread turn south.

 

[BJGatley]

Fair enough. I am truly looking for possible solutions, not a way to make this thread turn south.

No way that it with turn south. Just understand what you can do to make her understand you and I truly believe she will understand you. Be fair....Please.

 

[steve schreiner]

Finally a dog that goes to where THEY believe it to be...Then asks for help when it isn't ...Must be a female..A male would just run around and try to look like they know it is somewhere around here and never stop and ask for directions...
Seriously you have gotten good info ...salt the area and the dog will learn to put in longer hunts before asking for help....Success is the key to a good marking dog...They have to believe they know where that bird is before they ever leave the line to make the retrieve...."IF the dog knows where the bird is they will go get it "Steve S

 

[O.clarki]

Sounds like you are trying to encourage her to hunt around some more in the cover without asking for help. Use some real birds in that cover - it will encourage her to keep going more then a bumper will.

 

[Howard N]

To the OP. Start on a good retriever training program. They all have recommendations of what to do when your dog pops on a mark. In the mean time simplify (shorten up, easier cover and terrain). No sense building a habit of the dog giving up on a hunt.

BTW, salt the area means to have several birds scattered about in the fall area and have the bird boy throw to the area. Whistle the dog in real quick when the dog picks one up as you can/will get shopping.

 

[Kendall Steffensen]

Howard,

Thank you for the popping on a mark terminology. A quick search turned up several suggestions.

It appears I was 180 degrees off base, I thought she was over confident by only going to the spot she thought the mark was at, not under confident by putting on a small hunt.

Kendall