[KingOfTheGlades]

Got a 7 month female who is coming along very very nicely. We are just about solid on HOLD and about ready to move to ear pinch. She holding anything and everything. Heeling...sitting...here...giving like a champ. We have been teaching hold with everything but a bumper.

She had a habit for a while of rope holds on her marks. She will pick it up proper... but on the way back she will manipulate in her mouth to hold by the rope and have a good ole time swinging around. I wasn't correcting this up to this point...with no hold taught i didn't want to do any corrections on retrieves. wanted to keep it all fun and positive

should i ...

do a few days of HOLD work with bumpers teaching proper bumper hold before ear pinch?

Take the ropes off for any marks ?

Proceed with ear pinch without the bumper marks for now and see what the result is after FF / hoping this will remedy the problem ?

 

[DL]

Just in case you didn't know, none of your bumpers necessarily have to have ropes on them. Do people teach hold with a bumper with a rope on it? I see it as a battle I can't win and try to address it some other way. Some other people win the battle I guess.

 

[Steve Shaver]

Got a 7 month female who is coming along very very nicely. We are just about solid on HOLD and about ready to move to ear pinch. She holding anything and everything. Heeling...sitting...here...giving like a champ. We have been teaching hold with everything but a bumper.

She had a habit for a while of rope holds on her marks. She will pick it up proper... but on the way back she will manipulate in her mouth to hold by the rope and have a good ole time swinging around. I wasn't correcting this up to this point...with no hold taught i didn't want to do any corrections on retrieves. wanted to keep it all fun and positive

should i ...

do a few days of HOLD work with bumpers teaching proper bumper hold before ear pinch?

Take the ropes off for any marks ?

Proceed with ear pinch without the bumper marks for now and see what the result is after FF / hoping this will remedy the problem ?

I would actually do just the opposite and teach hold with a bumper FIRST. Then if you want to proof it with other objects go for it but I don't see it as necessary unless you want her to bring a beer from the fridge.. She's a puppy and I wouldn't worry much about a rope hold, ducks don't have ropes. But you need to teach a good hold with the bumper and you certainly can take the rope off but when going through the whole FF process I find the rope a valuable tool for me. Once hold is pretty solid I used the rope to take it a step further by giving little tugs to make sure she holds on to it. This is where I first introduce ear pinch. When pup understands hold I would induce her to drop by tugging on the rope then ear pinch, fetch, hold, GOOOD DOG! As she understands fetch and ear pinch further I start tugging on the rope a bit harder and do not allow a drop until told to do so.

 

[Steve Shaver]

Just in case you didn't know, none of your bumpers necessarily have to have ropes on them. Do people teach hold with a bumper with a rope on it? I see it as a battle I can't win and try to address it some other way. Some other people win the battle I guess.

I cant throw a bumper nearly as far without the rope. I hate training with ropes except on bumpers. To me they are a necessity with bumpers. I do however start very young puppies, 7weeks old, with a no rope bumper.

 

[Dave Burton]

I know a FC/AFC that will bring every bumper in a pile back by the rope at same time. Ducks don't have ropes. When I have had young pups do it I just have them sit then put in in their mouth correctly, good boy then move on. It soon goes away.

 

[Steve Shaver]

I know a FC/AFC that will bring every bumper in a pile back by the rope at same time. Ducks don't have ropes. When I have had young pups do it I just have them sit then put in in their mouth correctly, good boy then move on. It soon goes away.

Ya but them North Carolina dogs are different:razz:. Don't be in any hurry to head west. It doesn't seem winter wants to go away this year.

 

[Dave Burton]

Ya but them North Carolina dogs are different:razz:. Don't be in any hurry to head west. It doesn't seem winter wants to go away this year.

Here also. We had sleet and fluries this am and its going to be 72 Sunday.

 

[DL]

It seems to me to be related to having a soft mouth. I have no doubt I can learn plenty from both of you guys. My first dog didn't have a soft mouth. The second two seem to have what I think is a soft mouth. A stressed out dog increases a soft mouth? So, I think putting pressure on it makes it worse at least temporarily. It might be irrelevant.

 

[DarrinGreene]

If she's well collar conditioned - here nick here as she's returning. Make sure she KNOWS what you're talking about and that she's had plenty of reps without the object in her mouth. Otherwise you could end up in a world of hurt when she associates pressure to the object.