well like most of you I have been “getting the rust off” my pup the last couple weeks and lately he has become really aggressive with the dummy. chompping on it while bringing it back and shaking it. I try to correct him but then he drops the dummy. is there a happy medium? I hear that wrapping it in barbwire works? 
barbwire…..that might be considered puppy curelty 
barbwire…..that might be considered puppy curelty
Try putting a little tin foil on it to keep them from bitting down so hard……worked for me 
Try putting a little tin foil on it to keep them from bitting down so hard……worked for me
does your dog know the command HOLD? if he does put the e- collar on him and and give him a LIGHT nic with the collar and give the hold command very sternly. you cant correct the dog when he gets back to you or youll run the risk of making the dog shy to come all the way back to you. you have to correct him while he is in the act. if he is shaking the dummy around its aggression not a hard mouth problem. try that and see how it works. but if he doesnt know the hold command dont try it.
does your dog know the command HOLD? if he does put the e- collar on him and and give him a LIGHT nic with the collar and give the hold command very sternly. you cant correct the dog when he gets back to you or youll run the risk of making the dog shy to come all the way back to you. you have to correct him while he is in the act. if he is shaking the dummy around its aggression not a hard mouth problem. try that and see how it works. but if he doesnt know the hold command dont try it.
Quote:
barbwire…..that might be considered puppy curelty
Thats a JOKE SON! 
Quote:
barbwire…..that might be considered puppy curelty
Thats a JOKE SON!
Another thing Bucky that I do. When I’m just playing fetch with my Dog I use a ball or soemthing. But wehen I’m training I use the dummy and my dog knows the difference and when the dummy is out it is “all business” and he knows the difference.
I agree with Corey. you need to correct the problem when he is in the act. My dog went through a short stint of the same thing and a very strong and stern NO! worked for me. Everytime he shook, he got a NO! Then when he did not shake he got “praised”. Praises are just as imporrtant as corrections in my opinion. You got to let your Dog know when he is doing things correct. If you have the right relationship with your Dog, He/She aims to please you as much as possible and remembers things he/she does right. But if you never “praise” your dog for a job well done, they will never know the difference. 
Another thing Bucky that I do. When I’m just playing fetch with my Dog I use a ball or soemthing. But wehen I’m training I use the dummy and my dog knows the difference and when the dummy is out it is “all business” and he knows the difference.
I agree with Corey. you need to correct the problem when he is in the act. My dog went through a short stint of the same thing and a very strong and stern NO! worked for me. Everytime he shook, he got a NO! Then when he did not shake he got “praised”. Praises are just as imporrtant as corrections in my opinion. You got to let your Dog know when he is doing things correct. If you have the right relationship with your Dog, He/She aims to please you as much as possible and remembers things he/she does right. But if you never “praise” your dog for a job well done, they will never know the difference.
I had lab a number of years back that had a very hard mouth. Put the dummie away if the dog is going to be aggressive with it. Cut a 2×2 or 2×4 depending on the dogs strength. Then pound nails throught the 2×2 or 2×4 so that the sharp ends of the nails are what the dog has his mouth on. This worked very well for me with that dog, but I had another that it didn’t work for. With him I had to retrain him on the hold and fetch command. A very easy way to do this is clear off a spot on your workbench or somewhere where you can get the dog off the gound. You will need a place where you can attach the dogs collar to something solid so he can’t move. You first start out by having the dog sit, you then place two fingers in the dogs mouth and give him the hold command. If he spits them out, you grab his ear and rub your thumb nail on the inside of the ear for a few seconds. Then repeat this, place your fingers in his mouth and give the hold command agian. As time passes the dog figures out that if he drops/ or spits out your fingers out, his ear is going to hurt. If you can get the dog to hold you finers in his mouth for 15 secounds give hime the drop command, and praise him…a lot. Once you master the fingers, move on to something else, a piece of wood, a hammer, it really doesn’t matter what you put in his mouth, just not the dummie yet. As the dog masters this, you should be able to put anything in his mouth and he will hold it until you give him the command to drop or give.At this point you should start to do this with the dummie, make him hold it for 15 seconds, give him the command to drop or give, and praise him. The praise is a must in order to make this work. If you have the dog holding the dummie and he starts to mouth or chew the dummie, you just grab his ear and give hime the hold command,if the chewing continues, rub you thumb nail in the inside of his ear until he holds, wait 15 seconds, give him the drop or give command, again lots of praise when the dog does it right.I know this is force training, and not always the best way to do things but for a dog that is bull headed this worked great for me….goood luck with the hound
I had lab a number of years back that had a very hard mouth. Put the dummie away if the dog is going to be aggressive with it. Cut a 2×2 or 2×4 depending on the dogs strength. Then pound nails throught the 2×2 or 2×4 so that the sharp ends of the nails are what the dog has his mouth on. This worked very well for me with that dog, but I had another that it didn’t work for. With him I had to retrain him on the hold and fetch command. A very easy way to do this is clear off a spot on your workbench or somewhere where you can get the dog off the gound. You will need a place where you can attach the dogs collar to something solid so he can’t move. You first start out by having the dog sit, you then place two fingers in the dogs mouth and give him the hold command. If he spits them out, you grab his ear and rub your thumb nail on the inside of the ear for a few seconds. Then repeat this, place your fingers in his mouth and give the hold command agian. As time passes the dog figures out that if he drops/ or spits out your fingers out, his ear is going to hurt. If you can get the dog to hold you finers in his mouth for 15 secounds give hime the drop command, and praise him…a lot. Once you master the fingers, move on to something else, a piece of wood, a hammer, it really doesn’t matter what you put in his mouth, just not the dummie yet. As the dog masters this, you should be able to put anything in his mouth and he will hold it until you give him the command to drop or give.At this point you should start to do this with the dummie, make him hold it for 15 seconds, give him the command to drop or give, and praise him. The praise is a must in order to make this work. If you have the dog holding the dummie and he starts to mouth or chew the dummie, you just grab his ear and give hime the hold command,if the chewing continues, rub you thumb nail in the inside of his ear until he holds, wait 15 seconds, give him the drop or give command, again lots of praise when the dog does it right.I know this is force training, and not always the best way to do things but for a dog that is bull headed this worked great for me….goood luck with the hound
How old is your “pup”?
How old is your “pup”?
he is 1yr 6 months, he was 8 months last fall and he hunted well. He is a large bastage though! 
goes about 125lbs.
Last fall I taught him all his commands, sit, stay, heel, he was doing great! had no problem with retriving birds, pheasants and ducks mostly. I would say he had about 50 retrives total last year. I kept working with him up till feb. then became a little lazy and didn’t do much with him again until june. he picked up on things right away again so I thought great! I worked with him about 1-2 a week all summer and the last 3 weeks it been twice a day for about 10 min each.
I never did teach him hold. I am finding out that was my biggest mistake. That and letting the girlfriend watch him for a couple weekends, spoiled rotten!
I am sure it will just take more effort on my part and I am just getting frusterated. 
Is it too late to teach hold?
he is 1yr 6 months, he was 8 months last fall and he hunted well. He is a large bastage though! goes about 125lbs.
Last fall I taught him all his commands, sit, stay, heel, he was doing great! had no problem with retriving birds, pheasants and ducks mostly. I would say he had about 50 retrives total last year. I kept working with him up till feb. then became a little lazy and didn’t do much with him again until june. he picked up on things right away again so I thought great! I worked with him about 1-2 a week all summer and the last 3 weeks it been twice a day for about 10 min each.
I never did teach him hold. I am finding out that was my biggest mistake. That and letting the girlfriend watch him for a couple weekends, spoiled rotten!
I am sure it will just take more effort on my part and I am just getting frusterated.
Is it too late to teach hold?
No it is not to late, I had to retrain my dog hold at 2 years. Rob made a very good point about seperating training time and play time. The dog will get to know the differance, and will react accordingly. Good point that I forgot to mention.Good advice Rob
No it is not to late, I had to retrain my dog hold at 2 years. Rob made a very good point about seperating training time and play time. The dog will get to know the differance, and will react accordingly. Good point that I forgot to mention.Good advice Rob
I would get that dog on a diet too. I let my dog out of shape one year and it was sure a hassle in the field when he had a case of draggin @ss. Its not good on their body either.
I would get that dog on a diet too. I let my dog out of shape one year and it was sure a hassle in the field when he had a case of draggin @ss. Its not good on their body either.
The training Bob is talking about is a version of a “force fetch” program. My understanding is that this is usually better done by a pro because of the relatively slim margin for error. I’ve done a lot of reading about force fetch training (never attempted ff myself, and my current pup will be getting it through a pro) and my recommendation is to at the very least read a good book on it before trying it. Smarth Fetch by Evan Graham might be a good one to check out.
John
The training Bob is talking about is a version of a “force fetch” program. My understanding is that this is usually better done by a pro because of the relatively slim margin for error. I’ve done a lot of reading about force fetch training (never attempted ff myself, and my current pup will be getting it through a pro) and my recommendation is to at the very least read a good book on it before trying it. Smarth Fetch by Evan Graham might be a good one to check out.
John
I taught my dog force fetch with little difficulties. comes in handy when the remote is on the floor or the phone and you dont actually want to get up to get it. also works good for more beer too
When teaching this technique I would read a few articles first but I thought it was very simple, just dont skip any steps or take him to the next step until you are posative he/she is ready.
It also comes in handy when you mow the lawn and need some one to pick up sticks ahead of you 
. i am quite a slave driver 
I taught my dog force fetch with little difficulties. comes in handy when the remote is on the floor or the phone and you dont actually want to get up to get it. also works good for more beer too
When teaching this technique I would read a few articles first but I thought it was very simple, just dont skip any steps or take him to the next step until you are posative he/she is ready.
It also comes in handy when you mow the lawn and need some one to pick up sticks ahead of you . i am quite a slave driver
John I agree 100%, if you are not comfortable with this type af training, you should seek professional advice. If you are going to do it yourself you should read a book or ask a lot of questions prior, it takes a lot of time and persistance for this type of training. Most dogs don’t require this type of training, however if you have a bullheaded lab it may be the fastest and most efficent way of getting things done.
John I agree 100%, if you are not comfortable with this type af training, you should seek professional advice. If you are going to do it yourself you should read a book or ask a lot of questions prior, it takes a lot of time and persistance for this type of training. Most dogs don’t require this type of training, however if you have a bullheaded lab it may be the fastest and most efficent way of getting things done.
If your training him for that short of a time period> Run him a while before the actual training session> A lot of the Dummy shaking may be do the fact he is just so exited to retrieve
If your training him for that short of a time period> Run him a while before the actual training session> A lot of the Dummy shaking may be do the fact he is just so exited to retrieve
not an ounce of fat on this horse!!
you can see his ribcage, just flat out a big boy
I run 3 miles with him 3 times a week and he is swimming for a least 2-3 hours a day on the weekends
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
