Help dog wont pick-up

I have a 2 yr. old lab does well with duck retrieves so far,but he wont pickup or drag a goose.He just keeps pulling feathers out of its breast and stomach area. Any ideas ??????

Try on oversized dummy when working him, one he has to drag back to you. If he doesn’t drag, he doesn’t play… worth a shot.

big g

Try on oversized dummy when working him, one he has to drag back to you. If he doesn’t drag, he doesn’t play… worth a shot.

big g

This is very common for a young lab, both of mine did the same with geese. What I did was take the wings off a goose, make sure that you use them both. With some duct tape or electrical tape, put the wings together with the feathers on the outside and tape them together. Use this to work with the dog on retrives. This is going to be larger then most ducks that you would shoot and it gets the dog use to having something larger in his mouth. The other thing that you could do is next goose that you shoot, put him in the freezer, the entire goose. Then use that goose for training. Playing fetch with the goose. Don’t get to down about this, it is very common for a young dog. As time goes on he will get the hang of it.

This is very common for a young lab, both of mine did the same with geese. What I did was take the wings off a goose, make sure that you use them both. With some duct tape or electrical tape, put the wings together with the feathers on the outside and tape them together. Use this to work with the dog on retrives. This is going to be larger then most ducks that you would shoot and it gets the dog use to having something larger in his mouth. The other thing that you could do is next goose that you shoot, put him in the freezer, the entire goose. Then use that goose for training. Playing fetch with the goose. Don’t get to down about this, it is very common for a young dog. As time goes on he will get the hang of it.

I did what bob said about putting a bird in the freezer. I did it with a pheasant. My dog was having a hard time getting it into his mouth and being able to carry it, he would just drag it. What I did is put the bird in his mouth and show him how to hold onto it. He is only 6 months old and can grab it with no problems now. I also just had him force fetched by a k-9 cop trainer and that helped even more. I cant wait to get him out good luck

I did what bob said about putting a bird in the freezer. I did it with a pheasant. My dog was having a hard time getting it into his mouth and being able to carry it, he would just drag it. What I did is put the bird in his mouth and show him how to hold onto it. He is only 6 months old and can grab it with no problems now. I also just had him force fetched by a k-9 cop trainer and that helped even more. I cant wait to get him out good luck

Thanks for the input guys I will try to shoot a goose this weekend and save the wings and maybe the whole bird less the breast meat

Thanks for the input guys I will try to shoot a goose this weekend and save the wings and maybe the whole bird less the breast meat

If you are going to use the whole goose, do not breast it out. Your dog will not retrieve the bird if you breast it out. It will just try to eat it and that is going to open up another can of worms. Just use the whole goose, it is a training bird and leave it at that. A road kill bird will work too, if you can find a fresh one. That was what I used!

If you are going to use the whole goose, do not breast it out. Your dog will not retrieve the bird if you breast it out. It will just try to eat it and that is going to open up another can of worms. Just use the whole goose, it is a training bird and leave it at that. A road kill bird will work too, if you can find a fresh one. That was what I used!

Bob, thanks for forwarning me not to use a breasted out bird, makes sense.

Bob, thanks for forwarning me not to use a breasted out bird, makes sense.

No problem. I had to learn that the hard way Once the dog gets a taste of that, it makes it hard to reverse. Good luck with your hound

No problem. I had to learn that the hard way Once the dog gets a taste of that, it makes it hard to reverse. Good luck with your hound

Sounds like you’re pup is still having issues with holding out what he will and wont accept in his mouth. Did you go thru the trained retrieve (force fetch) with him?

Frozen birds and other items like bottles full of noisy loose objects are great to make a dog hold in their mouth, but the true test of a dog’s willing compliance with force fetch often is a fresh bird that has been really smucked.

If you can get a hold of a freshly shot crow or any other oily feathered bird and make the dog retrieve that bird in a force to pile drill (make them pull the object they don’t like from a line of dummies they do like to have in their mouth) it will often help them get thru about any refusal situation.

If you can’t get a crow go to a shooting preserve and get a chukar or better yet pigeon. When you have the dog retrieve it make sure the bird is fresh and extremely bloody and gutted- most dogs wont care to have the open gut be something they like to carry around – they may try to eat it – but carrying it around is usually a different story. Just make sure you can control the situation and make the dog pick it up and retrieve to you – no playing around allowed.

Doves are also a tricky bird for some dogs to handle- they shed their feathers in the dogs mouth and some dogs do not care for that.

Good luck

Sounds like you’re pup is still having issues with holding out what he will and wont accept in his mouth. Did you go thru the trained retrieve (force fetch) with him?

Frozen birds and other items like bottles full of noisy loose objects are great to make a dog hold in their mouth, but the true test of a dog’s willing compliance with force fetch often is a fresh bird that has been really smucked.

If you can get a hold of a freshly shot crow or any other oily feathered bird and make the dog retrieve that bird in a force to pile drill (make them pull the object they don’t like from a line of dummies they do like to have in their mouth) it will often help them get thru about any refusal situation.

If you can’t get a crow go to a shooting preserve and get a chukar or better yet pigeon. When you have the dog retrieve it make sure the bird is fresh and extremely bloody and gutted- most dogs wont care to have the open gut be something they like to carry around – they may try to eat it – but carrying it around is usually a different story. Just make sure you can control the situation and make the dog pick it up and retrieve to you – no playing around allowed.

Doves are also a tricky bird for some dogs to handle- they shed their feathers in the dogs mouth and some dogs do not care for that.

Good luck

Welcome to IDA Renedy!!!

Thanks for the reply very good advice
I have a 10 year old GSP and she will pick up most anything with feathers but for some reason she will have nothing to do with a crow. I do not know why but she will not waist her time with them.

Welcome to IDA Renedy!!!

Thanks for the reply very good advice
I have a 10 year old GSP and she will pick up most anything with feathers but for some reason she will have nothing to do with a crow. I do not know why but she will not waist her time with them.

Thanks for having me in. The crow thing as I understand it relates to the amount of oil and dander on the feathers. I dunno if that is true, but most dogs really dont want to touch a fresh shot crow. It’s one of those things that makes you wonder.

Thanks for having me in. The crow thing as I understand it relates to the amount of oil and dander on the feathers. I dunno if that is true, but most dogs really dont want to touch a fresh shot crow. It’s one of those things that makes you wonder.