Blind Retrieves

What is the best way to train for the blind retrieve?

Heres a good starter to get your dog to trust you.

Start with a pile of dummys about 25-50 feet from you. Have the dog at the heel position. Keeping one dummy for you self have the dog in the heel position. Throw the dummy to the pile and then give your send command. I use the dogs name. Do this till the pile is gone and start over not over doing it though. after he/she gets back he/she will realize there is more than one out there. On his/her first retrive may seem to pick one drop one pick another, dont wory about that just get em back to you. get him/her in the heel positin and send him/her with there name. your dog will pick up on this fairly quick so increse the distance. just remember not to increase it too much too fast. once he/she gets the hang of it make sure you always vary the distance, close far far away close medium close so on and so on that way the dog will use there nose and eyes. This will get you a head start on hand signals as well. after a while you wont have to throw the dummy any more but remember a blind retrieve should have a seperate command than the marked retrieve other wise you are confusing them by sending them on some thing they didnt see fall. I always use fetch for some thing they see and send her on her name when on a blind. There is probally a few things I forgot some others will chime in I am sure but its past my bed time
Good luck and keep us posted

Heres a good starter to get your dog to trust you.

Start with a pile of dummys about 25-50 feet from you. Have the dog at the heel position. Keeping one dummy for you self have the dog in the heel position. Throw the dummy to the pile and then give your send command. I use the dogs name. Do this till the pile is gone and start over not over doing it though. after he/she gets back he/she will realize there is more than one out there. On his/her first retrive may seem to pick one drop one pick another, dont wory about that just get em back to you. get him/her in the heel positin and send him/her with there name. your dog will pick up on this fairly quick so increse the distance. just remember not to increase it too much too fast. once he/she gets the hang of it make sure you always vary the distance, close far far away close medium close so on and so on that way the dog will use there nose and eyes. This will get you a head start on hand signals as well. after a while you wont have to throw the dummy any more but remember a blind retrieve should have a seperate command than the marked retrieve other wise you are confusing them by sending them on some thing they didnt see fall. I always use fetch for some thing they see and send her on her name when on a blind. There is probally a few things I forgot some others will chime in I am sure but its past my bed time
Good luck and keep us posted

Force fetch the dog first. what stick boy was refering to is called forcing to a pile. get a good movie or book on force fetching a dog. it IS the best way to train a dog imho!

Force fetch the dog first. what stick boy was refering to is called forcing to a pile. get a good movie or book on force fetching a dog. it IS the best way to train a dog imho!

Just found this site, Great Info!!!!
Check out “Water Dog” VHS and DVD. Has a great process with visual explanation. Gander sells the DVD for $30.00. I got a copy from the library for FREE $$$$. Good Luck

Just found this site, Great Info!!!!
Check out “Water Dog” VHS and DVD. Has a great process with visual explanation. Gander sells the DVD for $30.00. I got a copy from the library for FREE $$$$. Good Luck

Welcome, tomliver, to the best site on the net, bar none. A wealth of information is available to all. Fishing (any species) hunting (any critter) and just plain all around good info.

Welcome, tomliver, to the best site on the net, bar none. A wealth of information is available to all. Fishing (any species) hunting (any critter) and just plain all around good info.

Great topic. I did it pretty similar to Stick Boy. It is awful important to vary distance like Stck said. Otherwise your dog will only go so far, stop and start searching. The key in any Dog training is little steps and building up your Dogs confidence in itself and you.

Welcome to IDA Tomliver!

You have found the one stop shop for all your outdoor questions. Feell free to ask or answer any thing you see fit.

Great topic. I did it pretty similar to Stick Boy. It is awful important to vary distance like Stck said. Otherwise your dog will only go so far, stop and start searching. The key in any Dog training is little steps and building up your Dogs confidence in itself and you.

Welcome to IDA Tomliver!

You have found the one stop shop for all your outdoor questions. Feell free to ask or answer any thing you see fit.

Welcome Tom!

Welcome Tom!

Thanks for all the info! This is where I am at this point. He is force fetched (and collar conditioned) and will go to a pile up to about 60/70 yards and retrieve them all to hand. He will also do the “ladder” and I have had him do that with a total distance of about 70 yards.

He does all the tasks but does them as a task and is not “happy” about it at all. After I am done with the drills I throw a few “happy” bumpers and he is again excited and has a good time. The question is do I make the drills fun by “talking it up” or leave it as a drill and do the drills with only a single command and silence?? We have only been at this for a few days. What should my realistic goals be??

Thanks for all the info! This is where I am at this point. He is force fetched (and collar conditioned) and will go to a pile up to about 60/70 yards and retrieve them all to hand. He will also do the “ladder” and I have had him do that with a total distance of about 70 yards.

He does all the tasks but does them as a task and is not “happy” about it at all. After I am done with the drills I throw a few “happy” bumpers and he is again excited and has a good time. The question is do I make the drills fun by “talking it up” or leave it as a drill and do the drills with only a single command and silence?? We have only been at this for a few days. What should my realistic goals be??

As the dog become more comfortable with the retreives, he will start to show more enthusiasm. With my dog, he would not be happy at all at first, when he knew what he was doing was right, he would have fun, and show enthusiasm.

My advise is keep at it, and the dog will come around. I also like to encorage the dog when he seems unsure of himself.

Good luck.

As the dog become more comfortable with the retreives, he will start to show more enthusiasm. With my dog, he would not be happy at all at first, when he knew what he was doing was right, he would have fun, and show enthusiasm.

My advise is keep at it, and the dog will come around. I also like to encorage the dog when he seems unsure of himself.

Good luck.

Quote:

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As the dog become more comfortable with the retreives, he will start to show more enthusiasm. With my dog, he would not be happy at all at first, when he knew what he was doing was right, he would have fun, and show enthusiasm.

My advise is keep at it, and the dog will come around. I also like to encorage the dog when he seems unsure of himself.

Good luck.

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I gave him a lot of praise and “atta boys” tonight and it really made a huge difference in his attitude. Thanks for all the great ideas. Today he retrieved from a pile at about 80 yards and did one ladder drill of about 50 yards, with the last two bumpers over a rise. I guess when he’s happy so am I.

Quote:

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As the dog become more comfortable with the retreives, he will start to show more enthusiasm. With my dog, he would not be happy at all at first, when he knew what he was doing was right, he would have fun, and show enthusiasm.

My advise is keep at it, and the dog will come around. I also like to encorage the dog when he seems unsure of himself.

Good luck.

---

I gave him a lot of praise and “atta boys” tonight and it really made a huge difference in his attitude. Thanks for all the great ideas. Today he retrieved from a pile at about 80 yards and did one ladder drill of about 50 yards, with the last two bumpers over a rise. I guess when he’s happy so am I.

Your dog is FF and CC, did you Force To Pile with collar pressure?? Very effective, and the base for all blind retrieves is to get the dog going back.

Are you following anyone’s program?

At your point of training when the dog runs the line good (100-125 yards) without popping, I start to “sit to pile” stopping the dog with the whistle and then sending him back to the pile with a right or left back. Once he has that down I will stop him en route to the pile and call him towards me, stop him and cast back again. Then I will send him to the pile and toss a bumper out while he is running, stop him, call him in and give him the “fetch” command and have him bring the dummy back. For every time I stop the dog en route to the pile I will let him run free to the pile at least twice. This helps to prevent popping. Once all this is solid I will start adding “Over” piles and stop him and give over casts.

At this point in training I don’t over praise, but good boy when he does good. They need to learn that retrieving is a fact of life. My dog is full grown 65 lbs and runs like the wind, but jogged his way through the drills. I just run him through the drill and when done I use fun bumpers or hand tossed water retrieves to up his spirits. I did however pay attention to his attitude, and if it’s getting really bad I will end the training early for that day. Trust me, in hunting/non training situations they will come to life!!

I follow Mike Lardy’s system and it has worked very well for me. I have been at it a year and still don’t run “cold blinds” I was just running pattern blinds when duck season hit. He did good with all kinds of blinds during the season, but still a ton of work to do.

I personally would get my hands on a program to follow. What I wrote is just a short overview of the drill, and there was a lot of training leading up to that point.

Your dog is FF and CC, did you Force To Pile with collar pressure?? Very effective, and the base for all blind retrieves is to get the dog going back.

Are you following anyone’s program?

At your point of training when the dog runs the line good (100-125 yards) without popping, I start to “sit to pile” stopping the dog with the whistle and then sending him back to the pile with a right or left back. Once he has that down I will stop him en route to the pile and call him towards me, stop him and cast back again. Then I will send him to the pile and toss a bumper out while he is running, stop him, call him in and give him the “fetch” command and have him bring the dummy back. For every time I stop the dog en route to the pile I will let him run free to the pile at least twice. This helps to prevent popping. Once all this is solid I will start adding “Over” piles and stop him and give over casts.

At this point in training I don’t over praise, but good boy when he does good. They need to learn that retrieving is a fact of life. My dog is full grown 65 lbs and runs like the wind, but jogged his way through the drills. I just run him through the drill and when done I use fun bumpers or hand tossed water retrieves to up his spirits. I did however pay attention to his attitude, and if it’s getting really bad I will end the training early for that day. Trust me, in hunting/non training situations they will come to life!!

I follow Mike Lardy’s system and it has worked very well for me. I have been at it a year and still don’t run “cold blinds” I was just running pattern blinds when duck season hit. He did good with all kinds of blinds during the season, but still a ton of work to do.

I personally would get my hands on a program to follow. What I wrote is just a short overview of the drill, and there was a lot of training leading up to that point.

Yes I have forced to the pile with collar pressure. I do get a little confused on how much (collar pressure) is needed as he doesn’t refuse and actually responds faster and more eagerly without excess pressure. I am not following anyone’s professional program but will look into the Mike Lardy’s system. I can never get enough info. What I am preparing for is the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) Invitational that will be held in Missouri at the end of September. At the invitational we have to do a blind retrieve in the neighborhood of approximately 100 yards across a body of water and bring a duck to hand. This perhaps may seem rather ho-hum for you retriever people but we need 100 percent success on our one and only try. I certainly appreciate all the info. Thanks!!

Yes I have forced to the pile with collar pressure. I do get a little confused on how much (collar pressure) is needed as he doesn’t refuse and actually responds faster and more eagerly without excess pressure. I am not following anyone’s professional program but will look into the Mike Lardy’s system. I can never get enough info. What I am preparing for is the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) Invitational that will be held in Missouri at the end of September. At the invitational we have to do a blind retrieve in the neighborhood of approximately 100 yards across a body of water and bring a duck to hand. This perhaps may seem rather ho-hum for you retriever people but we need 100 percent success on our one and only try. I certainly appreciate all the info. Thanks!!

When I finish Force to Pile I do not use collar pressure any more. Sounds like your dog “got it”! You stated that it really sped him up, and that’s exactly what you want it to do. Shortly after that point he knows that when you say back, you mean back.

A 100 yard blind retrieve land/water/land is a major accomplishment, especially if they have to hold a line and the water is small. My dog would never make it in trials, I just hunt him, and wanted a better dog than my last.

Sounds like you are well on your way.

I have the Mike Lardy tapes and literature.

When I finish Force to Pile I do not use collar pressure any more. Sounds like your dog “got it”! You stated that it really sped him up, and that’s exactly what you want it to do. Shortly after that point he knows that when you say back, you mean back.

A 100 yard blind retrieve land/water/land is a major accomplishment, especially if they have to hold a line and the water is small. My dog would never make it in trials, I just hunt him, and wanted a better dog than my last.

Sounds like you are well on your way.

I have the Mike Lardy tapes and literature.

As Blackduck said, the next step is to start handling. Make sure that you have a strong remote sit command. I like to let the dog make a blind retrieve and then stop him on the way back. At this point I will walk up, grab the dummy, and walk back to my original position. I will tell the dog to mark. Pitch the dummy back to the pile and then give the dog the back command. After that I mix in sits on the way to the pile and in different positions on the way back. After doing this a billion times, you can move on to handling right and left and eventually 45 degree angles. This training can take a very long time, but it is pretty cool when you can handle them way out there.

As Blackduck said, the next step is to start handling. Make sure that you have a strong remote sit command. I like to let the dog make a blind retrieve and then stop him on the way back. At this point I will walk up, grab the dummy, and walk back to my original position. I will tell the dog to mark. Pitch the dummy back to the pile and then give the dog the back command. After that I mix in sits on the way to the pile and in different positions on the way back. After doing this a billion times, you can move on to handling right and left and eventually 45 degree angles. This training can take a very long time, but it is pretty cool when you can handle them way out there.