Every once in awhile that “hit ’em quick” approach works. It sure beats doing it the same way every time when the fish are in the mood to drop the baits after the first run. But every fish is different and we’re really just monitoring each fish and waiting for that fish to tell us when the timing is right. 
In the last “cheat” post we talked about using a learned skill like sit, while we are doing a retrieve. We are readying the dog for advanced training and when the time comes it will make that task that much easier.
Now lets talk about going the other direction or reverting back to a skill already mastered by the dog. This comes in handy when you are training more dificult skills. Take for example “force fetch”. Your obedience training went well, you went through the steps and your dog is up to your expectations.
Time for the “force fetch”. You layed your program out and your first 2 sessions did not go as planned. Your dog has a hard time understanding and the attitude is down.
To bring his attitude and confidence up, go back to drills he has mastered. Take him off the training table and run him through a series of obedience drills. Have him do quick sits, heels and heres. I usually do this at a brisk walk or jog. It only needs to last a few minutes but can do wonders for the dogs ego. Then take him back to the table and try the “hold again”.
The key is to keep these sessions short. Mine are only about 5 minutes when first teaching the hold. The reason I like doing obedience drills instead of tossing fun bumpers, is the dog is learning to hold the item in his mouth properly. Tossing bumpers as a game at this point could reinforce his bad habits and be counter-productive.
If your having problem with a new task, don’t be afraid to cut it short and run some drills the dog has mastered.
Note: um Pete, you read it right- I said jog! 
Great info Don, I have had problems going back to throwing a bumper after some table training. I like the obidience idea!!
Man, I need this info when I get another Pup. Thanks for sharing Don!
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Note: um Pete, you read it right- I said jog!
Don, say what? are you nuts!? That sounds like a lot of work! Next time I’m with if there is jogging involved I’ll be in the truck listening to the radio drinkin coffee! 
Again, Great advice and nice read
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Note: um Pete, you read it right- I said jog!
Don, say what? are you nuts!? That sounds like a lot of work! Next time I’m with if there is jogging involved I’ll be in the truck listening to the radio drinkin coffee!
Once again – great advice Mr. Hanson! 
Thanks for sharing!
Don, after completing FH, how long would you say it normally takes to train FF? I’m just wondering if I could complete this in 3 or 4 weeks.
I would feel good about that time frame doing at least two sessions a day. If the hold is up to your expectations and the dog is amped up, the rest is easy.
I know you are finished or close to finishing the hold but I will add some tips that may help others. I train the hold by starting the dog out with a wooden dowel. I don’t like to use a dummie to start with for the simple reason the dog may react and relate the pressure to the dummie. This could cause problems later. I apply pressure until the dog has the dowel in its mouth, then the pressure is released. One of the dogs I am currently training grasped the concept the second day. Now after he is reliably holding the dowel, I will make him take a step to reach for it. Then I will make him move the length of the table. Next I will make him pick it up off the table, first by laying it right in front of him and then making him take a few steps to get the dowel. When I am satisfied, I then will move him off the table and have him grab the dowel from me when I say “hold” or “fetch”. Next I will toss the dowel a few feet in front of him to retrieve. If there is a refusal to pick it up, I will add pressure. If he picks it up but isn’t carrying it properly, I will help him out by letting him make the retrieve and then placing the dowel correctly in his mouth while saying hold. That is important and worth explaining a little better. I like to help the dog out as much as possible. if he is going out and picking the dowel up but not carrying right. I will wait until he returns to me and then get the correct hold. This is coching instead of using pressure. Most of the time the dog will hold it right on the next attempt.
So far all the dog has held is the dowel. I now will take him back to the table and have him hold other objects. Bumpers, caps, thick items, thin items. I want the dog to uderstand that “hold” means any item I tell them to. All I looking for is the dog to “hold” another item. I don’t go through the whole process of making them run up and down the table or pick it up off the ground. Now I switch to bumpers and have the dog do retrieves. I will toss bumpers at different distances and have the dog retrieve. This is where you can amp the dog up and they have fun. make sure their hold remains solid though. Again if the hold is not right, I will correct when they return to me instead of applying pressure.
Now when all is good here, I then return the dog to the table and have them hold a live pigeon. This is going to be differnt for the dog. I use pressure here just as I did with the dowel. When the dog is holding a pigeon, I then switch to a pheasant. Again the dog must dead pheasant the correct way.
Now I have my hold portion finished. I then start doing ladder drills and force to pile. These usually only take a few sessions for the dog to catch on to so it goes pretty quickly.
Hope this helps you out. If the hold is good, you should be able to see great results in 3 or 4 weeks.
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