Formal retrieve

Okay, I have decided to train a formal retrieve with Polo again. This is my third serious attempt, having failed twice before.

I am using a bit of rubber hose. He can now do a hold of up to five seconds. He will hold and present (with a hand touch, stolen from kikopups channel). The problem comes when I send him out. He gets silly and instead of just picking it up, he pounces on it and I have to have him on a lead or he will do a toss in the air and play with it. Grr, it's hard to remain patient.

When he pounces and starts to play, I am just quietly removing it from his mouth and putting the clicker and treats away and going and sitting down, hoping that a boring old retrieve is more interesting than no training. I am also, keeping training sessions short and have ended each successful session by allowing Polo to have a game of tug and a silly play session.

Any other suggestions please?

I've been trying to teach a formal retrieve with Lola. Her problem was holding the object and I did the same thing as you - stopped the session. She has a solid hold now, but it took months!. If I had to do it again I would just not reward for the wrong behaviour (in Lola's case, mouthing and dropping) but go on with another behaviour and try again with the retrieve during the next session. If you keep trying you give Polo more opportunities to succeed and you'll get there quicker.

Also, have you tried retrieving different, less appealing items? We've done wooden, plastic and metal spoons, a credit card, pencil, plastic dumb bell, sock. Some of these will be less played with.

It's the first time I've had to teach a formal retrieve, so that's all I've got!

Mala

It may be that you need to train in certain cue words and even environmental cues.

By that I mean, my BSD will retrieve formally and deliver to hand without mouthing (or pouncing ). When I set her up to do this I use the word "Hold".

When we are mucking about and playing, I use the cue word "Fetch" .

The dog understands that me standing still, upright, a certain stance and cue word means we are in business (still fun, just a different sort) and the other means we can lark about a bit

I am trying to remember how I got here and I really should keep a better training diary.

I think I just used to play with certain items as toys, and then use certain items as non toys. BUT I also clicker trained a "Hold" so she understood what it meant.

By that i mean that I sat in the living room and gave her whatever it was, and clicked for small moments in time when she did not mouth, then gradually lengthened the duration and added the cue word. Then I did it outside with no distractions and then added distractions.

Remember to get it right before progressing. Give yourselves regular days off when you can relax and have fn and also be a "splitter" and not a "lumper" if you are clicker training

Hth a bit

Wys
x

I've had some success with this method.

Ask dog to wait & walk with article to a distance of 5-6 feet (less for smaller dogs, the aim is to keep pace steady)

Place article & continue walking ...about another 3-4 feet.

Turn & face....give hold cue, take a few paces back as soon as dog i holding & coming towards you...don't ask for sit , on surrender reward as usual.

You are still reinforcing the wait, but dog is less likely to pounce as you are in their eye line encouraging the hold & return.

I have tried various items, even a metal spoon but he wants to play with them all. I'll try keeping the retrieve sessions very short and regular with lots of other stuff to
I am using the word hold, which he will do if in a present or if I am holding the item but as soon as I send him out away from me he pounces and starts to play with it. I may be a bit of a lumper though will try to break it down more and keep training sessions briefer

I will try this and let you know how I get on.

Polo will hold the article and do heelwork with it, it does seem to be sending him out to get the article when it all goes to pot, so will put all your good ideas to the test and see if we can progress. Thanks.