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I started force fetch with the gloved hand in the mouth. It went very smooth so next I moved to jowl squeeze. It went pretty well too. Now I'm to the ear pinch. I started last monday doing 2 sessions a day, everyday. On Saturday morning my dog reached for my hand like I've been waiting for on 2 of the 5 ear pinchs. I praised him and was excited because I thought he was starting to get it. But he hasn't done it since. I pinch his ear and he opens his mouth but doesn't move for my hand. Today was day 8 and just curious on average how long should it take him to get this. I'm not trying to rush him just wondering if this is normal or what.
A bad day in the blind beats a good day at work.
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Post #768109
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Last Login: 2/19/2013 9:47:53 AM
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I move on to a wooden dowel. I have never taught my dog to put their mouth on my hands. Besides that you need that other hand to put that dowel in his mouth.
My next step would be to teach the dog to hold the wooden dowel.
are you following a program?
Kg
<My new mission in life.....no more gunshy dogs>
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Post #768115
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Group: Forum Members
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I'm following the Dokken's book. He has me trying to get him reaching for my hand before before I go to the dowel rod which kind of threw me. Why teach him to grab at you. So should I just get him holding the dowel rod or do I ear pinch and get him reaching for the dowel rod first? This is my first time training a lab and no one I know has ever force fetched.
A bad day in the blind beats a good day at work.
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Post #768116
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/19/2013 9:47:53 AM
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This is the order I generally do things in:Gloved hand in mouth, teach hold with the dowel (no command until they accept it willingly), teach hold with the dowel with command, sit with dowel in mouth while I walk further away in small increments - 1 foot, then three feet, then 6 feet and so on-, sit with distractions while I walk away in small increments, recall with holding the dowel to a side finish, recall with distractions, heeling with a dowel while holding the dowel, heeling with distractions. Sometimes along the way, depending on my resources, I will make the dog sit with the dowel in its mouth while watching another dog retrieve too. Then I move onto the ear pinch because the dog is used to getting the dowel put in its mouth and might at this time be already trying to carry it because it knows the expectation. When you get through all of that, then come back and ask about ear pinch.... Feel free to ask other questions along the way. Kg
<My new mission in life.....no more gunshy dogs>
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Post #768120
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I have never messed around with gloves or hands. I teach HOLD with a small bumper then move to HOLD with the wooden dowel and use that for all the distractions Kg describbed. Continue with dowel until reaching to the floor on ear pinch. Then transition back to bumpers with bumper on ground and finish up with bumpers. Believe and was taught you want the dowel for intro to ear pinch as you don't want the negative association created with bumpers when you start ear pinch. By the time they are leaving your side to the ground when hearing FETCH, that should issue shouldn't occur.
Don't worry, the dog will eventually "get it" and you'll know when the light bulb turns on. It's a cool thing to see.
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Post #768124
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Ok, I think I understand. So for now I will stop the ear pinch and start teaching hold with the dowel rod. Thanks guys.
A bad day in the blind beats a good day at work.
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Post #768127
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Group: Forum Members
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How do I go about getting him to hold the dowel rod? Do i hold his mouth closed around it? If I just try to put it in his mouth and hold it there he turns his head side to side to get it out.
A bad day in the blind beats a good day at work.
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Post #768128
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/19/2013 9:47:53 AM
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Yup, you hold it in there and don't let the dog spit it out. That's it in a nutshell, I've had dogs buck like a horse when this has happened the first time. That's why I start with the gloved hand first, so they get used to taking an object I put in there.
I hold the collar with my right hand and put my thumb under the jaw while holding the top jaw with my left hand. Sometimes covering their eyes calms them down as well. The other thing I do is short tie the dog to a support post in my basement so the dog can't go anywhere if I should slip and the dowel falls out. It's important to win these first few battles with the dowel. Sometimes it takes 10 seconds for the dog to calm down, sometimes 5 minutes. I watch Sportscenter while doing this in case it takes awhile. Keep at it. All dogs are different. Kg
<My new mission in life.....no more gunshy dogs>
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Post #768129
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Group: Forum Members
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It sounds like you may have skipped a step when you went from "hold" to "fetch" with an ear pinch.
After you teach the dog to "hold" a dowel, you need to teach them that they turn off the pressure of the ear pinch when the retrieve object is in thier mouth BEFORE you can expect them to reach for a retrieve object. To do this, you need to apply the ear pinch, give the fetch command, and then place the dowel directly in his mouth. When the dowel goes in his mouth, release the ear pinch.
Once you have done this for a session or two, you should notice the dog is getting more eager to get the dowel in his mouth as soon as you grab ahold of his collar. This means he's starting to understand that he is about to have pressure applied, and his way out of it is to get the dowel in his mouth. Now you are on your way and can start holding the dowel just a couple inches in front of him and require that he reach for it in response to the ear pinch and fetch command.
Evan Graham has a good article on this that you can read on his webpage by following this link: http://rushcreekpress.com/page6articles.html
Scroll about 1/2 way down the page and start reading at "On Your Mark, Get Set, Fetch" The background of the text makes it hard to read, so you may want to copy and paste it in a word document so you can read it better and refer to it as you move forward. He also gives some good tips on how to hold the collar, postion the dog, and move through the intial force fetch procedure.
I don't know anything about the program you are following, but when I was getting started out, I found that the SmartWork materials were the easiest to follow.
Edited: 5/15/2012 3:22:54 PM by
Brian B
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Post #768130
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 1/16/2013 8:28:37 PM
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Thanks KG, I'll let you know how it goes and if I have any more questions.
Brian B, I've been doing the ear pinch for about a week and putting the rod in his mouth. What I've been waiting for is him to start reaching or meeting it part way as I move it toward his mouth. When I pinch his ear he opens his mouth but just sits there.
A bad day in the blind beats a good day at work.
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Post #768131
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