 For most of us waterfowlers, dogs are at least half the reason we participate in the sport to begin with. But as amateurs (and, surprisingly, a whole lot of pros), we often rely far too much on the breed of the dog and their “natural retrieving instincts” and not enough on a solid foundation of training basics to get the job done.
We can disregard those who brag about the dogs that “never needed any training at all.” Not to dampen the love these hunters have for their animals, and not to say that some dogs have more natural ability than others, but these dog owners don’t have a clue. More common are the rest of us. We’ve either trained our dogs ourselves or enlisted a professional. We’ve also read all the books, watched all the videos and have a pretty good handle on the basics. What we don’t have a grip on is the psychology behind the training. Heck, even a lot of pros don’t get it. I’ve asked more than one, even some very good trainers (you know, those who just seem to get through to the animal better), why they train a certain thing or a certain way, and many are hard-pressed to answer beyond “That’s just the way it’s done."
Thankfully, I’ve run into a couple pros who do “get it.” From them I’ve gleaned more than a little knowledge, but aside from all the lessons and how-tos that make a finished retriever, two topics stand out most. These are the two I’ve found to be the keys to getting through every other training phase easier and faster. They are place orientation and fore fetching.
The E-Collar Controversy
Before we really begin, I’ll tell you up front that “e” (electronic) collar use is an integral part of what follows. I realize e-collars are controversial to many, but truly, if you’re not using one these days, you’re training in the dark ages.
I experienced years of frustration with my first dog training without one, punctuated by lots of screaming and yelling and whistling, all to no avail. Having a pro introduce me the right way to use e-collars was a gift from heaven. Had I (and my dog) been introduced to one earlier, I’d have spent many more years hunting with him than screaming at him.
The use of e-collars hinges at least partly on the fact that dogs are “place oriented.” Example: You first taught your Chessie to sit in the front yard — and the first time you asked him to sit in the kitchen, he probably didn’t respond. That’s place orientation. It takes lots of sits in lots of different places before a dog realizes he has to sit anywhere, anytime he’s told. Another example. Take your first “fetch” drills. You’ve gotten to the point where the dog will reliably reach for a bumper held right in front of him when commanded. Now put that bumper on the ground. He will not fetch it up — he can’t, the bumper isn’t in your hand, the only place it’s ever been when he’s been told to fetch. You now have to teach the dog to associate the order to fetch with the fetching objects in various locations. This is why we don’t ask a retriever to start with 50-yard retrieves.
Place orientation is such a part of your dog’s psyche that you must correct a problem at the sight of the problem. Thus, with “sit,” when the dog gets up without being released, you pick him up, place him back where you first gave the command, and give the command again. But how do you do that when your dog is 100 yards out in the water and not following your hand signals? You can’t swim out there to correct him, and calling him in just to send him out again won’t teach him anything. Just as you picked the young dog up and put him back in “sit,” the e-collar gets his attention and provides correction where it’s needed most, instantaneously and at the sight of infraction.
Kennel: A Foundation For All Training
I just talked about “sit” quite a bit as an example, but the first thing you should teach your training-age retriever (that means one with attention span beyond the nanosecond of young puppies) should be to kennel. Why? Because it’s a “going away” command.
The kennel is your dog’s safe place, a place nothing bad should ever happen to him (never punish a dog in a kennel). If you teach “sit” first, you become the safe zone, and when the dog becomes confused in later lessons, he’ll be more likely to run to your side to reclaim that safe feeling. No, teaching a dog to kennel first doesn’t mean he’ll swim to shore and make a run for his dog box every time he stresses out. It’s not that you’re teaching him the kennel is the only safe place — completing commands will create that same “safe” feeling as lessons progress — but rather that you’re not teaching him to “run to mama.”
This is the first opportunity to teach your dog about electric collars. Once you are 100-percent sure the dog understands the command “kennel,” (said once, not “kennel-kennel-kennel-kennel”), you apply stimulation (having previously determined what stimulation the dog responds to — see sidebar) when you utter the command. Your dog will at first be confused; go back to repeating “kennel-kennel-kennel” as you apply stimulation. The very second the dog puts a paw in the box, stimulation ceases. Do this a few times (more for the stubborn), close to the kennel, then repeat at a distance, and the dog will start to run — happily — for the kennel.
Several things have happened here. Your dog now kennels very well; he’s taken his first step toward learning that the dog/human relationship is not a democracy; and, likewise, that completing a task is its own reward. You have also given the earliest possible introduction to the e-collar, which, when applied in the same consistent manner to other lessons, will make them go much smoother. This should be your motto: Start with good habits and you don’t have to correct bad ones later on.
Realize that use of the e-collar as I’ve laid out for “kennel” is reinforcement training, not punishment, and it should be integral to all future drills from “sit” forward: Introduce a new lesson, be sure the dog understands the verbal/whistle/hand command, then reinforce the lesson with the collar so the dog understands he must comply at all times.
Punishment by collar is far different, and it does have its place. Say you’re goose hunting and it’s before legal shooting time. The first passing flock lands in your spread and your dog breaks. You yell “No!” which he understands, but the dog is undeterred. This is the time to up the stimulation to something that truly gets the dog’s attention and tells him he’s done wrong. Remember, this is not a democracy.
Do I Have To Force Fetch?
Even most well-behaved dogs will push the envelope. Good training solves a lot of ills, like tearing the trash can apart. But when it comes to the idea of force-fetching, many balk, saying, “But these are retrievers, fetching things up is what they do!” I said it to the first retriever trainer I worked with, to which he replied, “Even the very best will refuse you one day. That’s why we force fetch.”
I got lucky with my first Lab. I started with the ear pinch against the collar, then transitioned him to the e-collar. He was pretty much “forced” in a week, aggressively pursuing any bumper held in my hand as I pulled it away from him. As easy as he was, many are not; others take weeks, even months. Regardless of how tractable your dog is, make no mistake, this will be the most stressful part of your dog’s overall training.
Force-fetching will beat your dog down mentally and it will make you feel like a heel while you’re doing it. The dog will be “down” during much of this process, especially during the fight stage (keeping in mind “fight” ranges from the passive dog that simply won’t open his mouth to the one that yanks at the check cord and collar, hangs from the force bench, and snarls every time stimulation is applied). It’s hard to watch and hard to do to the dogs we love. Worst of all, there’s really no relief for the dog from the mental stress — there can be no “fun bumpers,” no breaks to romp and play. To do so gives the dog an escape, and if you let him escape from doing his essential job of retrieving during training, then you can’t expect him to complete his retrieves during live hunting situations. The reward for the dog has to be the fetch, but it also has to be done on the handler’s terms.
The light at the end of this mind-bending tunnel is the first time the dog willingly, and however tentatively, reaches for a bumper instead of worrying about the stimulation. It’s that shift in attitude, the change from a sulking or fighting dog to one that rushes to retrieve with happiness, that signals successful force fetching, and having done so you will have a dog that retrieves with action, verve, style, and great attitude.
Straight and Narrow
Ever notice how field trialers are always so intent on having their dogs work in straight lines to an object? They’re especially keen to perfect this on land-to-water retrieves, where the dog is not allowed to run the shore — “cheat the line” — to get closer to the mark. This tenacity about lines isn’t just for the judges, it has a practical application for hunters, too.
A straight line makes it easier for the dog to actually find the mark when there are obstacles, such as brush or land islands. By allowing the dog to run on his own to a mark — in circles, curves, odd angles, whatever — you increase the possibility of the dog losing the mark altogether and losing downed birds. It’s worse for blind retrieves. You may want your dog to “hunt it up” himself once he’s very near a mark, especially one that’s not visible to the handler, but if you can’t get him to the general vicinity, he could spend the rest of the day searching all the wrong places. Dedication to line drills should be the straight and narrow way to game recovery.— Jennifer L.S. Pearsall
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It's All About The Training, Dummy!
