Got my 11 month old pup, gona start her gently this season, thing is in the garden her retrieve is 100% soon as we move out into a empty field she looses interest instantly, and goes in to head down and sniff away, now i have been saying to myself once she catches her first rabbit she will not want to let go but i'm still slightly worried that she will.
Her training aid is a rabbit skin covered dummy. any top tips, her recall off lead is 90% only fails when she spots another dog and makes a bolt for it but a couple of quick whistles and comes bounding back.
She's a collie x grey)x(whippet x beddy if this helps.
Cheers all.
tyke
Hi fraggle
Sounds like a maturity thing,especially as she still bounds over to other dogs.
If she retreives 100% in your garden she understands what you want her to do,a lot of pups go through this stage especially if they contain Collie.
Personally i wouldn't worry and dont expect her to retreive her first rabbit few dogs ever do.
I had the exact same problem with a colliexgrey,100% in the garden useless in the field,its a case of being patient if they understand the command it should just put itself right in time.
A mate [who knows more than most] who deosn't like his pups to run over to strangers and their dogs gets someone to walk on our local park with a dog and lets his pup run over to it,the accomplice then gives the pup a whack with a rolled up newspaper and scares it,this ussually cures them and makes them wary of running up to other people /dogs,its got to be someone the pup doesn't know though or will hunt with later.
hope thats useful to you.
fish
alternatively get an 'inotech' remote trainer,a couple of zaps and no more problems!
daveboy
I wood,nt worrie to much a lot of pepole i know dont start there dogs till there 18 months old ,Liver ***** is allso very goodto get them traind
Rhodie
A lot of pups will retrieve 100%.... in the garden
I always found the more work I could do with just me and the pup in the field, away from all the distractions, the better understanding he had.
I was lucky that there was a bit of land behind the sewage beds I could go on and (despite the pong) it was a good training ground and no-one asked any questions. I know others struggle to find a quiet place, without giving the game away.
I'm sure as the pup matures, you will have less of the running off to other dogs.
