my 7.25 month old chessie female is now going through ff. we are having some trouble with her wanting to either lay down to pick up the bumper (especially at the force sign of ear pinch), or she will go after it and roll it around with her feet until she can get it right to pick up. what can i do??
Doesn't seem like you are truly doing force fetch. Pain is the name of the game and not just enough to get a twitch!If it's a chessie - you are force fetching when he goes to bite you and you shove the bumper in his mouth.
Posts: 723 | Location: New Haven, Ct. U.S.A. | Registered: Fri May 30 2003
she will take the dummy if i am holding it infront of her or to the sides, also she takes it when i hold it close to the ground. she will even try to beat the ear pinch most of the time.
Do you have a buckle collar on her? You should have your hand through the collar, so if she tries to lie down, you can prop her up. This is normal behavior, it is her attempt at avoiing. If you don't have control of her head, she is learning that she can avoid uncomfortable situations. Not something you want her to learn at this point.
Put the collar on fairly snugly, then place your hand through the collar, palm side up, finger pointing forward. Now you have complete control. I pinch by flipping the ear inside out and pinching between the thumb and collar with the hand that is holding the collar. It's pretty simple, and you have control of the dog.
How long have you been working on FF? What advice have you had (books, videos, etc.)? Don't rush the FF process. Remember, it is the foundation of all your dog's work. If you push through too quickly, you will spend a lot of time down the road fixing "holes" that you create by not having the foundation down solid.
we have been force fetching for about 3 weeks, here lately i have been getting a little anxious and have had to slow myself down. i put my hand through the collar and she still seems to lay down, do i need to exert even more control than i am? i have used the technique shown in the water dog video with charles jurney, and the mehod in th 10 min retriever, which by the way is the book i wish i had from the begining.
griff, What I do to get a roller or any classic avoidance issues under control in early F-F is to short tye them to the wall. This keeps the head up and their body easier to control. It won't take long for her to relent and you can go back to "Sit/Fetch" only. jmho, Peake
Posts: 103 | Location: Chicora, PA USA | Registered: Thu February 06 2003
Griff Laying down on the ear pinch is a common occurance and can be frustrating. Take your time and work through the problem by simply pulling the dog back to the sit position and repeating the command and the pressure. Use your strength to keep the pup from laying down, hold them up until the command and pressure are applied.
I have had several dogs show this behavior and have worked through it in this manner. When I felt that they were FORCED to pick up a bumper from the ground in front of them.I went on to walking fetch.
Don't think that you have this behavior cured on force to the ground, because it will re-appear when walking fetch is introduced. The same rules apply, by being consistant, fair and firm the idea will get across. Good luck Marty
Posts: 193 | Location: Hernando Ms. USA | Registered: Sat July 20 2002
thanks everyone for the advice. yesterday she actually bent over and picked the dummy up. she still did the lay down and pick up thing, but i think she may be coming around. is it ok for me to let her pick it up when she lays down and then return her to the sitting position, or do i need to seat her and give the command again?
