If your puppy starts dropping the dummy as he approaches you, don't fret. You can cure that later with force-breaking.

And throw it again you should, as soon as he releases it willingly. Once again, stop him as he passes you and let him hold the dummy while you pet and praise him until he relaxes his grip on it. Repeat this three or four times during this first session and quit while he's still anxious for more. Give him two or three well-spaced daily sessions. After a few such sessions, he'll no longer try to run around you, but will come directly to you, wanting to be petted and praised while he holds his prey. You are becoming his "secondary lair."

Moving Away From His Lair
When he no longer tries to run around you as he returns, you can begin moving away from his lair before you throw the dummy. Keep him on lead, so you can guide him to you if necessary, and make your throws short enough so you can hold the lead all the time. Continue tossing the dummy so it falls where you'll be directly between it and his lair. Also, when he reaches you, continue to pet and praise him until he relaxes his grip on the dummy.

When he returns to you reliably even when you're a considerable distance from his lair, start tossing the dummy off to each side. Keep him on lead, just in case, and keep your throws "leash-short."

When he shows no sign of wanting to take his prey to his original lair, toss it straight at that lair. Here, too, you should keep him on lead and the throw short. If he picks up the dummy, spins around and heads straight for you, rather than trying to sneak off to his original lair, you have truly become his secondary lair.

Start making longer throws in various directions. Drop the lead and let him drag it. If he hesitates to return, clap your hands and call him enthusiastically. If necessary, start running away from him, which will encourage him to chase you. At some point, in anticipation of your praise and petting, he will probably start dropping the dummy as soon as he reaches you. You can cure this later through force-breaking, so don't worry about it now. Simply pick the dummy up while you pet and praise him.

The rest is obvious. Remove the lead. Take him to different places, like parks, schoolyards and so forth. Within a few weeks, he'll be making 100-yard retrieves on coverless ground. Then you should start to steady him, but not before.

Final Suggestion
From the beginning, every time your puppy takes off after the dummy, say your command word for retrieving (probably his call name). That way, he'll come to associate that word with leaving to retrieve, an association that will greatly simplify the steadying process later on.

Jim Spencer's books can be ordered from the Gun Dog Bookshelf: Training Retrievers for Marshes & Meadows, Retriever Training Tests, Retriever Training Drills for Marking, Retriever Training Drills for Blind Retrieves, HUP! Training Flushing Spaniels the American Way, POINT! Training the All-Seasons Bird Dog, and the Gun Dog video, Duck Dog.