Spoiler alert: not all pointing dogs have an inherent desire to retrieve. The desire to retrieve frequently needs to be nurtured from a young age. Too often, though, the retrieve is overlooked, or assumed, until that first bird is presented in the field. When a hunter or handler realizes that his fully grown dog may not have an interest in retrieving, or when the retrieve is not dependable, a force fetch may be the only surefire pathway towards the reliable recovery of downed game—but that can be avoided. We encourage people to start nurturing their dog’s natural retrieve during puppyhood — the younger the better.
Encourage a Puppy's Retrieving Instinct When we are raising litters at Smith Kennels , we start encouraging pups to get their mouths on toys as soon as they are up, walking, and learning to play.
The first step in cultivating a retrieve is to get a puppy comfortable carrying something in his mouth. This positive association is best accomplished by instigating a “prey chase,” which is your puppy’s instinct to chase and catch moving objects. Gently rolling a ball or toy across the floor in front of the pup is a good way to trigger that prey chase and therefore trigger the retrieve.
At this stage, the object being chased is not important, and achieving a perfect retrieve is not the focus. The goal in this early phase is to get the puppy to enjoy chasing and carrying an object or otherwise wanting to engage with it. To develop the desire, we tend not to use hard plastic toys and dummies initially. Instead, one of the most effective toys we have to entice a puppy to carry is a soft, fur-covered ball. There is something about the motion and feel of a fluffy or furry ball that incites that innate predator instinct, and most dogs will pick up and carry such an object even when other toys don’t pique their interest. Whatever the item used to develop a natural retrieve, it is important that the object be interesting to the dog and desirable to have in their mouth. We can transition to hard bumpers or dummies later, when the dog loves retrieving; but at this early stage, it is all about building desire and making retrieving fun.
Never chase or scold a puppy for simply putting the “wrong” item in its mouth. Instead, try to remove them from situations where they will be tempted to pick up and carry undesirable items. Dogs are very impressionable while learning new skills, and if scolded, may generalize that they should not pick up anything in their mouth, rather than making the distinction that a sock in their mouth is not right, while the fabric pheasant is a desirable item to pick up and carry. Avoid overreacting when the dog picks up an undesirable object. Instead, calmly shift the focus to an object you want them to carry, and make sure the socks and other undesirables are put away until the desired behavior is shaped.
This same rule applies even if the dog happens to catch a bird. All too often, dogs get reprimanded for catching a game bird. If this does happen, remember that your behavior in those instances contributes to shaping the long-term retrieve behavior of the dog. Don’t panic, over-verbalize, scold, or rip the bird out of your dog’s mouth, even though that may be what you feel is right in the moment. A negative reaction doesn’t help develop your dog’s retrieve.
Shaping a Good Hold at an Early Age The second step to cultivating a good natural retrieve is to help the dog develop a good hold. Getting the pup used to carrying something in its mouth is fairly easy, but its importance is often overlooked. Encourage your pup to simply carry the toy before asking them to deliver it to you.
Always keep an eye on your dog’s behavior when they are playing with a toy. If they exhibit an undesirable behavior with a toy, replace that toy with something less likely to cause that behavior. For example, if a toy is affixed with a rope that the pup tends to carry it around by, swap it for one that doesn’t have anything dangling from it. Doing so will encourage a better hold on the body, rather than building a habit that will cause your pup to pick up a bird by the wing or head. The same thing applies to toys your dog tends to shake; replace with a toy that does not encourage such behavior, such as a Dokken DeadFowl Trainer , as you don’t want a dog vigorously shaking a bird. If your dog begins destroying toys, shift to a more durable toy that does not encourage shredding. Remember, you are shaping behavior in the home that will also be part of their behavior in the field, with actual birds.
Shaping a good hold is a crucial part of nurturing a good retrieve. (Photo courtesy of Susanna Love Smith) Teach “Here” Before the Retrieve Always teach the recall command “here” separately from a retrieving situation. Just as you don’t teach a dog the “whoa” command on birds, you should never teach recall during a retrieve. Get the trained behavior perfected in environments that set your dog up for success before you test that behavior in a more challenging situation (such as a retrieve). We use treats, feeding time, and drag lines as ways to begin building a habit of a good recall.
Encourage Puppies as They Retrieve Because it is incredibly important that we successfully recover the game we shoot, we as people tend to feel or exhibit heightened stress when the bird is in a dog’s mouth. Once the dog has the bird, we tend to start barking orders (“Here! Here!,” “Give! Give!”) in our haste to successfully get the bird from the dog. This is the worst behavior possible for encouraging a retrieve.
Instead of adopting the mindset and manner of a frantic drill sergeant, try to employ the demeanor of a cheerleader. If you are trying to encourage a retrieve, you should intentionally change your demeanor to attract your dog’s attention and willingness to engage with you. Your tone should be inviting and encouraging, your stance should be welcoming, and you might bend over or kneel to be at the same level as the dog.
Many problems that a dog faces concerning the hold are the result of a handler’s focus on and stress about the delivery. Once a dog picks up an item, we tend to authoritatively command them to come to us. This causes the dog to shift immediately into a possessive mindset.
Some of the common behaviors of a possessive-minded dog are refusal to come to the handler, chewing or clamping down on the retrieved object, or even spitting the retrieved object out. All of these behaviors are by-products of a dog feeling pressure about giving up the item that he wants to keep.
Once a dog picks up an object, he has to decide what he wants to do with that object. At that moment of decision making, we try to become the focus of his attention and draw him in to us. We tend to squat down, whistle, and say things such as, “Atta boy! What ’cha got?” or “Look at you!” Most of the time, this type of action draws a dog right in to us.
Using Walks to Teach the Retrieve If the cheerleader option does not entice a dog to us, we often shift to “going for a walk.” This requires that we simply walk away from the dog as if we are not particularly interested in what they have. In the dog’s mind, this relieves the pressure of deciding whether to deliver the bird or not, and shifts the focus to a “joined up, go with you” mindset. Because the dog is no longer focused on whether to give you the bird or not, he is more likely to go with you or come to you when you bend down, as he has not been asked to make a singular big decision. The shift in the dog’s mindset changes the entire dynamic, and generally allows him to comply a bit better with our desired retrieve.
Praise Before Taking the Toy It is human nature to reach for the dummy or the bird as soon as the dog gets back to us. After all, isn’t delivery to hand the entire point of a retrieve? However, grabbing a desired item away from a dog often creates an unwanted response. Instead, if we shift the focus to the dog coming into us willingly and maintaining a good hold, then the dog enjoys the experience more and we can better shape the desired behavior.
Make retrieving enjoyable—praise and pet young dogs before taking the bird from them. (Photo courtesy of Susanna Love Smith) We always focus on having the dog stand calmly by us with the retrieved object in the mouth as we interact and rub on them as a reward. As long as the dog maintains a good hold on the bird or dummy, there is no rush to get it out of their mouth. Instead, reward the behavior of bringing the item to you first, then ask for the delivery or release almost as an afterthought. If we are in a practice session, we might quickly re-engage the dog with the chase and throw the object again after the delivery. That way, fun directly follows the delivery.
Repetition of a desired behavior or response leads to consistency, and consistency leads to reliability, so practice is important. Yet, the single most important thing in developing a good natural retrieve is the mindset, and the dog’s desire to engage in the activity. Also, remember that your relationship with your dog, and his/her trust in and willingness to comply with your prompts, are critical components of a successful retrieve. Shape your relationship so that your dog wants to come to you with his prized possession.
