Texas Wildlife September 2009
by
Henry Chappell
Editor’s Note:
Trained retrieve, forced fetching or forced training – call it what you will, it’s not for the casual dog owner or faint of heart. Henry Chappell examines the issue in a three-part series. This month, the basics. Part II will cover introduction to the training table and retrieving buck, the hold command, likely problems and their solutions.
Take a well-bred pup and raise him right. When he’s a little bitty fart, toss a glove or knotted-up handkerchief for him to fetch. Conduct these play-training sessions in a hallway so that the pup comes straight back to you. As he grows, progress to tennis balls and training dummies. Before he’s a year old, if he’s a retriever, he’ll be marking easy doubles and triples. If he’s a pointing dog, he’ll be hunting up dummies or even downed birds in cover.
By the end of his first full hunting season, he’ll be making all of the routine retrieves with aplomb and some tougher retrieves that make you a little hard for your hunting buddies to live with. There’s nothing surprising about any of this. If you start with a talented pup, socialize him properly, and run him through a solid training program, he’ll come right along.
Then one day he’ll let you down. You can just about count on it. I’m not talking about an honest failure like simply being unable to find a downed bird. No dog finds them all. I mean a refusal. Maybe a bird is shot up and he doesn’t want to hold it, or he decides that woodcock taste bad. Maybe he’d rather blast off in search of another covey than hunt for the single you just downed.
Okay, no big deal. Most hunters, even serious hunters, live with these small failings so long as their dogs get the job done the majority of the time. Even the best dogs have their quirks and weaknesses just like we do.
But sometimes little quirks develop into full-blown problems. Let’s say the young Lab that tends to drop a dummy at your feet instead of bringing it all the way to hand gets downright willful when you encourage him to hold it. In fact he is not going to hold it. Moreover, if you’re going to be pushy about it, he’s not even going to fetch it anymore. If he’s a real cuss he’ll fetch the easy tosses but stealthily avoid a dummy you’ve thrown into cover.
You get the picture. These scenarios aren’t far-fetched, even among good prospects.
What to do? For starters, you could back off for a while and concentrate on tasks the pup enjoys, and hope the problem works itself out. No dog has ever been ruined by slow, gentle, careful training.
But if the problem persists, you’ll have to run the dog through a “force training” program, sometimes called “force fetching,” or, euphemistically, “conditioned retrieving.”
But understand this: Force training is ugly business that only a sadist could enjoy. Properly done, it works. If I made my living with my dogs or spent a great deal of time and money campaigning them on the field trial circuit, I’d force train without exception. I’ve forced trained my three German shorthaired pointers with excellent results. In one case, the program cured or at least moderated a severe case of hard mouth. But unless I encounter a significant problem, I have no plans to put another dog – or myself – through that kind of stress again.
Gregg Barrow, a pro trainer based in Montgomery, Texas, suspects that tougher competition and testing have made force-training almost mandatory for field trail retrievers and dogs running in UKC and AKC hunt tests. “Tougher competition means tougher tests to help sift through and eliminate dogs at every level,” he says.
Although Barrow sometimes force-trains dogs for clients, he questions whether the practice always makes sense, especially for the average hunting dog.
“Ask yourself if that perfect delivery to hand is really that important,” he says. “And how much time did you spend working with your puppy, building a strong foundation before deciding to force train? I’ve heard too many folks excuse a poor foundation by saying, ‘That’ll straighten out after force training’.”
Force training advocates believe that while strong natural retrieving instinct is highly desirable and should be the goal of any breeding program, it cannot be relied upon entirely. A well-bred dog retrieves because he wants to. Ultimately, a truly reliable retriever does his job because he must.
Force training technique varies, but in general it works like this: After being introduced to a training buck – usually a wooden dowel or dumbbell – the dog is encouraged to hold it until given the release command. Most dogs, even natural retrievers resist. Holding a hard object isn’t instinctual. The dog’s mouth may have to be pried open so that the buck can be inserted. With some coaxing and sweet-talking the dog can be induced to hold the buck for several seconds.
Now the dog must be trained to take the buck on command. The buck is positioned an inch or so from his muzzle and the “fetch” or “back” command is issued. The dog will balk. Mild pain is applied in the form of an ear pinch, electronic collar stimulation, or toe pull. When the dog opens his mouth to yelp, the buck is inserted and the pain immediately ceases. With repetition, the dog learns that the quickest way to stop the pain is to take the buck. After a few lessons, he’ll be reaching to take it.
Gradually the distance is increased, until the dog readily picks the buck up from the ground or training table. Over several weeks the dog is conditioned to move increasingly greater distances to fetch. Ultimately, he learns that he must do whatever it takes to complete the retrieve. Usually, the dog’s training translates quickly to dummies and birds.
Once the program is started, it must be completed because after a few lessons the dog will resent the “fetch” command. Even the most natural retrievers will need six to eight weeks of daily or twice daily lessons. There are no short cuts. Although the resentment stage can be unnerving to a novice, it’s essential. By working through the resentment, the dog learns that retrieving isn’t optional.
“There will be a battle of wills,” Barrow says. “Expect it and prepare for it. Dogs resist in different ways. A sharp dog might react by attempting to bite you the first time you pinch an ear, and then go sullen midway through the process. Are you confident enough to not take the bite personally and to move efficiently through the sullen period? I used to get a lot of calls from people who wanted me to take their dog in the middle of a really bad force training program.”
By now, you’re probably thinking that force training is beyond the casual dog hunter. You’re right. Be honest with yourself. If you’re hot-tempered, impatient, or barely able to enforce basic obedience, leave force training to the pros or skip it altogether. If you decide to let a pro handle the job, choose very carefully.
“Make sure you know who will be working your dog,” Barrow says. “I’ve seen some young trainers working for competent pros brutalize dogs. Ask for references and check them. If possible, watch the trainer work a dog.”
But if you’ve decided that force training is needed, and you’re truly committed to your dog and willing to study and persevere, stay tuned for “The Trained Retrieve, Part II.”