Retrieving is only supposedly a simple task. Many dogs are very committed to rushing for a thrown object, parasites in dogs treatment but they follow their natural prey instinct and want to fight for the prey with their human. This behavior is far from proper retrieval and sometimes undermines your role as the highest ranking in the “pack.” Read here how to teach your dog how to retrieve correctly so that it becomes a species-appropriate exercise with many advantages!
What does correct retrieval mean and what are the exercise goals?
Most (but not all) dogs find it easy to put them behind an object because it is part of their hunting instinct: the dog tries to catch, grab and kill the fleeing prey. But this pattern of behavior usually lacks the right conclusion to pass as retrieval: the bringing of the prey to the mistress or master. Neither the wild running behind the stick with subsequent “massacre” of the object nor its animation that you steal the object from it in the distorting and catching game, are real retrieval exercises!
The properly practiced retrieval is a concentrated, species-appropriate, and serious task management for the dog, which has many advantages.
Advantages of retrieving:
It deepens the human-dog bond.
It strengthens your position as a “pack leader”.
It promotes and challenges the dog in a species-appropriate way.
It playfully practices obedience and impulse control.
Step by step to success in retrieving
Start by selecting the appropriate item to retrieve. A stick is not the best choice for many reasons: it does not motivate enough, represents a source of injury that should not be underestimated, and encourages chewing. Never use your dog’s regular toys!
Very good apparel (retrieval item), especially for dogs unwilling to retrieve, is a food dummy with a wrist strap on it. You can also use other robust apports, such as a retrieval wood, especially if your dog is already an avid “prey hunter”. With new apports, your dog learns the difference between serious exercise and pure play, in which he is also allowed to take on the “leadership role”. Furthermore, you need a long tow line and treats that taste good to the dog but do not make him fat.
The objectives of the training are:
Recording of the retrieval object according to command
Returning the item
Depositing or handing over the retrieval object to humans
Step 1: Pick up the item
The purpose of the first exercise is to make the dog understand that he may only pick up the object after a command.
Start by making the dummy interesting for your dog. Fill the food dummy with treats and let your dog watch and give him a treat as a foretaste. Or play with the apparel without the dog being allowed to participate. Only when you are sure of his attention for the apparel, do you like him on the tow line and throw the dummy a few meters away. But only to the extent that the tow line reaches easily to the object and does not run stiffly. Practice best in the living room or the garden, so the dog has little distraction.
Do not allow the dog to sprint off immediately, but let him sit down first. Now give the command “Bring!” and let him get the apparel.
Step 2: Bring the item
For many dogs and dog owners, the most difficult part of the training begins now, because not every dog wants to bring the prey or simply give it away. As soon as the dog has picked up the dummy, praise him exuberantly for this performance. Now lure him to you, if necessary you gently guide him with the leash in your direction. If the dog has brought the dummy to you, then praise him first for bringing and holding the dummy. You don’t have to take the loot away from him right away.
Use the command “Give!” or “Off!” and reach out for the dummy. If the dog lets go of the apparel, he is immediately rewarded with a treat. You take a treat from a food dummy. It is even more motivating when he is allowed to lick a treat out of the hive himself. The next time he pulls out with the food dummy because he thinks he can get the treats out himself, this is not a broken leg, but even supports the learning phase. Because this is how the dog understands that he can only get to the food in the dummy when he brings it back. Don’t get frustrated if the process doesn’t work right away. Patience and consistent practice also turn your unwilling or stormy dog into a retrieval master.
Supplementary task: Hide the food dummy in the forest. Let your dog sit down and watch you.young rat terrier puppy If necessary, leash your dog by the tree. Place the food dummy in the forest, return it to the dog and let him search for it by giving the command “Search!” or “Bring!”. You can accompany your dog and give help at the beginning. Praise him when he finds the dummy and lures him to you to get the bag handed over. Feed your dog directly from the dummy.
What you should know about retrieving
Four retrieval rules: Be sure to remember this!
The apparel is not an ordinary game object, but a practice object. It is immediately packed away as soon as the retrieval period is finished.
You start and finish retrieving. Never let your dog retrieve until he no longer feels like it, but stop in time – namely when it’s most beautiful”.
A dog unwilling to retrieve should be trained hungry with the food dummy.
Never force your dog to retrieve with violence or threats! Some dogs will never like retrieving. For them, there are many other meaningful and species-appropriate tasks.
