what makes a dog........

[mississippi_duc_htr]

what makes a dog just quit retrieving. My 8 month old pup just suddenly decided to quit retrieving about a month ago. I can give him the fetch up command and he wont go in the water wont retrieve he just sits there or goes the other way. He was doing so good and then he just quit. Hes not gunshy or water shy he just acts like he lost interest in doing his thing. I got some live ducks but no headway made there either. I even turned one loose in my back yard. he just looked @ it and looked @ me then walked over and got him a drink of water. [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] what's next????

[tunica du4u]

m d h I wish I knew the answer to that one. I had a female pup that would retrieve doves when she was 12 weeks old. I had carried her several times with us dove hunting and let her watch her dad who is a super retriever.
I accidentally dropped a dove walking to the truck and she picked it up & carried it to the truck and give it to me. I started letting her do a few close retrieves and she was super. I showed her to my trainer who wanted to keep her and put her through a "pre-school" for six weeks. I let her and when she called me back 6 wks. later and told me to come get her and hunt her some during duck season. I done this and she was a natural and at only 5 months old. The trainer even wanted to buy her. Said that dog was 1 in a 100 that just had the natural instinct. About 2 weeks after season she quit retrieving and nothing would get her interested anymore. Trainer said she just lost interest and nothing we tried worked after that. [img]images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]

[duforester]

mdh, sometimes they just stop retrieving (especially at that age), usually only for a short amount of time in my experience. By chance, you haven't been using an e-collar have you? In any case, do whatever you can to make things fun for him with very basic drills. I'm sure goosebruce, or Bobby Williams, or some of the other experts will have better advice than me. Good luck!

[chance]

Can you rule out too much pressure at an early age? Too much is what the dog considers too much and not you.
Ruling out pressure, then maybe too much of a good thing. Maybe the pup just decided that you and he were doing too much retrieving and he shut down on you. Since he was doing so well then stop trying to get him to retrieve and give him a break. Maybe a week, maybe two. Then make retrieving a big fun game. Use some clipped wing pigeons or ducks and let him chase them around the yard. Try to use a lot of excitement to build his enthusiasm again.
Retrie3vers don't just stop retrieving without a reason. May not be clear to you right now but he does have a reason to quit. When things like that happen you gotta back up, sometimes to the beginning and start over.

[Canton_Coot_Killer]

My dog did the same thing, whoever said make it fun for him was right on the money.

I can't tell you how big an booty I made of myself running around and making him chase me and then chunk the dummy.

After I did that, he seemed to enjoy it a little more so after I work with him, I always do that so he has a little fun to go along with some work.

[jbeam17]

well i wouldn't worry to much, my Kady is 1.5 and she pulled that same stunt. Was doing good, then all of a sudden just quit. She would sit stay mark and when i gave the command to go, just look at me and walk off, she even quit playing with her toys. Can't explain it, but this lasted for quite a while...till like nothing ever happen she just started to pick the pace up again. She first started bringing me her toys for no reason and gradually began retrieving all over again, never forgetting a a single command. Weird but the only explanation i had was a combination of growing pains and she explained to me that she was hot as hell with that black coat in MS heat, and running was to much.....either way we are both happy now and retrieving [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Wingman]

Put 'em in the water. My dog lives for the next time he can jump in a fishpond. So I take the dummy with me....(he probably would say the same thing [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] and when I know he's hot and ready for a swim...I toss the dummy or a coke bottle...he gets it EVERY time. It may be that it's so stinkin' hot, your dog just doesn't want to expend alot of energy...try taking him to the water and see if that helps.

Wingman
ISAIAH 40:31

[mississippi_duc_htr]

Well fellas you have given me a ray of hope [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] he still is very lovable and comes too me every time I call wants me too pet him all the time. You have eased mind mind in knowing that some of you have went to the same thing.Thanks for the hope that all is not lost on him. He is a very beautiful lab and i know that somewhere inside is a retriever I'm just gonna have too figure out how too get it back out of him.I hope you all have a good week.

[goosebruce]

Good advice. First thing to do when a dog gives you a totally foriegn responce, to is to make sure nothing physical is wrong ( teeth, the heat, sickness, etc). Then think back, did something tramatic happen (too much pressure, badly time ecollar correction, jumped on a stick or stob on a water entry, snake bite, etc). Dogs associate things different than we do, and a dog that got hurt on a retreive may very well think the fetch did it. Get inside that dogs head and figure out WHY he wont go, and you'll know the answer on how to fix it.

Now, some dogs just don't like rules. Seen a few fetching machines, that would stop when rules where applied. No way that me or anyone else could tell you that, without knowing the whole history, and seeing the dog. If the dog is forced fetched, then not going is not an option, and you have to tools to deal with it. If the dog isnt ff, then all you can do is think it through, and act accordingly. And a lot of dogs stopping going during ff completely, but quickly come back around when mind is cleared. A dog that wont go for a clipped wing bird has something heavy on its mind, thats for damn sure. A caution on the birds, a lot of times, a dog that has to be birded into going, wont ever go for anything but a bird after that. Same reason that some birds are ok, but training with birds too much can be as bad as not using them enough. travis

[judge jb]

don't make an adult out of a kid....they tend to get tired of ALL WORK AND NO PLAY.. settle back and have fun with the pup.. things will come around when he will try to please you...

judge jb

PS, this is the age when most labs get ruint....

judge jb

[mississippi_duc_htr]

Thanks again fellas I have backed off his training and am focusing more on fun things to do with him. Thanks Again!!!!!!!

[gator]

mdh, i too had a similar problem about that same time in mine's life...one day, and i mean it was in a 24 hour period, he just quit...now, i did about the most immature thing possible and went berserk...well, it scared him and embarrassed me which it should have...spent all day thinking about it and realized that i was making things too serious...kinda like my dad did w/ baseball when i was little...i didn't want to do it either...well, i did just what my dad did, made it as fun as possible to be alive and retrieving...even got nawteek to let me and gauge work w/ his dog and i gotta say, it worked...make it fun, and he'll appreciate it...pretty much what everyone else said but i don't think it can be said enough

[NOHERE]

just try playing and doing fun stuff, i had one that did the same thing...i got a tennis ball and started bouncing it of the wall, letting her chase it and bring it back...couple of days of that and she was back in full swing...i also had my present dog just doing horrible on the marks, it was like he had no clue of which side of the gun to go on , much less find the bird...i put him up for 7 days, didnt fetch one thing...that weekend after the 7 day layoff he won a qualifying at a field trail and did 8 perfect retrieves...so...you never realy know whats going on in thier heads. just take it slow.