The method for training a dog to fetch, that I am about to explain here, is called the "Demand method" here in Sweden. This means that the dogs natural prey drive and "retrieving instinct" is ignored and the dog is trained to fetch of pure obedience to start with. The success of the method is dependent of the leadership we have established in our relation to the dog. Unless the dog is attentive on us and our signals the method is difficult to use. But if we have raised and fostered the puppy to accept our leadership based on dominance, then the method gives a "fool proof" retriever limited only by the dogs natural, inherited, capability.

First we have to make the dog to feel secure when we handle its mouth. We can start this training with the very young puppy on a daily basis. Play with its mouth; insist that it is calm for awhile when we investigate its teeth's. Be calm and make sure that you win the fight that possibly might arise. If you give up the puppy will only learn that it can win over you and next lesson will be even more difficult.

The second thing we have to teach the young dog is to come when called and sit when told to sit and remain sitting until told to do something else.

When these conditions are fulfilled and the young dog is 7 - 12 months old, depending of the dog's grade of maturity, we can start the actual basic fetch training.


Sit the dog. With your right hand open the dogs mouth as shown in the picture, you should be able to do this now without too much difficulties. Cover the dogs eyes with the palm of your hand, preferable if the dog is shy at the sight of the dummy. With your fingers make sure that the lips will not be jammed between the dummy and the teeth. Now say the command you will use in the future, like "fetch", with a friendly but firm voice and at the same time put the dummy into the dogs mouth with your left hand. Do not repeat the "fetch" command. Many things might happen now. Most likely the dog tries to spit the dummy out, be prepared for this and prevent it by giving the dogs lower jaw a firm, but not hard, tap from below and tell the dog to "hold". If it drops the dummy then put it back again saying, "fetch". If the dog starts to jump and twist violently you just take the lead and take if for a short session of demanding healing work and then sit it again and repeat. You must never give up until some kind of success has been achieved. As soon as the dog holds the dummy for a short second you praise it and caress its head and ears but all the time be prepared to correct with voice and hands if it tries to drop the dummy. First time the dog has hold the dummy for long enough that you have had the chance to praise it for a few seconds say "dead" or whatever command you will use and remove the dummy. Do not praise the dog after you have removed the dummy, it was a "good" dog when it held the dummy, it is "only" a dog when it does not hold the dummy. If we praise the dog all the time it does not know why we praise it. We praise the dog in order to teach it that it right now fulfils our demands, this is the only tool we have for this purpose and we must have the wisdom to use it when it has some effect. When the dog hold the dummy just increase the time when it has to hold the dummy for every lesson, at the same time letting it know how good it is.When we have come trough this first difficult step then the rest will be easy. Be prepared that the first lesson is difficult if you dont have a good relation to the dog.

Now that the dog can hold the dummy for awhile we can leave it sitting and take a step or two from it, all the time being prepared to correct if it tries to drop the dummy. We can now praise it with voice, go back to it and give it a few caressing strokes and then remove the dummy from its mouth with the command "dead".



Now and then we should go back to the dog and touch the dummy lightly to start with commanding "hold" and correcting if the dog tries to spit the dummy out. We can move our hands around the dog's head in order to disturb it, all the time it should hold the dummy. We can grab the dummy with our hands and shake it lightly, then harder and demand the dog to hold it. It is only allowed to let the dummy go when we say "dead". This is very important part of the training. In the future it might bring you a lightly wounded and dizzy rabbit or bird and if it drops the game before you have e a good grip of it the game might have recovered enough to run or fly away. By the way, no field trial can be won with a dog that drops the game in front of the handler's feet. So the command is: "Hold" until told; not to "Hold", no matter what happens in the meantime.





A dog that has completely understood this demand
can almost be lifted from the ground with the dummy.
But don't demand this from a stout dog.










When the dog can sit and hold the dummy no matter what you do to disturb it, then it is time to train it to walk and hold the dummy. Again there is a the risk that the dog drops the dummy to start with but if we just are prepared to correct it firmly and friendly all the time this new skill will soon be achieved. Then we run with it, suddenly stop and make it sit, jump fences, jump into the car, jump over a ditch or whatever you may come over and all the time demand that the dummy is held by the dog.



     
You should progress very slowly. By the time the dog has learned to walk with the dummy in its mouth it has also understood that it has to grip the dummy when you say the command "fetch", most likely much sooner. Hold the dummy a short distance from its mouth and give it the fetch command. If it hesitates you can enforce the command with a sharp jerk from the check cord. Don't forget to praise when the dog grips the dummy.

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Text: © Torsti
Photo: © Maud & Torsti