Miles got a video of our gundog seek backs the other day while we were out in the field! In this exercise, Rory should run in a straight line in the direction I send her until she finds what she's looking for or I ask her to stop moving. This is a game I play at home or in the green space by my place pretty often, but rarely take into the wild because it's very hard to do in a distracting environment. Rory found a really nice bumper someone had lost and was very keen about it so we gave it a shot and she crushed it 😭💜 This was her fourth (and last) seek back after nearly an hour of free running in the swamp and she still gives it so much energy over such a big distance. What a good little animal!!
More on seek backs (including how to get started) in this post I wrote last year.
An excerpt from training for directed retrieves during my coffee break!
Directed retrieves are a really fun gundog exercise where a dog fetches multiple birds or bumpers in a sequence that you (the handler) ask. They can be marked retrieves (where the dog sees where the bumper fell) or blind retrieves (where the dog doesn't see the fall and you have to guide them with your voice and hands). I'm teaching this mostly as an enrichment activity, but it's an important piece for irl hunting retrievers to ensure birds aren't wasted in the field. I started teaching this exercise by throwing kibble in two different directions while she stood in a heel and then releasing her to them one at a time. This was our first try with directed retrieving of bumpers!
In this video I'm asking Rory to get into heel position (and rewarding that heavily because heel position = best place to be), asking her to stand steady while I throw two bumpers, and then directing her to pick up the first bumper I threw.
The duck bumper (the second one) is her preferred bumper so I chose to throw the paint roller to my left - when I put my hand out to line her up, it sort of blocks her view of the duck bumper so she's more likely to go to the one I want even though she likes the other one better.
Because this was the first time we practiced this exercise with bumpers, I wasn't looking for a perfect retrieve to hand - when I sent her to the duck bumper (not in the video), she dropped it at my feet instead of waiting for me to take it. That's no big deal, we can work towards a tighter retrieve after she gets more confident with the game.
We're going to keep practicing indoors for a while and once she's looking confident (and assuming things don't get too icy) we'll start working outside so we can build distance and speed.
I will also keep practicing lining her up (using my hand to guide her line) so we can start working on send-outs for blind retrieves and commitment to running out in a straight line! I have some ideas on how to use very small pieces of food to start this indoors and then we can move it outdoors in the spring.
She's doing awesome though! I'm really happy with her steadiness and her ability to think through puzzles. It's gonna be a fun winter working on these skills!
Do you have any tips or resources you used when learning how to teach retrieves? I think it’s something my dog and I would enjoy, I just haven’t started looking into how to start yet! It’s always nice to see videos of you and Mav <3 I’ve been a lot more inspired to find new tricks and games to share with my dog since following you, it’s been really fun!
Hello!! Thank you so much, Mav is the sweetest dog and I'm really glad you like seeing him <3
Some disclaimers, I didn't really follow a retrieve program at all and Mav has had the retrieve and hold instinct since he was a baby. But here's what I did to foster holds and retrieves.
I always show/offer Mav anything I'm holding (dog-safe, of course). This includes utensils, books, charging cables, clothes/socks/hats, my phone, the TV remote, toiletries, cardboard, etc. If he chooses to put his mouth on it, I'll mark that (click or yes!) and either give it to him to walk away with or take it away and give him pets. This makes him really willing to take things from me, regardless of size, shape, or material.
I taught a hold and a retrieve separately, which is pretty common I think. I started a hold by using something valuable to him (a bully stick and a wool mitten) and the stay cue. I had him sit on a something raised, offered him the item, then asked for a stay immediately. Then within a few seconds I'd either release (with the bully stick) or trade him for something high value (show him a bully stick, take the mitten while he switches to take it). Mav doesn't do well with drilling, so we practiced this once or twice a day, tops. This meant I could use GOOD treats every single time, which made him really enthusiastic to hold stuff. Once he was reliably taking things (even without the duration on holding) I switched to normal dog toys and retrieve bumpers and added the cue take this. This took about a couple months of inconsistent work.
Next I added a give cue. This is important for back-chaining a retrieve, because I always want Mav to bring something to my hand (instead of spitting it out close to me). Same as before, I would ask him to take something, then within a few seconds I'd ask him to give it. At first I would barely move my hand (so touching the item the whole time), and then slowly I would move my hand a few inches away. I didn't want him to practice dropping it so I took a really long time to move my hand away from his face. I did about 4 or 5 reps a day on this one, and it took about two months of inconsistent practice for him to start pushing the item back into my hand when I cued give.
In the meantime, I played fetch with him. He isn't really into balls or most toys, so I played fetch with two identical woolen mittens. I would throw one (a short distance, not too far), wait for him to get it and come close to me, show him the other mitten, wait for him to spit the first one out, then throw the second one. Repeat. You can do this with any two toys that your dog finds reinforcing. I did not cue anything except get it - don't cue the release and don't ask for a proper retrieve at this point, just the actual chase. I would only do 8-10 reps of this a day even though Mav could continue for ages; I made him stop really fast so he kept wanting to do it and didn't get bored. There are lots of detailed instructions on this specific game online - you can Google "two toy fetch" if you'd like more info.
Once you have a take it, give, and get it, it's really just putting them all together. This takes a long time so don't get discouraged!
I started placing items (instead of throwing) and cueing get it to encourage retrieving something that isn't moving. I used shoes to start with because Mav loves shoes. If he brought it close to me, I'd give him a treat. In the same session using the same item, I'd ask him to hold (very briefly). This bridged the gap for Mav and I had basically a finished hold and retrieve at this point. The rest was just practice, practice, practice!
My biggest tips would be to be patient, it's an easy behaviour to poison by making it not-fun, and to be creative with what you ask your dog to retrieve. Lots of people start and finish the behaviour with obedience dumbbells and then wonder why their dog won't retrieve anything else. Make sure you start with something your dog WANTS to retrieve, so you can set them up for success and reward them and make it fun!
I want to clarify I really don't like the force hold / force fetch methods - I never ever hold Mav's muzzle shut over items and I did not force fetch him. If your dog isn't holding or fetching something properly, end your session and take a break. Try a different item the next session, or try a different location, position, or approach. Sometimes dogs don't like the feeling of something on their teeth or tongues, or sometimes they're just not feeling it.
It's a really fun and handy behaviour and I really love training it! If you get stuck anywhere, I'd be happy to help troubleshoot you. Good luck!!
ETA I still, 3 years later, heavily reinforce my retrieves. Mav gets a treat every 1-2 retrieves he does, like any other behaviour I ask him to do in training.
