Do you have any tips...

Lady La La

Lady La La

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...to teach a dog to retrieve/scent and retrieve?

Tyson just isn't built to sniff things out and bring them back - he doesn't bat an eye lid when you throw a ball in his direction and he couldn't give a toss about toys - so I'm finding it a bit difficult!
 
What about food? For the sniffing things out we were told to start by just scattering food on grass and saying "find it" whilst maybe assisting by pointing things out... dunno about the retrieve thing tho, mine will go get it- but you cant have it back unless you have something better......
 
If he isn't toy motivated then as Lexie says, use food.
Lay food along the trail in your own footprints. Food when he indicates the article. Food if he makes to pick it up.
Exchange article for food when he does pick it up, do this all in small sections, it may very well take time.
If the dog isn't cut out for it at all though and isn't enjoying it, it's not something I would spend a huge amount of time on, there are plenty of other things you could be doing :)
 
CaveCanem said:
If he isn't toy motivated then as Lexie says, use food.
Lay food along the trail in your own footprints. Food when he indicates the article. Food if he makes to pick it up.
Exchange article for food when he does pick it up, do this all in small sections, it may very well take time.
If the dog isn't cut out for it at all though and isn't enjoying it, it's not something I would spend a huge amount of time on, there are plenty of other things you could be doing :)
Click to expand...

Will give it a go. He's definately not cut out for it, poor lad was getting very cross with me at training on Tuesday because he just couldn't understand what the hell I was asking him!
He's been great at learning all the other obedience stuff, though.
When you say food in my own foot prints, do you mean do like a trail leading to the object? Should the object be food? I've been trying to do it by filling a small plastic bottle with treats, giving him one, shaking the bottle at him and then placing ot on the floor in front of him - when he sniffs it, I open it and give him a sweety from inside it, then repeat.
.. As soon as I throw it any further than 10cms infront of him though, he zones out and does lots of beautiful downs and paws to try and get a sweety!
 
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What we do is lay a trail (dropping food in footprint) and then food at the end but ONLY when the dog has indicated the article (the article is a small object, not food), so you can have a tupperware box of food closed, at the end of the trail, associated that with the article, or keep the food on you and feed when the dog has found what you want him to.
 
Fo retrieving toys you could maybe get a Kong type thing and fill it with a paste you can get... This may encourage him to bring back the Kong and when he does you put a bit more in...
Later on you could then hide it somewhere nearby and he has to sniff it out...

Hope that helps slightly x
 
I have the same problem with my inuit, she does obedience competitions (well she tries....) and we now have to retrieve and she just does not get it, even when out she will chase a tennis ball and sometimes pick it up but seems to forgets it is there and drops it on the way back (if she comes back!) but still expects you to throw it for her!

If it is moving she is interested, but when is stops it is no fun!
 
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It's not generally in the husky part of the dog to retrieve...it's not really in the GSD part either, but they are more trainable/easier to condition.
It's all about exchange, bring X back to me and I will give you Y - but it takes a LOT of time with some types of dog.
 
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