Retrievers love to retrieve. They are, by nature, working dogs and if the breeding is good, they love to retrieve anything, anywhere. But just because they love to run out and retrieve a bird or bumper, does not mean that they love to bring it back to you and give it to you. This must be taught because It is not in their nature to do this. Before dogs were domesticated, they would retrieve an item and take it to their den to eat. So, teaching your dog to give or drop the bird into your hand can be a struggle. Here is how to teach your dog to give or drop a bird upon delivery.
Teaching your lab to give or drop bird starts with HOLD
Retrieving is a process. It generally goes like this: You throw an item, your dog runs out to get the item, your dog runs back to you with the item, you take the item from your dog.
If your dog is failing at any of these steps, you will need to start your training there. So, for instance, if your dog is running out to the item, picking it up, but then running away from you. The problem is with the HERE command, so go back and work on that.
For many people, their dog will run out to the item and pick it up, and even run back towards the owner but then somewhere along the line the dog drops the item. If your dog is dropping the bird or item somewhere on the return, your problem lies in the HOLD command. In this case you need to first teach the HOLD command. The HOLD command is a command to teach your dog to hold an item in his/her mouth until you take it from him/her.
Learn more about teaching HOLD.
How do I get my dog to release a bird?
If your dog is good on the HOLD command, then teaching GIVE is fairly straight forward. In fact, when you taught your dog the HOLD command, you should have been saying GIVE or DROP each time you took the item from your dog’s mouth. This is the best way for a dog to learn what the GIVE or DROP command means.
If you are still struggling to get your dog to release the bird or bumper upon delivery, then follow these steps.
Each time your dog comes back with the bumper or bird, grab a hold of the item, and say GIVE as you pull the item from your dog’s mouth. Do not tug the bird or get into a fight with the dog for the bird or item.
What’s the best way to remove a bird from a dog’s mouth?
If your dog fails to open his mouth and release the item, say NO, GIVE and then proceed to push the item back into your dog’s mouth. As you push the bird or bumper into the dog’s mouth, say GIVE, GIVE, GIVE repeatedly.
I know, this sounds counter intuitive, but shoving the item back into your dog’s mouth while saying the GIVE command will make your dog gag and want to get the item out of his mouth as quickly as possible.
You can even hold the back of your dog’s head as you push the item into his mouth, making it hard for your dog to get away. Do this a few times and soon your dog will willingly give you the fetched item.
Stop behaviors that are hindering the process!
If you continue to struggle to get your dog to give you the bird upon delivery, there may be behaviors that you are engaging in with your dog that is making this process worse.
For instance, if your dog wants to play tug of war with the bird, you may track this behavior back to playing tug of war with your dog as a game. If you play tug of war with a toy, you cannot get upset when your dog starts tugging on the bird in the same way. You have taught your dog that tug of war is a fun game, so it is natural for him to want to play it in the field also.
Tug of war games can make retrievers very hard mouthed. This means that they will often chomp on the birds while running back to you or shake the bird repeatedly on the way back. The reason this is a problem is that by the time you get the bird from your dog, it could be damaged beyond use. This is not what most hunters want, so we recommend that you stop playing tug of war and make sure all your family members do the same.
Dog to dog tug of war
Often our clients ask if it will be a problem if their
hunting dog plays tug of war with another dog. This is generally not a problem.
Dog to dog tug of war is viewed differently by your dog. There Is no need to
try and stop this behavior since generally dog to dog tug of war does not
transfer to the field.
Final thoughts on How do I get my dog to drop a bird?
The DROP or GIVE commands are used to teach your dog to release
a bird or bumper to you after a retrieve. These commands are part of a process
that should be taught to all hunting dogs. The process begins with HOLD, then
ideally a complete force fetch program is taught. Within this training a dog is
taught to deliver birds and bumpers to the HEEL position and hold the item
until you take it from their mouth.
Remember, if you really want
your retriever to grow and progress in his/her hunting training this year
but doing the training yourself sounds overwhelming or maybe your schedule is
just too busy to get it done, I’m here to help! You can email me
(ottertailkennels@gmail.com) or just give me a call. I would be happy to
discuss your goals for your retriever and tell you about the programs I offer.
Until next time, happy retrieving.
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