# HELP-Won't retrieve ducks!



## twopopper (Sep 24, 2006)

I have a lab that just turned 2 the first of oct. At 6 months he started pointing at every thing that moved, so I really consentrated on training him for upland hunting. This summer I started working him over water with throwing dummies and fake dead ducks, and he retrieved every time. My problem is he retrieves grouse and partridge no problem. Took him duck hunting for the first time tonight and shot a real nice canvas back! He swam right to it, nudged it with his nose and swam to shore. I waited a few minutes and sent him out again and he did the same thing. Would not retrieve. Had to get the waiters and do it myself. What can I do to get him to retrieve?


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

If you got him from Otter Tail Kennels your screwed. Had a dog from there same thing. Had he force fetched and everything and he will take the abuse and not pick up waterfowl.


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## deacon (Sep 12, 2003)

Need to get dog real excited to retrieve, like teasing dog with a duck. Probably would start with a duck wing tied to a dummy and then tease the dog to grab the dummy. Once dog starts grabbing dummy with wing attached then toss and pray like hell that dog retrieves. Kidding about the praying.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Also try throwing out a real duck in shallow (wadable for the dog) water and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes it's just a confidence issue. My 8 month old springer is still aprehensive about retrieving dummies in swimable waters. She will do it all day in shallow water.


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## Gooseguy10 (Oct 10, 2006)

Hunt in MN and it won't be an issue.

Actually, just like the others have said, I would make it as realistic as possible. Try to use real birds, shoot and throw. The encouraging part is that the pup retrieves other birds. If it didn't retrieve any birds, than you have real issues.


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## AHuntinWeGo (Oct 11, 2010)

dakotashooter2 said:


> Also try throwing out a real duck in shallow (wadable for the dog) water and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes it's just a confidence issue. My 8 month old springer is still aprehensive about retrieving dummies in swimable waters. She will do it all day in shallow water.


Apparently, my Uncle had the same issue with his dog about 3 years ago (he's hovering over my shoulder. lol). . . and he essentially did what dakotashooter recommended. Although, my uncle bill didn't so much say it was a confidence issue as much as it was "what am I supposed to do with this?" Different animals give off different smells, so that could explain why the dog will pick up certain animals and not others.

Another person mentioned "getting the dog excited about grabbing the duck" and I've been told that THAT is a technique that DOES work. The challenging part is figuring out a way to get your best pal psyched about fetching your prey. Good luck!!!


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## twopopper (Sep 24, 2006)

Ok, so tonight I throw out 6 mallard decoys in a small pond, and sit and wait with the dog. About 20 minutes into the hunt a small widgen flies in! BOOM, down it goes and away the dog goes, gets the duck and brings it back! Life is good right? WRONG!!!!!!!!! He drops the duck at my feet and runs back out a grabs a decoy. I scold and tell him to heal, throw the decoy back out and away he goes and retrieves the decoy. :******: So now I get the shock collar and give him the tone, which he responds to real well. Throw the decoy out and again he goes after it. I gave the warning tone to know effect, then gave him some juice, he dropped the decoy for a second then picked it up and brought it to me!!! :******: :******: :******: Now what do I do to get him to leave decoys alone? I don't want to get to rough with shock collar for fear he won't retrieve ducks!!! PLEASE HELP!!! By the way this is the first dog I have ever trained from start.


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## The Shovla (Aug 23, 2009)

maybe I didn't catch it earlies, but is this a male dog? My male did the same thing...did everything the opposite of what I wanted even though he knew what I wanted...he was trying to assert his dominance. Do you have dominance over him/her? If not, that could be part of it too. Once I broke my dog of that bad habit, he stopped picking up decoys the 1st time I told him to with a "beep" warning on the collar and a stern "NO". The same with the birds. He would get a duck fine, but he was scared to death of pheasants. I finally got him to get them fine. Had to first, make it fun for him, and two, let him know exactly what was expected of him. he is two now, and with a full season in last year, he is 100% better than last year. Repitition and make it fun. Good luck.


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## mmduncan (Dec 24, 2009)

Force fetch the dog! If done *PROPERLY* you tell him to fetch it he WILL fetch it. Also when he goes for a decoy tell him to leave it and he will LEAVE it. Thats force fetch in a nutshell. Now as far as him just running about and going after the decoy... you obviously didn't send him for it so that tells me you need some obedience training. Its too dangerous for the dog and hunters when you have a dog that breaks and isnt under control there are just too many variables in the field. Try leaving the gun at home let someone else do the shooting so you can focus on your dog. And as far as your comment about giving him the tone with your collar.. that tone button has no place in waterfowling. Train the dog then polish with the collar. My dog gets no warnings she knows she is going to do what I tell her when I tell her and that is just good OB. Good luck but sounds like you need to just back up and brush up on basics. I take it this is the dogs first season duck hunting. The first season for him is really all about setting him up for sucess you can worry about getting limits next year but this year is his. This is not an issue of male or female it's just a lack of training which isn't really fair for the dog. Thats just my .02


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## The Shovla (Aug 23, 2009)

I agree with the force fetch. That is what really turned mine around. If done correctly, you'll see a huge difference.


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## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

Throw out a bunch of decoys in the yard put him on a lead and walk him through the decoys doing your OB Heel, sit ect. if he goes for a decoy tell him to leave it turn the other way and tell him to heal, I'm not sure how well the dog has Been CC so I would refrain from burning him off a decoy especialy while in the field. Remember not one dog has ever been ruined from a e-collar but ALOT of young dogs have been ruined by ther guy running the transmitter.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

1. A dog needs to be trained, FOLLOWING A PROGRAM. The Same problem comes up time & time & time again. Because a dog is of a hunting/retrieving breed, it is presumed it will retrieve automatically with drive & enthusiasm. Think of it this way, if someone put you out in the yard for a couple years then came out, took you to an airport, put you in the cockpit of a Cessna 210, and said, "fly it", could you? Same principle. With all the good DVDs & books available, anyone can train a gundog through a full program. You just have to want to learn how to become a trainer.

2. Four words; Force Fetch/Collar Conditioning. This should be pinned in big flashing neons letters on every gundog forum. Short answer, without FF/CC you have no tool to correct refusuals (what you are experiencing). Without FF retrieving is a fun game the dog plays when, how, and how long it wants to. after FF training retrieving is a task to be performed correctly on command every time. So many threads & info on this, I won't go into it any further but trust me it's extremely important if you expect your dog to perform as clearly you expect him to do.

3. Training takes time and you can't cut corners. You will only get as good a dog as the time you put into it. 18-24 months in my experience working twice a day for 10-20 minutes per session, to take a dog/pup from start to finish of the program I follow.

BTW, when I hear someone refer to an e-collar as a "shock collar" or say something like "gave him the juice", I know that party knows nothing (or next to nothing) about gundog training. Kind of my personal litmus test. From what you described above your use of the ecollar is only serving to confuse your dog. Unless you know how to use it and your dog has been Collar Conditioned, PUT THE ECOLLAR AWAY! You'll do way more harm than good. I was once told by an experienced trainer that if I can't train a dog without an ecollar, then I can't train one with it. Very apt advice. The ecollar is a great tool when used properly (as in both you know how/when to use it and your dog has been trained as to what it means), but is no subsitiute for sound training.

Also sounds like you may be lacking in patience and are venting your frustration on your dog, expecting it to do things it isn't trained to do (see all three above). My advice is to step back, take a breath, and train yourself to be a gundog trainer. That means leave the dog at home while you do, as every time you take it out expecting it to perform to a level it can't, you set both of you back. You can't train a dog when hunting. Always remember that training is where a gundog learns it's job, hunting is where it performs it.

Trust me, I am hardly a saint when it comes to patience and venting frustration, but I learned to put that away and become a trainer, so believe me you can too. Then pick a program, start from the beginning, and don't cut corners...

Good luck
NDT


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## twopopper (Sep 24, 2006)

Had him out this morning and he made two perfect retrieves and left the decoys alone!!


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## mmduncan (Dec 24, 2009)

Usually doesn't take long for them to figure out that that's not what you want. lol


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