Eshiels  Offline
lead trained
Joined: Sep 20, 2007
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Posts: 1467
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9409 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 5+
Lab Names: Tia, Jura, Tain, Cruz, Buick, Sasha. Freddy and Jojo the Cockers + a few more
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Location: Peebles.
Gender: 
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 Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:48 am Post subject: |
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I would n't worry to much Fee. Now hudson is holding just reduce the time he holds to about 10 seconds which is ample time for him to deliver the dummy to you.
Now he does hold I wouldn't practice any more with it in the house, as the reward is small. A much bigger reward is gained when he retrieves to hand.
As for biting down, if someone stuck something in my mouth for to long i would bite down to try and get rid of it. I think it is similiar to us being at the dentist when we cannot swollow and try and re-adjust our mouth without closing.
Of course the spring is coming, how will hudson do out of water, when you standing 20 yds from the bank? 
Good luck with Pasco
Ian
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MattA99  Offline
puppy walker
Joined: Jun 25, 2007
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Posts: 937
Posts Left: 0
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17418 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 4
Lab Names: Hannah, Penny, Blue, Lola
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:17 am Post subject: |
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Quote: “I've really only noticed him doing this since we have been asking him to hold properly. If he is running back from a retrieve - out in the open, then he may adjust the position just once, but doesn't seem to chew on it in the same way.”
There’s your answer. I wouldn’t get too concerned about this. As long as he’ll hold the dummy after a retrieve long enough for you to be able to comfortably take it without rushing, then that’s plenty. You’ll only really know what he’ll do with game when he starts retrieving real birds.
It could really be any number of things; it could be him having to ‘try’ not to drop the dummy, it could be stress, it could be him having a very soft mouth and needing to readjust to stop it falling out, it could be just the ‘feel’ of the dummy or he could be deliberately biting it.
If he is inclined to drop the dummy then you’ve done well to teach him to hold for so long a time. I would now focus much more on the combination of his steadiness and promptness delivering the dummy.
Whilst it’s very unusual for a dog to need to hold game for very long I had an occasion this winter when I was picking up where my springer had to hold onto a bird for quite some time. Picking up next to a river, I was told a wounded pheasant had landed near some trees one hundred yards or so further downstream along the bank. I sent my old lab Penny down to the area and left her to it. Meanwhile a pheasant dropped in front into the river near the far bank, and I sent Meg the springer immediately. Just as she was swimming out to the bird I noticed that Penny was struggling with a very lively pheasant to jump an awkward wire fence back to me. As she’s not so young any more I walked down to take the bird from her, leaving Meg swimming across the river for the other pheasant and my other two labs sat in position.
Once I got to Penny and took the wounded bird from her, I glanced back to my other dogs to see Meg arrive back with the bird, have a quick glance around for me. She obviously decided that I had gone AWOL, so rather than looking for me and miss the action she sat herself back down in position with the other two labs to watch the shooting, all the while happily holding her bird! On my way back I sent Penny for another bird that dropped in the river, and it was quite some minutes before i arrived back to take the pheasant from Meg.
Matt
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Feebarn Offline
Worked by the boys
Joined: Jul 27, 2007
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Posts: 10905
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73307 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 3
Lab Names: Hudson 20/5/07 Pasco 19/5/08 Zephyr 6/8/10
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks everyone for the advice!  Much appreciated!
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