Brittany retrieving problems

[Daveo 61]

Iv got a 5 month old Brittany and iv been training her using Joe Irvings book for springers

(cant find any Brittany books)

Anyway all the books iv read say dont push the retreiving so i havent.

When she was younger she would happily fetch a tennis ball back that i rolled along the floor i did this maybe 5 times in total perhaps once a week.

Now she wont retreive.

I see her bounding around the garden carrying everything Sticks, balls and even a dried out rabbit skin that she found (i was drying it to wrap round a dummy)

Anyway whilst sitting in the kitchen i heard the mrs say "Maggie (the dogs name) NO"

I went to see what she had done. She had tried to bring a smelly old bone in that she had found in the garden.

After a few swear words aimed at our lass

I explained that the dog must never be told off or scared if she carries anything again!

This in my mind is the root of the problem.

Iv tried throwing balls, dummies and rolled up rabbit skins and she runs up (sometimes) sniffs or even slightly mouths the object then leaves it.

I firmly believe she expects a telling off if anyone sees her pick something up.

This morning i let her out of the kennel and in the first few excited seconds she picked up a tennis ball then today on a walk through some thick cover she found another tennis ball and picked it up for about 1/2 a second before remembering i was there and dropping it.

Last night i gently opened her mouth and placed a rolled up rabbit skin in the stroked her and gave her lots of quiet praise.

Is that a good thing or not? Please can someone offer any advice to start to cure this?

Cheers Daveo

[Mickey Finn 2,695]

There should be a forum rule that puppy threads include a pic or two. Anyway. 5 months is kindof young to expect much. If it were me. I'd wait awhile til she's used to her adult teeth etc. Also, I side with your misses. Bones should stay outside. lol

 

Enjoy your pup!

[kiwi 4]

sounds like there may have been a bit of sideways damage going on while you have been away.

you are right never chastise a pup for having something in it's mouth, more so for hit and miss retrievers like britts.

put any sort of retriving on the back burner for a while and just try and encourage her to return to you when she does pic stuff up..... a dummy left lying around the yard for her to find as soon as you let her out and full of beans would be a good start