Excessive Chewing, rolling on the dumbbell retrieve.....HELP - Page 1

I have 30 month old male that we are working towards our SCH/IPO1. He will go and retrive with good speed but chewing is baffling to me on how to cure. I have a great trainer to train me but we are both a bit perplexed on how to fix this little challeneg at this point I am ready to just leave it alone live with the point deduction. 

Why live with it? Sounds like something you'd say about a spouse. Dogs can be changed and trained. There are many methods to stop this. I wouldn't go crazy yet. If he is fast and enjoys it, go back 20 steps and work on this in your house, or outside of retrieving exercises. Teach him to hold the dowel/dumbell. You can sit in a chair and have him in a sit. "Hold".....reward. OR try the weighted dumbells. If all else fails, crack out the car battery vv a Louisville slugger. He'll learns it! Last thing you wanna do is f up the speed and enthusiasm. Then you'd just be swapping points.

Try covering the handhold of the dumb bell with a metal sleeve, or replace it with a piece of pipe? Most dogs don't like chewing metal.

And then if he does, you can follow Chaz's suggestion and hook it up to a battery...

I would rather use a weighted dumbell than something artificial for them to bite. The goal is to get a dog to stop chewing and grip down. I think the weight accomplishes that. They don't have a choice, but to grip it or it is gone.

Chaz, have to confess I've never seen a weighted dumbell. How is it constructed?

The gal in my sig used to pick up my 10 lb excercise dumbell and carry it around in her mouth. It was made out of concrete covered with vinyl. I'd be doing curls with it, and she'd be sitting there watching, hoping to get to play with it!


That was a REAL 'weighted dumbell'! LOL!

Old fashion dumbell. All metal. About 23 lbs.
Or you could try this:



Same dog. Notice firm grip on Northern Pike. Yet she would retrive grouse, woodcock and ducks so gently.
In those days we used the "forced retrieve" today I use a method similar to what Chad suggested. 

23 lbs? YIKES! How would you ever THROW something that heavy?

Sunsilver,

It was not thrown, it was deposited. 

just change the focus of the dog and make him see the dumbell as the tool to get the reward,instead of him seeing the dumbell as reward and at the same time make him speed up

Duke said;

 

just change the focus of the dog and make him see the dumbell as the tool to get the reward,instead of him seeing the dumbell as reward and at the same time make him speed up

So true. If you show the dog his reward as he comes back to you he will come in faster and ( sometimes) forget the object he is carrying therefore stop mouthing it. 

When a dog is taught to retrieve 'IN PREY' he sometimes treats the retrieved object as he would a prey, therefore mouthing it. In French ringsport the dog retrieves a rolled up sock which is tempting to chew so I teach a 'calm' hold of the sock as a separate exercise rewarding with food the 'calm holds'. Best to start this when they are very young before they actually are taught the retrieve.