Any ideas on how to solve this? - Page 1

For the life of me I can't think how to correct this behaviour.  When doing the search square, the dog does really well, finds the article and brings it well out of the square to me but instead of holding and presenting, spits the article out  because he wants his ball as a reward.  I've tried getting him to hold the article, withholding reward until he does it and changing the reward to something else.  The first twice he barely touched ithe article and the third time he actually tossed it away with his nose grrrrrrrr!  I was not amused.  If it's his ball  there is no problem in him holding that so he knows what to do - just doesn't want to.  Any advice would be marvelous as I am booked in to my first working trial next month.

I'm not sure what you're trying to do--are you teaching the dog to indicate an article, in advance to doing so on the track, for SchH? Or is this something else entirely?

Hexe,  it is for working trials here in UK.  One of the elements is the Search Square. where we have a defined area in which the dog has to find 3 articles placed by a steward.  The handler is not allowed inside the square but can direct the dog.  The dog has to find them and bring then out to the handler presenting as if in a retrieve. 

I assume he has to hold it until instructed to drop it.

I don't have any advice based on experience, but here's an idea.  Can you work with him away from the square with the an article that would be typical used for the trial? Get him to bite t and hold as you work it in his mouth.  As you are playing with the article that is in his mouth, you give a command.  Maybe it's "hold" - whatever.  You're going "hold, hold, good hold, good hold" and when you want him to drop it, you slowly stop playing with the toy and wait a second and then give him the release command,  When he releases, he gets the reward.

Thanks Jeff

It might just work - I'll give it a try.

If this does not help, see if you can contact a Hunting dog trainer in your area.  Bird dogs are trained to do this (bring to handler and hold until retrieved).

A friend I was working withhad a similar problem, and we sorted it by using a clicker. It is one thing I find it useful for. If you do retrieve work with the dog using a clicker, and then jackpot reward at the end with the ball. Then when the dog goes into the square click when he marks the article, and the dog does a formal present, as with a retrieve, then reward. The clicker then becomes a bridging reward, until the dog completes the exercise. Worth a go. Worked for her.

Thanks Chrissie.  all advice welcome. 

Hi Runag

Do you have the same problem with the dumbell retrieve?

Margaret N-J

@ Kaffirdog

HI, yes he is the same with everything except his ball.  I am pretty sure I set him up for this by giving the ball as a reward when he did a retrieve out of the square.  Then my grandson compounded it by playing ball - the dog would bring it back but was really testing my grandson, dropping it then waiting for him to go pick it up before snatching and running away.  By the time I noticed what was happening the lesson was well and truly entrenched!!  He loves his ball so much that everythng else gets spat out in anticiipation.  I can see him going a bit down - he is not sure what he is supposed to do either!  He will sit by my side when I throw the ball, wait, bring it back on command.  The problem then comes when I tell him to sit, he drops it.  The last couple of days I have been working with a ball on a rope outwith the square, he loves to play tug with this so I have been throwing it, recalling him and then just playing, when there is pressure on the rope he will 'sit' while still holding it and then will 'out' on command.  That is as far as I have got,  and still not sure if I am doing the right thing   If it works I will be very happy!!