# Retrieve to Hand tips?



## maverick9465 (Nov 21, 2016)

Hi all,

I've been working my vizsla pup on retrieve to hand, but with mixed results. Retrieving is not an issue for him regardless of it being a bumper or pheasant dummy. I've gotten him out of the habit (for the most part) of retrieving and then running around with the dummy in his mouth and not giving it back to me. However, the actual retrieve to hand has been difficult. 

I throw the bumper or dummy with him at heel and use the command "hold" to get him to stay still. Then "seek" to release him for the retrieve. Then when he picks up the dummy/bumper I say "keep it" to encourage him to keep it in his mouth. I'll use a high value treat (hot dog or chicken) to get him to come back to me. What usually happens is that he drops the bumper/dummy about three feet before he gets to me and then runs to me for the treat. He has retrieved to hand a few times, but mostly it's the dropping three feet away thing that he does. 

I've tried having him hold the dummy in his mouth while I hold his muzzle shut. I've also put the dummy right next to his mouth with treat on top while running backward to get to associate dummy with my hand/treat. Still mixed results. 

Any tips on how to achieve consistency with retrieve to hand?


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Heel is the only command you need to keep him at your side. Whether your moving or not, heel means the same thing. Hold is hold...don't drop it regardless, again while sitting, standing or moving to/away. Keep it simple. Put him on a long check cord and run through your drills. Reward should be doing a good job and wanting to play fetch. I don't like "treats" at this point of training...but thats only my $.02's.

Hold issues can be totally worked out with force fetching the dog if you so choose to.


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## maverick9465 (Nov 21, 2016)

gdog said:


> Heel is the only command you need to keep him at your side. Whether your moving or not, heel means the same thing. Hold is hold...don't drop it regardless, again while sitting, standing or moving to/away. Keep it simple. Put him on a long check cord and run through your drills.
> 
> Hold issues can be totally worked out with force fetching the dog if you so choose to.


Thanks! Yeah, keeping him next to me (heel) is something he can do well. I use "hold" for the command to keep him steady until I release to retrieve. Heel to put him in position. "Keep it" is what I use for your "hold" above. My biggest thing is getting him to retrieve the bird to my hand. I don't want to be in situation where we retrieves a bird that's still alive, drops it three feet from me and then the bird flys off before I can get it.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

How old is the dog?


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## maverick9465 (Nov 21, 2016)

He's a year old.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

It sounds like working through a force fetch regimen would produce the results you want.


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## maverick9465 (Nov 21, 2016)

johnnycake said:


> It sounds like working through a force fetch regimen would produce the results you want.


Yeah, I've been thinking that.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

If you've never done it yourself, I highly recommend getting someone to either do it or help you. I'm sure someone will come on and say, "No worries I did it myself 1st time", but having someone who really knows how to fully FF makes a world of difference in the learning curve and the outcome of the dog.


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## maverick9465 (Nov 21, 2016)

Yeah, I'm a first-time dog trainer, so I'd prefer someone help me. There's a clinic happening in a few weeks that I might check out. Thanks!


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

Try with hold with something different than a bumper at first. Get him on a table, tied up, and steady. Then introduce a small dowel into his mouth. Put your thumb and finger behind his canines, clear the muzzle so he doesn't bit his own lip, put a dowel in, and put pressure under the chin and pet him, good dog. Good dog, good dog. Then get him on the ground, same thing. Then a smaller bumper. Repeat. Then a wing or feather, then a frozen bird. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

Hold or keep it, or whatever you want is the command that is the struggle. It's easy for a dog to get into the habit of dropping ahead of you.


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## one4fishing (Jul 2, 2015)

Quit picking it up for him. My dog puts whatever we’re tossing around in my hand or I don’t throw it. When he was still young we started playing in the hall where he didn’t have the option of running around with it in his mouth acting like an a hole.


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## quackaddict35 (Sep 25, 2015)

Once you get him doing a good hold I would run through his basic obedience while making him hold it. Sit, stay, come, down, heel, place. All while giving him the hold command 


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## tshuntin (Jul 13, 2008)

This is more than a hold or FF problem. Before that, it is a basic obedience problem. firm that up really well first, then you can work on the next step of the retireve, hold, delivery to hand.


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## captain68 (Dec 20, 2016)

I put off force fetch forever because I thought I could have a well trained dog without it. I finally broke down and force fetched with the ear pinch. It made life so much easier for both of us. I'm not going to lie, force fetching a dog sucks, but just make sure you mix in some fun with it and it isn't quite so bad. It will also serve as a foundation to much of the other training that needs to be done.


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