# Force fetching



## Mtnland1 (Feb 4, 2009)

Hey anyone ever had to teach the force fetch???????
My dog has stopped retrieving the birds. will return a ball or stick all day though, any pointers pro's con's


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## Sprig Kennels (Jan 13, 2009)

this is a common problem and force fetching will help with it if done correctly.


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## Steve Shaver (Mar 9, 2008)

Mtnland1 said:


> Hey anyone ever had to teach the force fetch???????
> My dog has stopped retrieving the birds. will return a ball or stick all day though, any pointers pro's con's


I teach it to everydog I train. It is mandatory whether the dog wants to retrieve or not. 
Should help.


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## Theekillerbee (Jan 8, 2009)

I recommend the videos put out by these guys http://www.perfectionkennel.com/.


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## Travis R. Bullock (Jul 25, 2008)

Mtnland1 said:


> Hey anyone ever had to teach the force fetch???????
> My dog has stopped retrieving the birds. will return a ball or stick all day though, any pointers pro's con's


It is a very important part of the foundation to a solid gun dog.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Theekillerbee said:


> I recommend the videos put out by these guys http://www.perfectionkennel.com/.


I went to their web sight and read up on the videos they offer and they had no mention anywhere about force fetch training??? Their stuff looked very complete and they are defiantly proud of what they do. $65 for a training DVD... :shock: It better be good for that price.


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## Theekillerbee (Jan 8, 2009)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> Theekillerbee said:
> 
> 
> > I recommend the videos put out by these guys http://www.perfectionkennel.com/.
> ...


Looks like you are right TEX. I've used their "Perfect Start" video, and have a copy of the "Perfect Finish", but I haven't watched it yet. A quick glance at the cover doesn't say anything about the force fetch. I figured that since they covered the basics so well, that the force fetch would be included in the second video. Sorry 'bout that. These guys do a great job training, and the nice thing is that they show you training videos of "green" dogs. The other videos I've seen show you training on dogs that already know their stuff. They are a little pricey, but, IMHO, worth it for those of us that are new to the dog training thing.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

http://www.fetchpup.com/training/forcefetch.php


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## MB (Sep 7, 2007)

> http://www.fetchpup.com/training/forcefetch.php


"I can force fetch a dog generally in 10 to 15 sessions of 3 to 5 minutes. Many dogs can get it in 5 or 6 sessions."

A FF dog in 1 hour and 15 min. max! :shock:

Well, maybe I shouldn't be surprised considering the author of this Force Fetch article also said - "Only force fetch train if and when you have to." and "I am training gundogs and thus am only concerned with delivery to hand."

I only bring this up to point out that FF to most people is much more comprehensive than this. To me, a FF dog is 100% reliable and will not quit when the going gets tough. I don't believe you'll get that from a "play" based force fetch program.

So for you guys that FF professionally. How long does the average dog take? The several that I have done would take 15-20 minutes twice a day for 4-6 weeks.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

> So for you guys that FF professionally. How long does the average dog take? The several that I have done would take 15-20 minutes twice a day for 4-6 weeks.


I'm no pro, but that's about right. A month is pretty quick if you want the lessons to stick for life. Six weeks or so for me, twice per day, and my dogs will pick up just about anything I want them to.


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## Travis R. Bullock (Jul 25, 2008)

MB said:


> So for you guys that FF professionally. How long does the average dog take? The several that I have done would take 15-20 minutes twice a day for 4-6 weeks.


I would say that 4-6 wks is a good average, however I only do one FF session a day with the dogs. This can be a difficult time of training to keep the dogs attitude up so I find once a day to be productive. The quickest I have been able to fully FF a dog was 3 weeks and have had a couple dogs that went well over the average and I actually had to move on and come back to it. Most dogs however are right within that timeframe.


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## shootemup (Nov 30, 2008)

i taught my shorthair to fetch by force fetching (well at the time i didnt know what force fetching was but after reading on it guess my ideas on teaching fetch were the same theorys in force fetching) and sometimes i wonder if he some how transformed into a lab because he loves nothing more then playing fetch with anything i can throw at him dead birds, balls, stickes, anything. I am sold on the method.


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## LockedFlockSage (Mar 26, 2008)

Mtnland1 said:


> Hey anyone ever had to teach the force fetch???????
> My dog has stopped retrieving the birds. will return a ball or stick all day though, any pointers pro's con's


Could it be that this dog gets more sticks and balls then birds, or are the sticks and balls presented in a manner that is more exciting to retrieve than birds. Is their less expected of the dog when he retrieves a stick or ball as far as accountability and responding to your commands? Their are a lot of factors that could tie into this! I wouldn't recommend force fetching a dog who isn't excited about retrieving birds or bumpers for that matter, thinking that it will cure your problems. I would back up a few steps, the fire needs to be lit with this dog again. Things like fun retrieves with dead birds, get him/her on clipped wing pigeons, eliminate the ball and the sticks and proceed with bumpers, teach him his job and make his job enjoyable, before you force him on it. Making his job mandatory before he enjoys doing it, can create bigger issues.


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