# won't pick up and retrieve



## Ollywebb1 (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi,

I took Radley (just under 5 months) for his first puppy gundog training session last week. The trainer said he's a bit young for formal training but has given me stuff to work on for the next 6 weeks. So I've been working on recall, heel, sit, steadiness and retrieving a dummy. It's all going pretty well other than retrieving. I know its early days but just wondering if anyone had any tips.
Basically, he will chase the dummy but then rather than pick it up he will just look at it and wander off sniffing. He's good at steadiness but I'm thinking if he hasn't got the drive to retrieve the object in the first place then training for steadiness is just reinforcing his disinterest in the object, as steadiness doesn't require him to get it in the first place. Hope that makes sense. 

Any ideas how I can get him more interested in the dummy and bringing it back to me?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Sounds like you are taking him to a retriever trainer.
I would look for a upland trainer. They have to want to retrieve before you can steady them.
If to much pressure is put on the retrieve before they have learned to love and handle birds, you stand a good chance of shutting the dog down.
Cost more money to fix and sets the pup behind on its training. Find someone that understands vizslas and training them for quail hunting. The pup needs time to become bird crazy before worrying about steady.
If you have a local vizsla club join it, and ask who they recommend as a trainer.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

I had one like this but not a V a Springer

try( natural scents)

**** bird, quail and more

load em up

after rewarding the action

I bet scents and dna will bring it back to you 

and many places to get natural working scents"

After I scented him about 5 months He became a bird hunting machine and served me and others over 200 others 10 plus years my Buster 

died of lung cancer age 11 hunted him one last time sick as heck He still tried his best

Natural scents was his keys not dummies" lol 8)


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## k31shooter (Oct 24, 2012)

Will your pup play fetch with anything besides the bumper (Toys, ect?)?

Another thought, and some of the veterans may disagree with me here, but what about teaching a hold command? Place the buoy in mouth and repeat Hold, follow by a release, "OK" (or whatever you choose) take from mouth and reward. Work this a couple times a day and increase length of hold. This should teach the expected action. This may help once your pup understands what the recommended action is. Also use moderation, a few throws, once the excitement starts to dwindle, stop and give it a break for a while. This is something that I had done with my pup while learning to retrieve, and she isn't perfect but is getting there.


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## Ollywebb1 (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks, some good suggestions...... I know there won't be an overnight fix


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

I've never been to any hunt training, so disregard if this info doesn't apply.

With that said, Savannah didn't want to retrieve when she was a puppy, either. It turns out that I was throwing things too far away. Unless this idea violates some other hunt training principle, you might want to start in a narrow hallway (no distractions) and drop the dummy near you - no more than a few feet away. You can gradually increase the distance.


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