lsharrott

Resently my dog has started to chew birds when fetching. She was force fetch trained and retrieves very reliabily but as she is returning with the bird she chomps down hard and shakes her head. Any advice to soften her grasp?

Jackson_q

Did you or someone else do the Force Fetch?.Its hard to give advice without seeing first hand just how severe this is.Theres a few things you can try.Frozen birds,more controled fetching with use of a checkcord,theres also harnesses with studs on them,you strap the birds in the harness during your fetch drills to reduce the 'chomp'.

If someone else did the FF,I'd contact them and let them know your having a problem and get their thoughts.

How old is the dog and have lots of birds been shot for it?Sometimes its just a matter of time and birds under control with the checkcord.Some dogs do the head shake because they may have been winged or spurred by a cripple they retrieved once.Take some time and think why you think the dog is doing this.It could be a matter of just more controled retrieves,it could be just needing experience having more birds retrieved,it could be the dog has a rough mouth,it could be the dog has a really hard mouth.I'd have to know more before I gave more direct advice.Good luck,take care,Jackson..

lsharrott

I have done all of her training. I started her on bumpers, which she returns with no problem. Then I used frozen birds. Resently, being a flushing dog, I clipped the wings of a few quail and let her catch them. Then used the freshly killed bird for fetching. She doesn't beat them up to badly at first but does seem to be trying to kill them on every retrieve, bitting down hard to the point that I hear bones crack. She does however bring them back when called but often drops them at my feet instead of to hand like the bumpers.

Doc E

It sounds like you need to re-visit FF. []

Jackson_q

I agree with Doc.I'm also wondering if any birds at all have been shot over this dog?.I'm getting the idea the only birds this dog gets to retrieve are the ones it 'dispatches' during your fecth training?If no birds have been shot over the dog I think its a safe guess thats why your having the problem you are.If the dogs only retrieved the birds its caught while alive,its very possible its using a bit to much force to prevent the bird from escaping.If you havent shot birds over the dog,I'd suggest trying that and see your results,if nothing improves over time and birds shot,then you for sure have to go back and re-train FF.Good luck,take care,Jackson..

BuddysMom

A dog will put his nose to the oven, but only once. If it burns him, he won't do it again. If your dog really has a desire to retrieve, try this: use a frozen bird, but before freezing, stick toothpicks around the mid-gut of the bird. When your dog bites down, it will hurt, and he might drop it, but he won't bite down hard again. If the problem is with shaking the bird, try a dummy with a hard plastic head. My lab learned quickly not to shake the duck once he got smacked in the head a couple times. They are hard-headed creatures and often need to be given a reason not to do something...other than just "no". Lucky for us, they have great memories, and usually don't forget a bad experience. Good Luck.
Jill