Learning to Retrieve

2/19/10 - Well, I am not sure  how it is going. So far, after several weeks, I still don't have a retrieve from her.

I have chosen to only use one article, a yellow ball that is small enough for her small mouth. At first I did the clicker every time she went near it, and eventually she got to where she would put it in her mouth, but only for a second or two, then gradually she would hold it for another second. That is as far as I can get. She will then drop it and get distracted by something else. I have tried over and over, and can't get her to hold it longer. What she does is to drop the ball and then look for the treat. Obviously, I don't treat her for that. And finally I stopped the game when she did that and brought her inside. I tried that for several times, and she still would not hold it longer. She seems more interested in the treat than the ball.

Soooooo, I started something more. I took out the treats all together and just used the ball as play and reward for doing other things like her practice for her obedience class. That is where I am right now.

In general, she doesn't play with any toys or is not focused on any objects. She doesn't put things in her mouth. She is not a chewer. She doesn't play tug, even though I have tried many times.

Since I have her in this obedience class that uses clickers, she has become more focused on training and doing things. What I have seen so far since I have had her, is that prior to me getting her, she had no positive experience with training, and probably no formal training at all. So, training seemed to be a foreign concept to her.

However, since she has taken to the tracking training so well, practically training herself, I know she loves to learn and loves to do things. I will keep trying to figure out how to get her to retrieve. I have a feeling that, since she is not big on having things in her mouth, it won't be a natural thing. I will have to keep working on teaching her this.