by Tim Andrews
If you've been to a group training day or attended a training seminar, you've almost certainly been asked "has your dog been force-fetched?" If you're anything like me, you sheepishly mumble something along the lines of "we're working on it" and hope the inevitable follow-up of how long never comes. I don't want to have to say that we "started" almost a year ago.
I'd like to think I'm not abnormal in this regard. Maybe I am. Maybe my ego is particularly fragile when it comes to people judging my dog. Maybe that's because I've done all of the work myself and I'm kind of a perfectionist, despite being new to gun dogs. I suppose if I had sent Lili to a professional trainer, I could readily admit that she had been "force fetched" and then not feel any shame when she refuses to perform. Of course, I'd also be robbing myself of the swelling pride when she performs flawlessly.
The reality is that these situations always leave me asking, have I? As I watch my wife take her puppy through the UFF program, she regularly asks when she's "done". With hunting seasons nearly two-weeks old, I'm starting to hear "war stories"; as dogs get their sophomore season and veterans knock off the rust, they've already included poor retrieves or even lost game. So all of that begs the question, when is the trained retrieve program DONE? After all, its so common to hear: "my dog always/never does that at home" that it really is a cliche at this point. Its also completely fair, though, isn't it? I mean, I'd put Lili up against nearly any dog retrieving a bumper or dummy IN MY YARD. But when have we done enough drills, generalized enough objects and places that we can confidently and proudly claim that our dog has been force-fetched and after doing so, expect (or demand, even) perfection? Or must we be willing to accept that our dogs are not flawless, they will falter from time to time, and that nothing is ever really "done"?
It seems like a silly question. I think its obvious that our dogs will falter and the work is never done, but when are you willing to claim that the trained retrieve is complete? And when someone else tells you their dog has been force fetched, what do you expect from their dog? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.
I’m going to stand by that it’s never done! Even by repeating flawless retrieves we are still reinforcing what has been taught, which I consider continued training. There’s always going to be a different or new challenge to overcome, which is what makes being a do it yourself trainer so rewarding.