Bit of advice please

[s2sap]

Hi - we have a six month working type cocker that we dont plan to actually "work". But having always had labs before we know how to train and walk our dogs off lead and have control.

This young lady is testing us a little. Whilst on a walk off lead she likes to carry something in her mouth. I'm not keen on her being allowed to carry sticks so we have got her a few small rubber mouth carrying toys for two reasons - she wont carry sticks and she will leave our older lab alone on the walk without climbing all over her! She is excellent on treat based recall EXCEPT if she has something in her mouth. Then she just wont come back but instead heads off to hide whatever she has in her mouth in the undergrowth, and then comes back to us. The other reason we have started giving her a toy to carry is she will head into the undergrowth and come back with someones discarded poo bag and decide to carry that and wont give it up.

This could be solved by keeping her on a lead, but that's not really a solution. Dont give her a toy to carry and she will head off and pick up a stick and wont give it up. Where we walk we need to be able to get our dogs back quickly at certain times and this is posing us with a problem.

I know we will eventually sort it but to try and speed up the process wondered if anyone had dealt with this or has any ideas?

Also what is this thing with cockers hiding things? We are as I said used to labs who want to bring you everything - not hide it.

This is an issue we will sort out and apart from this cant believe the affection of this wee dog - she is amazing and so much fun and has brought our older lab back to life again.

[bizzylizzy]

Hi and welcome!
The ball issue is exactly the reason why I ration it with Humphrey (show cocker, 18 months). He loves to carry it but then I become less interesting for him and I don't have any "bribe" to use in an emergency or if I want to distract him and he tends to just do his own thing instead of focusing on me.  I've now got him a ball on a rope which I can tempt him with without having to let go of it, we still play with it and use it as a reward but I can get it back more easily! (Drop command doesn't apparantly apply to balls in his opinion!)  I have a rope toy which he carries sometimes, it stops him picking up sticks but he's not quite so totally obsessed with it as he is a ball.
I haven't had a problem with hiding things, but that maybe an individual thing, so maybe someone else can help with that.
WHat's your girl's name? Would love to see pictures of your dogs!

[JeffD]

cockers also known as undertaker dogs.
A retrieve is just recall with something in the dogs mouth so get the retrieve sorted, cockers will retrieve just like your labs it can just take a little longer to sort.
I recently helped train a cocker who would behave like yours it, took the owners a couple of weeks to sort.
IN the house throw a toy in confined area then swap for a treat do 5 times morning and 5 times evening they soon learn. Increase distance over 2 weeks until garden is included, midway through second week don't treat every time.

[Londongirl]

cockers also known as undertaker dogs.
A retrieve is just recall with something in the dogs mouth so get the retrieve sorted, cockers will retrieve just like your labs it can just take a little longer to sort.
I recently helped train a cocker who would behave like yours it, took the owners a couple of weeks to sort.
IN the house throw a toy in confined area then swap for a treat do 5 times morning and 5 times evening they soon learn. Increase distance over 2 weeks until garden is included, midway through second week don't treat every time.

We've consistently done this and Henry will give most things into my hand on a 'give' cue. High value items still have to be traded for a treat, but he will (almost) always come to make the trade.

[MIN]

in the house Gemma has to carry something at all times. Outside she is not interested in carrying anything, to busy  in the undergrowth rootling 

[Pearly]

At six months old you will have pretty good control over your girl but if she's anything like mine, it's the calm before the storm.....you may want to start keeping her very much closer and not letting her get into the undergrowth unless you are a whole lot quicker on your feet than she is 

I say this from experience.....2 years old on Sunday and still trying to catch the little 

JeffD (as always) gives very good advice regarding teaching a reliable retrieve

Jayne
X

[s2sap]

IN the house throw a toy in confined area then swap for a treat do 5 times morning and 5 times evening they soon learn. Increase distance over 2 weeks until garden is included, midway through second week don't treat every time.

Having never had to teach a dog retrieve as we have labs that want nothing else - when you say "swap for a treat" do you mean recall the dog when it has the toy in its mouth and when it retrieves the toy give it a treat? What if it returns on the recall albeit a short distance without the toy.

Thanks for your input

[Londongirl]

No toy, no treat.

I started when Henry happened to have a toy in his mouth. I showed him the treat. He dropped the toy to get the treat. As soon as he let go of the toy from his mouth at my feet or in my hand, I clicked and treated. I did that several times so he got the idea of the trade. Then threw it to start the retrieve process. He'd go get it and bring it back for the treat. If he dropped the toy along the way and returned 'empty handed', no treat.

It did take a while for him to learn, but my dog is not the canniest cocker in the pack

[Ambler54]

If only Rosie would take the sticks etc to hide, She runs off and eats them and this is getting to be a real problem Three times now I have had to pin Her to the floor and hook out bits of stick, twice wedged across the back of Her throat, once wedged in the roof of Her mouth. We play fetch and give with a treat everyday, She will bring back a ball for a treat but nothing, and I mean nothing ,will get Her to relinquish Her 'treasure'.On the beach She crunches shells, razor clams a particular favourite, but at least they do crunch up easily but the sticks are a nightmare.After having to hook out a small stick again today at the dog park I am beginning to think She is going to have to be on the lead most of the time, or muzzled.She knows 'leave' and will walk past horsepoo etc but sticks are everywhere and 'leave' is completely ignored.I would like to go out in the garden and tidy up, ideally Rosie could be out there with Me. But my time will be spent retrieving twigs and sticks.I have tried letting Her keep the ball and She will happily carry it until She finds a 'treasure' to munch on.

[bizzylizzy]

Someone posted on here recently about her dog always eating rubbish and in the end she resorted to "doctoring" it with foul tasting things, (can't remember now what, - I think mustard was one (?)) while givng the dog  a warning not to touch it. The idea was that the dog would learn that "Mum knows best" , the warning could then be used in other circumstances aswell. Some  might interpret it as aversive conditioning, which I know is frowned upon generally these days but  I feel if its going to save a dog from harm (in her case poisoning, in your case injury from sticks) then perhaps it might be worth a try? No idea if it would work but might be worth a try?

[Archie bean]

A dog in my village had this problem when he was young. He ended up having surgery due to stick getting stuck so it can be a serious problem. He used a muzzle to prevent it. He must have done some training too because the dog (an English Pointer) no longer wears it. It might be worth considering using one while you are working on the problem.

[s2sap]

Thanks everyone for your input - much appreciated