Hard mouthed

[winewood]

Anyone got any advise for me,
(1)  Kody will pick up rabbit skin covered anything, but when it comes to picking up a real one he picks it up then spits it out ( yuk its a dead thing)
(2)  Indi will pick it up but is to hard mouthed sinks her teeth in

 Have been told with Indi to get her to pick up a ballon with a little water filled, and try using eggs, we are still learning, and as they are 3 & 4 yrs is this probelm with both solvable not sure how to go about it.

Thanks

[kcj]

Hi I can understand your problem, i have a similar problem with mouthing, my dog picks up and retrieves dummies cleanly but will mouth game, he doesn't destroy it but its no good for trialing. So i am looking for advice to. 

[Nicola]

There isn't really a huge amount you can do to 'retrain' a genuinely hard mouthed dog unfortunately, it's a difficult thing to change if that's how the dog is, there is a school of thought that it can be genetic and a hard mouthed dog should never be bred from. A true 'hard mouthed' dog will crush game though, not just leave superficial skin damage and true hard mouth should not be confused with a bit of rough handling and mouthing of game. Plenty of practice with the items the dog tends to mouth is important so that retrieving fur and feather becomes routine for them. I would avoid using raw eggs with a mouthy dog, certainly to begin with anyway, as it may not take them long to figure out if they mouth it they get a tasty treat which will encourage the behaviour. As for an aversion to picking up real game again it's a matter of practice - keep persevering until it becomes routine for them. Make the retrieves easy with plenty of praise and encouragement and he should get the idea.

[millrace]

tough to change.....try using cold game if you can get it,,, short retrieves with long lead where you are in controll and make it fun.....play fetch for fun if you get my drift.....!

[winewood]

Thanks, your right though, she is just rough, and mouthy, using the balloon water filled worried me as it bursting could either frighten her, or make it more fun with water. A bit hard here to use cold game in the summer months here would need quite a few (phew) would have to freeze them (not in my freezer next to my food).  With him when he tried to pick up his first rabbit I heard the ribs crack and he almost jumped with fright, then spat it out . I then tried throwing it  around for fun! he just looked at me with that look " you have to be kidding" I'm using a toy monkey which I took the stuffing out and replaced with rice in a bag that crackles when they pick up. Bit like a rabbit, legs dangle and the noise like ribs cracking with the packet, and the rice for the weight distribution .Is it more that they have to learn where to hold the rabbit, from what I've seen they seem to hold more at the back of the neck is that correct? I'll just keep on with her making retrieves short, sharp, quick and lots of them maybe five in a row not enough time to play about just bring 'em back and go get more. I'll have to be up early though probably 5.30 before it gets too hot .
thanks for your help.

[IanM]

Like Nicola said hard mouth is hereditary. But spitting out can be sorted. You really need to teach your dog how to hold a dummy first then cold game will be a lot easier.

Ian