iDoHunting.com: Training the hold

For the first part or training this looks good but as we progress I want the dog looking at me

The first step in having a reliable retriever that delivers to hand everytime.
There are many questions when the topic of "trained retrieve" or "forced fetch" come up. Some say it is a must, others say it is over used and not needed. Again you will have to decide what is right for your dog. The first step in the trained retrieve is the hold. This article hopefully will help you through the steps in training your dog.

After the glove and bumper, the dog will learn to fetch any item

Ok, where do we get started? First, we want our dog to be solid on obedience. We want them solid on sit, stay and heel. If they are not, go back and train on those commands. Next, do we need to use a table and cables and chain our dog down? The table makes it easier if you are using a toe hitch(which we will discuss later). It also adds a transition to the training. Because of the transition, I do most of the training on the ground. I do let the dog get used to the table because I will use it for a specic step-if needed. If you decide to use a table, thats fine. I just don't prefer it.

Get them used to taking a variety of items

I am going to start off on the ground. I will bring the dog to heel and then sit. Next, I will kneel down on the dogs right side. with my left hand, I will lay the dogs left ear back.I am holding the outside portion of the ear with three fingers. The inside portion of the ear, which we flipped back is held with the thumb. I start off with a glove on my right hand. Put slight pressure on the ear with your thumb. As the dog opens its mouth, say "fetch" and place your right hand in the dogs mouth. We are not holding the mouth too firm but firm enough to avoid the dog spitting it out. your going to get some head shake and they will try to spit it. keep your hand in the mouth while telling them to hold. If the dog spits your hand or when you take back your hand, apply light pressure on the ear again. saying "fetch" again put your hand back in the dogs mouth. When your hand is in, release the pressure. In a few reps, the dog will start to accept the whole process. He is used to having things in his mouth, the only difference is, its been on his terms. Now you are training him that is going to be on your terms. Again, when the hand is in the mouth, continuing saying hold along with praising. When the hand comes out of the mouth, the ear pressure goes back on. With the pressure we are training the dog that when things are in his mouth, all is well.
A few key points to look for when using this method. #1 Use very light pressure. We do not need to lock down like a vise or twist the dogs ear off. After a few pinches, it won't take much pressure at all. #2 Timing is key. Get the timing down so as soon as the dog has our hand in his mouth, release the pressure. #3 make sure that the dogs mouth is clear of his teeth. You don't want him to bite down on his lips. #4 stay relaxed and calm. It may take many sessions to get the desired results. If things don't go right try again later. When you dog is accepting your hand and holding it until you tell him to "give", we will move to the next step. Now instead of placing our hand in the dogs mouth, we will hold it in front of him a few inches. As we apply pressure and say "fetch", the dog will have to reach for your hand. The next step is just use the glove. Keep the steps the same. Apply pressure, tell "fetch" and as the dog takes the glove in his mouth release the pressure.
were looking good now! Things are moving along smoothly, we know how much pressure to use and our timing is down. From the glove I will now start to use bumpers. The dog is pretty reliable now. When something is placed in front of him and the command given, he will fetch it. As he is holding the bumper, I will move around or walk around the dog, telling him to hold.In all the steps, increase the time the dog has to hold the item. As he is becoming reliable, start holding the bumper at varying levels. We want the dog to reach up, reach down, and take a few steps to get to the bumper. When all is good here, we want the dog to pick it up off the ground. This may be just a little stumbling block in the training. For some reason, even with dogs that play fetch or retrieve- they have a problem here. don't lose your cool it will come. I have taken as long as 2 weeks to clear this hurdle! If it takes longer,no problem it will come together. To help out in this situation, I will lay the bumper on my foot so it is not completly on the ground. also point or show the way to the bumper with your hand. I sometimes will use a table in this instance.

Great, now we got our dog fetching off the ground and holding until we tell them to "give". "Give" is the command I use whe I take the bumper back. You can use any word but the key is- that the dog will hold whatever it has in its mouth for as long as you want it to. From here I will tell the dog to fetch. I will then move away, have the dog heel, sit, stay, all while having the bumper in his mouth. You will see as the training progresses that the dog will start having fun with it, more upbeat. At the beginning they will look like you just got done beating them with a rubber hose. Don't worry, you are having them do something that is not natural for them. As they progress, you will see them transform from tail and head down to a happy confident dog.
Earlier I mentioned the toe hitch. I have used it when on the table but prefer using the ear pinch.