Blind retrieves

[josh wells]

Hi All,

My name is Josh Wells and I live in Devonport Tasmania, I have a two and a half year old male Labrador that has gone from Novice to All Age in twelve months, I've been trialling about three years. I started out with a GSP but that is a story for another day. Here's my problem, my dog marks well and is a reasonable handling dog at this stage but when it comes to Blind retrieves I am really struggling, I have done things that involve the dog walking out with me and showing him where I place the dummy and he does this well but if I try to send him back there on pile work he either no go's or runs out and pops, I use the command Dead Bird Back. He also has trouble locking on when I say dead bird. Please can someone give me some tips???? From my limited experience I think it is confidence, momentum and trust, but I'm struggling to find ways through this. Cheers Josh
P.s he is not force fetched and I didn't get the dog until he was eleven months old

I can also contacted on 0409935961

[Diane McCann]

Hi Josh, why don't you try shortening up the lenght of the blind? Walk him out as you say, send him the whole distance the first time when he has the confidence, but the second time shorten it right up so that he focuses on the blind location because it is right there in front of him. Only increase the distance from the pile slowly so that he doesn't lose focus and if he does re-do the walk out. You could also try using a cue word when he focuses on the right spot, 'yes' & then back if that is what you use to send. I fall into the trap of simply re-doing an exercise that the dog hasn't done well without simplifying it enough, funnily enough they don't tend to do it any better the next time when nothing has changed! Good luck