# Pup Retriever-Who Doesn't Retrieve?



## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Coop is 3 mo. and not the least interested in retrieving. From the day we brought him home at 8 wks, we have many play times where I would roll a ball or toss a toy and he would just sit and look at it. Our other dogs are ball/toy crazy and will run after them until exhausted, but not Cooper. Sometimes he will run up to where the ball landed, look at it like it should be doing something, then just walk off (Da-Dum, Da-dum). Guess I should also say he is a really calm boy, really watches everything and when the light goes on in his little brain, it seems to be there forever. He is doing so well in his obedience class, walks really well on a slack leash and not a wild child like his older sister. Like a wise old man, calm and loving, but he has his wild times in the afternoon like all dogs do...just not interested in retrieving or playing with thrown toys! 

I have been trying to teach him to "hold" the toy but just started this. Any other suggestions? He doesn't have to love thrown balls or toys, just odd that they hold no interest for him. He will carry a stick he finds around the yard and try to bring it into the house, but if I throw the stick, he isn't interested. Any of you others had this?? Is he going to be a "Class Clown" from the poll section?? I have never had a Golden that didn't constantly have something in their mouth. 

Should I forget retrieving for now and concentrate more on holding and giving, then progress on?? Would appreciate any suggestions.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I think that not all goldens are 'retrievers'...That being said, sometimes it just takes a little longer. Did you practice with treats? We have the command 'Go get it!', and that applies to anything, from balls to you name it. The moment Tess brings something, ( even if I didn't 't ask for it), she gets a treat.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Fraid to say in the beginning, I didn't use any treats. Just made a big deal with the ball and tossed, but now I toss (not far) and use and treat and we "run" to the object and I point. If he touches it in any way he is treated. He just wants the treat...uck! So now I am picking up the thrown toy and put it in his mouth and tell him to "hold". He does it for a few seconds, drops it and I treat him. Hoping I can progress to "hold longer" then "give it to me" and just keep running with him to the tossed toy and asking him to hold. Hoping I can get him to at least enjoy going after thrown things! 

P.S. Thank you for telling me that other Goldens, don't naturally retrieve! I do love the way he seems to "think" things through and hope I can teach him that retrieving is fun. Perhaps this little man is just teaching me that he is unique and will learn, but differently and at his own speed & I must learn to be a better teacher...what a great challenge!


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## rubysdoghouse (Sep 27, 2010)

Deber, My pup also did not have a interest in retrieving but loved to chase the other dog that was retrieving. Seeing as how my previous Golden was "over the top" for retrieving to the point that is all he wanted to do I didn't push it with Dundee. I never made him retrieve and never used treats to get him to want to retrieve. Well now and again I would toss a toy that he loved and would just see if he would pick it up and when he did I made a big deal of it. After he was doing the pick up for awhile I then started to ask him to bring it in. At no time did I make it a demand but just tried to encourage him to do so. At about 10 months he decided this was a fun game but only if it was without our other dog around. He would much rather chase the dog retrieving than be the one to retrieve. He now is 13 months old and will retrieve and truly enjoys the game and it does not matter what you are asking him to retrieve. Now he also was a very laid back pup and was a thinker and not so much a doer. I would say that his retrieving instinct was on the lower side for normal but he sure does a nice job now. So I think patience is in order and make it fun and don't push it to hard or you can make him not want to retrieve at all. Each pup has their own way of learning and some like to do some things better than others but all can be taught with patience I think. Good luck and happy training.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

One of mine didnt start to retrieve till he was 2 and now he retrieves everything and anything. Hes 4 now.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

My Roxy doesn't retrieve-she is a former puppy mill momma, she has never really learned how to play. She does in her own way, but nothing like what a normal dog does.

ETA: Roxy does pick up stuffed animals and carries them throughout the house.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Thank each of you for your words of encouragement and sharing your stories with me. I honestly never thought about a golden not really interested in retrieving,,seemed kinda like a Greyhound that wont run, but glad to know there is hope! As Rubysdoghouse said, he is more interested in chasing the "other" dogs than getting it for himself. I honestly am relieved and will continue to work with him on hold & drop..perhaps I can teach him to pick up all the balls and toys in the yard I threw to the others and put them in the bucket?? Now THAT would be a trick to show off!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Our Penny is not a retreiver. Our SIL calls her a Golden Bring it To Me. 

Penny considers humans throwing things to have a condition of mental or physical instability. She will bring the object back a couple of times, hoping the human realizes their instability. If the human continues to throw objects, Penny goes with tough love and lays in the shade rather than enable the human's misguided folly.

Not even for hot dogs!:no:


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## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

Penny's Mom said:


> Our Penny is not a retreiver. Our SIL calls her a Golden Bring it To Me.
> 
> Penny considers humans throwing things to have a condition of mental or physical instability. She will bring the object back a couple of times, hoping the human realizes their instability. If the human continues to throw objects, Penny goes with tough love and lays in the shade rather than enable the human's misguided folly.
> 
> Not even for hot dogs!:no:


Now that is funny! You should be a writer, if you aren't already!

The breeder we got our Cooper from did temperament testing...and I thought it so odd the day I got the email saying that the testing was done and that they were all 'retrievers'. I had thought that was a given, but clearly hearing your story and knowing that they actually test for it, a non-retrieving, golden retriever must be more common than I thought!


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## GoldenMum (Mar 15, 2010)

I have five, and only two I would consider faithfull retrievers....the others may, or may not....depends on their mood!


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Chance doesn't retrieve...maybe he'll bring back a toy I throw one time, (and that's only when he's feeling _really_ playful), but that's it. He'll occasionally carry things in his mouth, but definitely not all the time.


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## magiclover (Apr 22, 2008)

My Jazz didn't show interest in retrieving until about 6 months of age. Now she is 3 and she is actually obsessed with her balls and retrieving. I would just keep working with your pup and making it fun.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

You guys really crack me up! In my heart I am so glad to hear your stories about your semi or hard to get started goldens. Coop is so normal in all other ways seems really smart. Wonder if he thinks I look like a crazy person as I go all hunched over running to a thrown ball. What IS that little mind honestly thinking about me?? Ha ha, prob. better I never know.

Thank you one and all for the laughs and reassurances my little boy is not an oddity! Means a lot.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

My dog is 5 and STILL won't retrieve anything... he's just never had an interest in it no matter what I threw for him...

He also can't swim...


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## Kmullen (Feb 17, 2010)

Your pup sounds exactly like my boy, Cannon!! Could throw something and he would look at me like "Hey, why don't you go pick it up and I will watch you!" Brought him over to the breeders about a month ago and they called him the old man and said he would be the one taking the "AP" classes in school. Very smart and calm, but def has his crazy moments. He is very good in Obedience...he will be my obedience dog. His great grandpa was a CH/MH...was hoping he had potential.

Actually over the past month or so, he is getting better. He is a little over 6 months and is retrieving (not all the time bringing it back). So, I do think there is hope. My female had way more drive than he has right now. But, I am still holding out hope, so do not give up on the retrieving part.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Tucker (4 mos) is not terribly interested in playing fetch but I am working with him. The hard part is getting the game started--it can take a few tries before he "gets it." 

I toss the ball a short ways away, when he picks it up and heads back towards me, I say "fetch". When he comes to me I put out one hand and say "give it". When the ball drops into my hand (or on the ground), he gets a treat from the other hand. 

Once he's into it, he stays interested for about 10 minutes. Once he starts to look bored I switch to something else. 

I REALLY, REALLY want him to be interested in playing fetch because I have arthritis in my hips and want to be able to exercise him by throwing a ball! So keep your fingers crossed! :crossfing


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

We got our first Golden in 1981. I didn't realize what 'retreiver' meant until we were all out front cutting back a huge forsythia bush. We lived in the country with vacant land next to us so as I cut, the kids took arm loads of branches into the 'tall weeds'. We turn to find out where Polly is and here she comes with the branchs in her mouth. She's bringing them BACK to us!!!!


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

We are having the same at our house right now. Because of this terrible drought we have lost a lot of limbs off our old trees. We have been cutting on weekends and stacking the larger pieces,but made a pile in a corner with the little stuff. My dogs think they died and went to heaven, cause they have a mountain of sticks to try to sneak in the den. Woke up one morning and it looked like a forrest in the den. Now the doggie door is closed when we go to bed! Perhaps it is best that Coop just looks at the stuff, but won't pick it up


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

When I frist brought Jige home I thought I had made a BIG mistake. I wanted to do hunt with my dog I had never bought a dog before and all I could think about was competing and then along comes Jige he had NO interest in toys what so ever for the first month. I would toss his little canvas dummy and if he touched it with his nose I praised and acted like a stupid person jumping around and getting all excited. He was into his 5wk here when he brought back his dummy for me and oh boy did we do a happy dance. Now my boy is 5.5mos and a fetching driven mad dog. We need to fetch atleast 3x a day for 45min to and hr. 

So be careful what you wish for.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

It was interesting that you mentioned that your dog not only doesn't have any interest in retrieving balls (like mine) but that he is also the calm type of Golden (like mine). I am wondering about a genetic link between the more calm personality and the lessened innate interest in retrieving things.
My dog did retrieve things a little when he was younger, but after he had done it 2 or 3 times, he wouldn't bring it back to me (like, OK, we did that twice, so now I am going to take it away from you so you won't throw it again). However, when he was pretty young I realized he understood the name of his toys and if I named a toy he would go get that toy and bring it to me. So I turned that into a "find it" game where I hide a toy somewhere in the house and tell him to go find it. This game is actually more interesting for him, and for me (cause to tell you the truth, I don't really like to throw a ball anyway))


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## Mr. Bojangles (Sep 15, 2011)

I think goldens are instinctive retrievers, but you still have to teach them and work with them. I saw some good videos on youtubeon teaching dogs to fetch - try a search there.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Wow! Youtube has many and some of the video's are even of goldens! Thank you very much and will watch. Honestly not totally worried, my two human kids were different as night to day, so understand Coop's doing his own thing as his older sister does hers. Amazing the difference in the personalities though, he is a "Watcher", loveable and likes quiet one on one times, will watch a bug cross the yard for ever. Kye (female) would go home with whomever opened a car door to her, has no loyalties, lots of drive, easily bored and if she see's a bug, one gulp and its gone. Quite a difference. 

Will work with him, but figure we will see a development towards other things he is more interested in as he matures. Don't care what, just that he enjoys things and gets plenty of exercise time.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

My boy Cody would go after the ball and than want to play chase me........he never gave it back.
Wyatt on the other hand is a retrieving maniac.....we have to take the balls away in order for him to stop.


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## SeaMonster (Jul 4, 2011)

Watching out puppy learn everything as she grows up, I think retrieving is learned behavior. Gracie is doing better and better every time. I just give her a treat after every retreat. She does it consistently about 10 times, then starts dropping it half way.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Anyone remember the butler on the show Soap? His name was Benson, and when the doorbell would ring, he'd say, "You want me to get that?" I often say I should have named Max after him, because when I throw a ball, that's the look I get. He MIGHT go get it, but he'll most often take it home, with this "If you're going to throw it away, I'm not going to let you play with it" attitude. He will, however walk around with a stuffed toy in his mouth all day long.


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## jluke (Nov 18, 2011)

*Sadie not a Retriever Either*

Our late, great Sadie, a rescue who came to us at about 5, never retrieved -- or really played much. I think no one ever gave her much attention in her two or three homes (!) before ours. She was lovable and loving and thoroughly wonderful. It never mattered that she didn't chase anything except squirrels, sure she could catch them until she left us at almost 14.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Coop hit the 4 mo mark and still doesn't retrieve, in fact toys don't really interest him at all. He will hold an object I give him and drop on command, but you can tell he would rather skip this. Have found he is good on scents and we have a game I let him smell something then hide it in the room or under a cup and he goes and "finds" it. He thinks this is great fun. Perhaps one of his distant relatives was a bloodhound?? He is still included in our multi times a day fetch with the dogs, but after a throw or two, you can find him searching the garden, looking at the sky or just laying eatting a stick he has found. He honestly is like an older man in a puppy body. Seems very smart though...and think if he was human he would be a computer programer. Nerdy.

He does have his zoomie times where he runs like mad all over the yard, but when over will plop down and soon asleep. Think his little mind just goes beyond the fun of toys and fetching. Love him to death and work hard to figure out games and mind things he would enjoy. He may make a wonderful Therapy Dog..don't know and will watch as he matures, but a retriever, think NOT.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Amazing that those of you who had rescues didn't really know how to play. I have seen this in some of my foster dogs. Dogs left in the backyard and after puppyhood not played with. So sad and they are the ones I try to find something else they enjoy doing. Most seem to just want to be cuddled and loved a lot which is wonderful for me. So sad to know that there are so many dogs who never get to be a family member and never know the love they SHOULD have had from the beginning.

Bless you with your rescues and fosters and the love you shower on them. Your heart is the size of my wonderful Texas.


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