# bird retrieval



## ty823 (Feb 7, 2006)

Well, Pheasant season started this weekend, and Lucy picked up right where she left off last year. Despite working all summer on this, she still rips the pheasant to shreds as soon as I get one down. 
This summer, I used training dummies that I lashed pheasant wings to, to make them feel & smell like a bird. I would hide them around the yard, or throw them in the thick grass and brush, and have her go look for them and bring them to me. She had been doing great at bringing it back to me and dropping it right in my hand (as long as I had a treat in my hand to trade her for it) without ripping it up at all. 
This weekend, she did a great job at listening to me in the field and going exactly where I wanted her to go. When it was her turn to retrieve, she ran to the bird, stepped on it, and just started ripping mouthfuls of feathers out. She wouldn’t even pick it up. When I walked up to her to try to get it, I think she even growled a little bit, even though I was holding a treat in front of her nose, trying to get her to release her grip on it. She hasn't done a possession growl like that in a looong time. 
I guess I need to be training with actual birds 
Anyone else have any ideas?


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## JimS (Jan 2, 2007)

Luckily, I've never had to face this, both of mine look forward to handing off the bird. Have you taught a formal hold and drop? I'd suggest you ask over here: RetrieverTraining.Net - the RTF - Powered by vBulletin . There's such a wealth of experience over there that someone will have some ideas for you. Good luck with it!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Yep! It's time for a trip to RTF.

Take a look at the Smartwork series of books by Evan Graham, The Ten Minute Retriever by John and Amy Dahl or Training Retrievers for the Marshes and Meadows by James Spencer.


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## ty823 (Feb 7, 2006)

I'll have to join that site. Thanks for the link.


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

Great picture and hope that smooths out for ya. She is gorgeous with that bird in her mouth.


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## Emmysourgolden (Oct 10, 2007)

I don't know but my husband hunts with our Golden and my brother hunts with his lab...I'll ask them. 
I see you're in Iowa. I'm in Nebraska and my brother lives in the Des Moines area? Are you close to there?


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## ty823 (Feb 7, 2006)

Yep, I live just east of Des Moines. 

You can even tell by her expression in that picture that she is still a little pissed at me for not letting her eat that bird. 

... Everything I've read on the other forum tells me that if she is ever going to be a serious hunting dog, I'm going to have to train with real birds, either fresh or crippled... which I was trying to avoid because 1) I don't have anywhere to keep them. 2) I'm sure its fairly expensive and 3) it seems a little cruel.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Well, you do need to train with birds, but they can be frozen and re-used over and over. I would try keeping a couple of whole frozen birds around to train with. Working with frozen birds will help her to learn to be a little more gentle when picking them up.


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## Bailey & Bentley (Feb 25, 2007)

I don't have any suggestions for you, but that pic sure is priceless.


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## bizzy (Mar 30, 2007)

We'll you do have a Bird now. So maybe a little field training. When you are out in the field. Practice with the bird you down untill she is retreving it like you want. Right there in the field. Good luck


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## Emmysourgolden (Oct 10, 2007)

Tyler, my brother lives by Granger/Grimes. 

My husband didn't know. I called my brother and he said you could try getting one of those round brushes...girls use to get lift....cut the handle off, put feather all over it and use that to practice. He also said steel wool on a dummy with feathers...anything to make the mouth softer. He said he would try that but the fact that she is good with dummies and still chews the bird makes it hard so you would have to get alot of feather and scent on it. 

Good luck!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Lucy looks very good with her bird. My inlaws live in Iowa and the hubby grew up there. They live in Madrid,Perry,Corning and Yale. Love the area and the hubby really misses taking the dogs pheasant hunting. Our best dog was a dog we got from the shelter. I dont have any ideas but tell you good luck and I will ask the hubby when he gets home.


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## kalkid (Feb 22, 2007)

Yeah this is a strange one to me as a hunter as well. I've never had my retreivers, mostly labs until now not that it should matter much, do that. I have had my labs with game, ducks, grouse, rabbits, etc., that was still alive mess them up pretty good trying to finish the job so too speak. I've also had them try to eat them but once I've yelled at them they'd stop. I guess it's a catch 22 they go pick it up and if they're not doing what you want you yell/correct them or whatever and then the retreiving of the game becomes negative. Hopefully someone has had a dog do this and found a way to fix it. Good luck


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