when to force fetch?

[scutter]

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Besides the physical aspect of having all of the adult teeth. What are the pre requisites to force fetching a dog? should she be retrieving well? should she be on live birds? should she be birdy?

Will the force fetch build drive or take away drive? Is there an optimum age??

My pup is not very birdy and retrieving bumpers so so. I don't want to rush into force fetch if she is not ready???

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Scutter

[Amber The Duck Dawg]

Once they have adult teeth they should be good to go for force fetching. of course in the 5-6 months before they should have some formal obedience training. They should know sit, stay, here on command at an absolute minimum. It would be nice to expose the pup to an electronic bark collar and or do some collar conditioning just before you start FF. You should probably expose a young pup to the fields from about 8 weeks of age on just so they get used to brush and weeds and water and all the other great things out there. FF usually increases drive by they time you are done.

Kelly and Amber

[mucken&ducken]

What are the pre requisites to force fetching a dog? Age and maturity to the degree pressure is not punishment.

should she be retrieving well? Depends how many fun bumpers the pup has had. Have you passed beyond check cording for a possitive return?

should she be on live birds? dead and live pigeons for a pup should introduced early to develop birdiness.

should she be birdy? To turn on the birdy overdrive, at 9 months to a year introduce to a cripple. That'll do it.

Keep all introductions to birds possitive and fun. Take your time, each dog is different.

[georgie]

Force fetch also teaches a dog how to turn off the pressure.