Doe's you're Labrador walk the walk and talk the talk !?

[Felix]

I mean .. Doe's he or she do retrieving, or if you throw a dummy or bal or a stick away, and he/she give's you a look, what the heck should i do ???

So .. it's all about retrieving ;D

[Apollopuppy]

LOL my lab is confused. He's terrified of water and I swear to god, he's the ONLY dog I have ever seen that doesn't know how to play fetch. I throw a ball and the look he gives me is "B***h you threw my toy, now YOU go get it!" lol. Labradork!

[Tanya]

Rocky is the somewhat confused "pure lab" dog (but BYB). He will fetch "most" tennis balls but that's about it. There are days he won't even do that...but he's improved alot over the past year. He is not afraid of the water but does not seem to want to go in much...other than to grab his ball if you throw it, then he's right back out.

Dryf is pure retriever/water dog...and a mix (golden/lab). He will fetch everything and anything and will not stop. It's hard now that he's 13 and can't really run but he has the same drive and WANTS you to throw the toy He loves the water. At the cottage he'll go down to the lake on his own, dive for branches, hang out then come out to chew the stick on the dock

[imported_bacatherine]

Yes Mocha will fetch about anything. She'll also get a specific toy if you tell her to most of the time.

[ThatsMyGirl]

Yes, Sami will walk the walk and talk the talk -- she loves retrieving, and that's second only to retrieving in water.

[saskasmum]

Saska loves retrieving a ball but if I throw a frisbee and she looks at me like you have gone mad, I do not think she knows what it is and what she is supposed to do with it. But when it comes to water she loves walking in puddles and paddling in the sea but that is about it at the moment she has not yet quite got the idea of swimming ;D

[Trickster]

Yep -- my Labrador Retrievers are Retrievers!

True passion for retrieving is not something you can train into a dog. They either have it or they don't. You can increase a dogs drive and make retrieving an enjoyable activity but a dog who lacks in drive will never match a dog who is a natural.

If we get an unwilling dog who is not too thrilled about retrieving at our training classes they will often ask me "How did you train them to do that?". My answer is always, "It didn't. That part comes naturally"

[MicksMom]

Yep -- my Labrador Retrievers are Retrievers!...

Yep, Caleb, too. The great thing is, just like his parents, he'll also chill out when we decide we're done playing.

[JackieN]

Dakota too..almost from the first week..he'd run after toys..and yes..if I say a certain toy..9 times out of 10 he will find it. I am still amazed at how smart these dogs are..I was always told "hunting" types are stubborn and dumb. DUH!!!! He is one smart puppy. AND still learning..I've seen a big improvement on certain issues lately. So..in answer to your ?, he does fetch and bring it back..we're working on drop it now. LOL
Jackie

[Bob Pr.]

My Bess seemed to be a "Labrador Chaser" rather than a retriever at first -- chasing after sticks thrown but never bringing them back. But once trained to retrieve, she never got enough of it -- she was insatiable.

My Puff wasn't that much of a Chaser and even less of a Retriever. That scared me because retrieving is such an excellent daily exercise for Labs.

So I tied a 30 foot kite string on a 2" X 12" vinyl Training Dummy ("Lucky Dog" brand, see http://www.gundogsupply.com for one source) and teased her with it enough to get her interest aroused, and then tossed it (holding on to the bitter end of the string). When she went after it and grabbed it, I pulled the TD back to me with Puff attached and then gave her a treat to promote releasing the TD.

I was careful to always keep it fun and quit while she still wanted more. If Puff lost interest after 4 trials, I kept it to no more than 3 the next time. If she lost interest after 3 fetches, I'd drop it to 2.

Gradually her interest built up.

She's not the most dedicated fetching dog but good enough. We walk every morning in a nature preserve for 60-70 minutes and during that time she gets maybe 20-30 retrieves, some from my slinging the TD and some from dropping it on the trail and sending her back to get it.