Choc. lab/ golden retriever dont retrieve?

[Redneck4life]

My first bird dog was a pure golden retriever, she did it all, pointed on sitting birds and would make the runners flush, and retrieve everything! She brought back everything a wounded bird from over 100 yards to a dowend one deep in the cattails even a live one that i didnt get the chance to shoot cuz she was to quick. miss that dog! Now i have a golden and choc. lab mix she is 10 mths old. she has a nose, and is figuring out what to look for. Suprisingly she wants to point at everything including the downed birds! When she finds the bird she points at it instead of bringing it to me what can i do to get her to retrieve?

[Pinusbanksiana]

If you have a pointing dog, you don't need it to retrieve. I think it takes a little point out of a dog when you start teaching retrieve.

[rundrave]

If your seroius about making your dog a retriever you should look into some force fetch training. If you dont have any experience with that I would leave it up to a experienced trainer.

If you have a pointing dog, you don't need it to retrieve. I think it takes a little point out of a dog when you start teaching retrieve.

Keep in mind that the dog in question isnt recognized as a true pointing breed. With that said I have 2 german shorthairs and they will retrieve to hand, and neither of them required any force fetching and have been natural retrievers on land and water since the day they were born. I have had them both retrieve upland and waterfowl including large geese to hand. It has had no impact on their pointing or backing.

Some dogs just have the the desire to retrieve naturally, and some dogs dont. All the more reason to do your homework when purchasing a dog.

[NWBuck]

If you have a pointing dog, you don't need it to retrieve. I think it takes a little point out of a dog when you start teaching retrieve.

From a guy who has run shorthairs for almost 20 years, neither of these statements is even remotely true.

The shorthair I have now is a natural retriever with great determination to find a downed bird. She is also a very staunch pointer. My previous shorthair was equally as staunch, but often pointed dead. If it ran, she would chase and retrieve. The best retrieving shorthair I've ever hunted behind had to be force fetched. Every dog is a little different, but retrieving skills has no impact on their pointing.

[Redneck4life]

I usually end up hunting around a lot of cattails and the birds almost always fly twords the thickest cover, so if the bird goes down 20 yards out in the thick stuff with a couple feet of water mixed in a dog that points at the dead bird doesnt do me much good. in my opinion thats what the dog is for, i have no desire to wade around in the [PoorWordUsage] looking for a bird the dog should just bring back.

[Redneck4life]

I should point out that i dont have alot of dog training experience, my last dog all i did was teach her to not go on the floor. the hunting part came built in, i shot a bird down in front of her when she was about 6 mths, after that first bird she figured the rest out on her own, she was 2yrs by the time she was really good! the new dog is about ten mths old, she shows a lot of potental, just dont retrieve. Does anone know of any good trainers in my area?

[Guest Kyle]

use treats, and make it a game. Thats what I did and now my golden is a hunting/retrieving machine. Retrieved 76 ducks in nodak this year, and it was his first time ever hunting!