subject: Is force fetch necessary? [print this page] Is force fetch necessary? Is force fetch necessary?
Force fetch, or force break as it was once called, is not something to do simply when mouth problems occur. It is an invaluable tool that your gun dog must have before they can ever move on to the next level. It has been called the basis of compulsion.
Force fetching does not have to be a stressful and traumatizing experience for you or your best buddy. The golden rule for this stage of training is make sure the pressure is enough but not too much. How much is too much? Well, every dog is different and will react in various ways. There is no sure fired method to know when your dog has had too much. What may cause one dog to clam up and shut down will not even phase another.
Don't let size fool you either. Just because a dog is large or a hard charging fire breather does not mean that he will require more pressure or forcing. Stubborn dogs come in all shapes and sizes so keep your eyes open for refusals and avoidance behavior.
The goal of force fetching used to be to try and avoid a hard mouth. Now, not so much but there seems to be more problems with dogs dropping birds and bumpers than having a hard mouth. The purpose of force fetch now is more to give the dog a foundation on which we can lay a standard of good mouth habits. You cannot correct something if it has never been taught.
Remember the order is always: Teach, Force, Re-enforce. Dogs learn nothing from failure but rather success is the most important teacher. Give them the tools they need and you will see a difference in your dog general attitude and eagerness.
