OB370: Reliable Retrieves

The first part of the retrieve that we need to train is the hold itself. This is where our dog holds the dumbbell (or in our case, a dowel) and waits for us to take it at the end of the retrieve. By starting with the hold, we will have built up a lot of reinforcement history for the last behavior in our retrieve chain, making the entire chain stronger as a result.

We will train this in small steps, careful to watch our dog’s emotions throughout the session. Holds can be frustrating for both the handler and the dog, so it is important that we routinely check in to see how our dog is feeling, otherwise we may end up accidentally adding negative emotions to this behavior. We can do this by creating behavior loops, simply by resetting our dog with a tossed treat every rep or three, we will allow our dogs to “opt in” to the next reptition. We can also pay attention to certain observational points surrounding that reset to see how our dog is feeling about the session.

A typical loop may look like this:

1. Dog offers sit on perch
2. Handler presents dowel
3. Dog offers to take dowel
4. Handler marks and rewards
5. Handler tosses reset reward
6. Dog chases reset reward
7. Start back at step 1

In this example, my dog is getting a reset reward after a single repetition, I mark and reward the behavior then give an additional reinforcer in the form of the tossed treat. I can observe how my dog chases down, eats that treat and how quickly they return to step 1. If any of those points are not how my dog normally performs them, then I have my first clue that my dog is struggling. For example, if my dog normally eats the tossed treat and then immediately comes back to offer the sit on the perch again, but now they’re sniffing for more tossed treats, that would be a sign that the previous rep may have been too difficult or that the session is going on too long. 

I also like that this loop example includes two reinforcements: the one on the perch after the hold behavior and the reset reward. If my dog doesn’t quite meet criteria, I won’t give the first reinforcement, but will just toss the reset reward instead. My dog is still getting something, so they are likely to stay motivated but there is twice the reinforcement if they offer the correct behavior, so they are likely to still attempt that behavior.

Luckily, we’ve already practiced this loop without the hold behavior when we were working on our Sit on the Platform homework. Your dog should be able to offer a sit on the platform, receive a reward and then reset with a tossed treat. Having this loop already established is a great way to start the hold training! 

The first step in getting our dogs to hold is to get them to put their mouth on an object. For this part and most of the hold training, I recommend using a novel object that is quite boring. A 1” dowel or piece of PVC pipe is ideal as these do not give any reinforcement when they are bit or crunched (for most dogs!). If those are too harsh or unavailable, you can TIGHTLY roll a magazine and wrap it in medical tape. This will give a bit softer of a bite area, but be careful that it does not click or crunch when your dog bites it. If you are working with a young puppy or a small breed dog, I have found that the handle of a mixing spoon works very well! I’ve even used kid’s plastic silverware before with good success.

For some dogs, this part of the hold training can be as simple as you presenting the object, marking for a nose touch and then increasing criteria until your dog is opening their mouth and biting the dowel. If that’s the case, you can jump right into the training loop mentioned above.

For some dogs, this method doesn’t work very well. You can get stuck on the nose touch very easily! If that’s the case, then try one of the methods shown below until your dog is reliably biting onto the object, then try again on the perch.

Here are a few more examples of take sessions with various dogs to give you even more ideas!