One useful trick is to fetch it yourself.
First, the dog has to have a good enough sit/stay that you can be sure he understands. This means the dog will hold "sit" in the face of at least mild distractions, while you walk to the length of his 6 ft. lead.
With the dog at "sit" you throw the retrieve object a short distance (3-4 ft.). If the dog begins to break, you reinforce the "sit" however you do it. I use leash corrections, but the hand and body blocks work well. You want to reinforce the "sit" right when he begins to break. That's the split second he begins to shift his weight forward.
For every 4 or 5 throws, you let the dog retrieve the object once. The other 75-80% of the time, you walk out and pick it up yourself. Don't let the dog identify a pattern in this drill. As the dog's steadiness improves, you make longer and longer throws. The retrieve becomes the reward for obedience. This not only develops steadiness, it can increase drive in some dogs.
First, the dog has to have a good enough sit/stay that you can be sure he understands. This means the dog will hold "sit" in the face of at least mild distractions, while you walk to the length of his 6 ft. lead.
With the dog at "sit" you throw the retrieve object a short distance (3-4 ft.). If the dog begins to break, you reinforce the "sit" however you do it. I use leash corrections, but the hand and body blocks work well. You want to reinforce the "sit" right when he begins to break. That's the split second he begins to shift his weight forward.
For every 4 or 5 throws, you let the dog retrieve the object once. The other 75-80% of the time, you walk out and pick it up yourself. Don't let the dog identify a pattern in this drill. As the dog's steadiness improves, you make longer and longer throws. The retrieve becomes the reward for obedience. This not only develops steadiness, it can increase drive in some dogs.
