Labrador Extreme Dock Jumping

August 24, 2010 by Bob Ratliff

Labrador Dock Jumping Retrieve

Lilly Hoff works with two Labrador Extreme Dock Jumping at Cottonwood Ranch And Kennel on a beautiful August morning. Watch how Ted’s daughter works with the Labrador Retriever dogs on the Colorado Ranch. Dock jumping can be a useful time to train Labrador retrievers in water retrieving.

Ted Hoff recommends training your dog for water first by first establishing a strong retrieve on land with your dog first. Colorado dog trainer recommends teaching all commands starting retrieve in the very first week home as a puppy. To introduce water and water retrieve Ted Hoff will bring the older more experienced dogs for water retrieving session and young pup watches with excitement. Keep your pup close to you while your puppy learns from the older dog learning for a few tosses,, then the pup gets to run free and motivated to follow big dog into water. Then we put big dog up after a few with the puppy running wild , and let the younger dog have their own time for short retrieve. We are looking to increase drive and intensity while learning to retrieve. Keeping puppy motivated and continued mentoring from the older dog to fly off the end of dock.

I really do not advise people to train their dogs to learn to swim in pools because most have steep wall/edge. One bad experience and your finished with that dog in the water. Best to find shallow gradual entrances, lakes or ponds. Rivers more complex, but again dogs that will be hunting or near rivers need to learn and practice with the moving water. So Thats how we do it, always having a n experienced dog on hand makes it much easier. The key is to know when to put the older dog away, just the right amount of competition, so that the pup can have its on uninterrupted time. Our ultimate goal and as a result a higher level of training with multiple dogs working together, honoring each others retrieve.

If you train slowly and keep the sessions fun, most dogs will enter the water to retrieve. The rate at which this happens will vary from dog to dog, but training this way will gradually condition most dogs to love running into the water. Before you know it, your dog will be splashing right in and having a blast.