Dummy ja saagi loovutamine

Does the dog not want to give you the catch?

The photos and text below are by Maarit Saarinen, translated with permission from the author in January 2024
Kennel Middle River’s, original post.

It is a common problem for a retriever to drop a catch or dummy at the handler's feet and not hand it over properly. You have probably wondered why this happens, and that is probably why you are on this page. If you came across this page before you had this problem with your dog, you are already halfway there.

There are various reasons why a dog drops a dummy: poor cooperation with the person, a puppy's teething, rushing to get the next dummy. The tips below will help you train your dog to hand over the dummy better, regardless of the reason why your dog carelessly gives up or drops the treat.

What is a sloppy surrender?

dummy dropping,
giving in a jump or just restless way,
bringing the dummy to the feet,
the dog's downward gaze in surrender,
spinning during surrender,
turning the back or butt towards the handler, etc.

The dog dropped the dummy and now asks for a treat

The dog spins around the handler and looks down.

The dog brings a dummy and jumps up with it

How to teach a dog to give up a dummy correctly?

Below you will find step-by-step instructions and exercises to help the dummy and the treat come straight to you and your dog learn to politely hand them over to you.

1. TEACH YOUR PUPPY TO ENJOY BEING PETTED ON THE HEAD AND UNDER THE CHAIN

Train your puppy from a young age that the best praise when he is with you is petting and holding his head. Stroke the top of the puppy's head and under the chin, while holding the puppy's head in your hand. DO NOT pat his body. This will teach your puppy that touching his head area is pleasant and he will start offering you his head to receive praise.

This is already a good start.

Train your puppy to handle and touch his head.

2. PLAY Fetch With Your Puppy

Make your puppy sit in front of you, give him a dummy/tennis ball in his mouth and praise him by stroking his head.
Remove the dummy and at the same time stroke the dog's back or under the chin.
Make the dog sit again and give him the dummy/tennis ball and step back a few steps. Call the dog closer and accept it, while stroking the top of the head and under the chin. DO NOT RUSH TO TAKE THE DUMMY AWAY. It is enough for the puppy to get used to the fact that it is nice to carry objects in your mouth near you, hand them to you and get scratches and praise in return.
Calmly take the dummy away again and praise loudly.

You're already halfway there, but a little more patience...

Give the dog a dummy...

...and stroke his head at the same time. If the dummy is in the dog's mouth, stroke him under the chin.

This 2nd phase is very important, DON'T RUSH.

Do the exercise in a calm environment without distractions, for example, start in the living room.
Don't rush to take the dummy or ball away, be calm, pet the dog. Say "thank you" or "give it" and calmly take the dummy from the dog's mouth.
If the dog turns its head away, is restless and the dummy does not stay in its mouth, go back to the previous phase (point 1). It is enough for the dog to sit in front of you and get used to scratching the top of its head and under its chin. This way, its head will soon remain calm and the dummy will start to stay in its mouth more calmly.
If your dog turns his head away but the dummy stays in his mouth, you can gently correct the position of his head with your hand. Push his head in the right direction and praise him when he calms down and looks at you.
When you take the dummy from your dog, don't rush to lift it out of the dog's reach. If the dog tries to take the dummy without permission or jump for it, stop it immediately. Then show him the dummy, but don't let him take it without permission.

The dummy stays in the dog's mouth and the person praises the dog by petting it.

Stroke the muzzle and encourage the chin so the dog looks up and learns to “offer” the dummy to you.

Be calm when holding the dummy. Use both hands when giving the dummy to the dog and taking it from him.

If the dummy falls out of the mouth, place it back in the dog's mouth and praise it for staying in the mouth. Take a step back, call the dog, pet him, and calmly take the dummy away.

If all the previous points are already working reliably, the dog is calm when you give up the dummy, keeps its head still, and the dummy stays in its mouth even when you praise the dog while petting it or take a few steps back, you can continue with the instructions below.

If the dog is still restless, continue with the previous exercises for a few days. Only move on when the dog is ready.

DO NOT FORCE the dog to sit in front of you before handing it over. The dog in the picture voluntarily wants to hand over the dummy while sitting in front of the person. It does not matter whether the dog is sitting or standing during this phase. The main thing is that he brings the dummy to the handler and offers it while looking up. Do not use pressure techniques.

Kui nüüd hakkavad loovutused sujuma, on aeg liikuda edasi.

The collection begins.

3. MODERATE SHORT-RANGE ACTIONS

You have now reached the point where your dog will calmly hand over the dummy to you and not struggle when you are around. The head will lift and the dog will “offer” you the dummy. The dog will enjoy being petted during the handover.
Don't stop praising your dog with petting at this stage either. Don't rush to take away the dummy.
When the dog comes to you with the dummy, squat down and praise the dog in a calm voice (no yelling).

Be calm, don't forget to stroke

Crouch slightly during the surrender and praise the dog loudly.

Use a word (thank you, give it, etc.) to signal your dog when to let go of the dummy.

Don't pick up the prey quickly, just hold it a little further away from the dog.
Kui koer üritab hüpata saagile järele, keela konkreetselt. Saagi järele hüppamine on suur viga, mis võib hullemal juhul saagi lõhkuda.
You can always quickly direct the dog away after surrendering.
Once the dog has come to your side, put the catch in the bag, put a leash on the dog's neck, and praise him and yourself for the excellent surrender.
Do the aforementioned retrieval exercises only a few times a day. Stop when things are going well, and don't pressure your dog when you're in a bad mood.
Five minutes of exercise a day goes further than two hours of exercise a week.