Is Your Dog a Retriever?

I was surprised to see a Blue Heeler cattle dog retrieving for our cameras during the production of Retrievers in the Field. I’m familiar with Labs retrieving, but wasn’t up on herding cattle dogs. Typically they are used as working dogs to round up cattle, sheep and other ranch animals. Retrieving is a whole other discipline.

I produced this clip while filming Retrievers in the Field shows how after proper training most dogs will retrieve if given enough incentive. The younger they are the better, but even older dogs can learn how to fetch and return it to you. Retrieving doesn’t have to mean picking up a bird in the field. It can be as fun as playing a game with a tennis ball in your backyard. But what you want is the dog to respond properly to the game, and return the object to you and deliver to hand when commanded.

To learn more about retrieving an object start by watching Standing Stone Kennels introduction to retrieving. They work primarily with field dogs that are natural retrievers, but their first lesson gives you an idea of how the process works. What I enjoyed about their process is how easy the steps are to follow. There’s much more to it, and way beyond the average person’s abilities, but understanding what is expected from the dog is a step in the right direction.

Want to learn more? Find a professional dog trainer in your area that can help you refine the process. It’s not an overnight thing. If your dog chases the object, but doesn’t bring it back to you… remember it takes time and technique to teach your dog the concept. Dogs love structure, and retrieving is a game they will do over and over again. At its core, it’s great exercise and a fun way to bond with your dog.