Whether you have a retriever, a hunting retriever (aka the spaniel breeds) or a hunt point retrieve breed, the quintessence of gundog work lies in retrieving, with an emphasis that the “article is delivered tenderly to hand”.
In a shooting context, the ‘article’ is a game bird, or hare/rabbit, which will later be prepared and cooked for the table, so it needs to be managed with care so as not to cause any damage.
There is also an ethical consideration that the quarry may be injured and should be returned to the handler for quick, humane despatch.
Outside the shooting field, the ‘article’ could be anything you have sent your dog to retrieve, such as a dummy or a ball. Or it could even be some treasure they’ve come across, such as one of your favourite shoes, the TV remote, or socks… these items also need to be managed with care so as not to cause any damage!
With this in mind, when a gundog is reluctant to come straight back with an article or is unable to neatly deliver it to hand, it can be disheartening and stressful to try and work through.
In this blog, we will explore why gundogs often struggle with hand delivery and some fun ways we can teach your gundog to enjoy all aspects of retrieving.
Why do some gundogs struggle with the delivery part of the retrieve chain?
The retrieve chain and, more specifically, the delivery to hand aspect is one of the most stressful training challenges I see gundog owners facing.
While the human instinct might be to keep trying until the dog gets it right, repetition over time can only cause more harm, especially if the dog enjoys or receives some enjoyment or reward from the unwanted behaviour.
There are many reasons that might contribute to a dog’s delivery-to-hand problems, and it’s important to consider the root cause before tackling physical training.
Lack of innate desire
While retrieving is an instinct for many gundogs, thanks to decades of careful breeding, it's not universal. Gundogs, like humans, have individual personalities and temperaments. While some puppies come pre-programmed with a basic retrieve and even hand delivery, others may take time to develop this skill.
The emotional state of the dog
Our dogs' emotional state plays a massive part in their behaviour. They might feel pressured, which is very common when a dog delivers to hand at home or during a 121 training session but fails to perform the same in a class environment.
They might also be conflicted. Yes, our gundogs have been bred to work with us as part of a team, but it goes against all instincts for any animal to willingly relinquish something it has hunted to another species.
They might even be over-excited. The article your dog retrieves needs to be something it values enough to pick up, hold, and carry but not so valuable that it creates overarousal. This is one reason why there is such a wide range of training dummies available these days, from the standard canvas options to those with wings and toggles to feather- and fur-covered articles.
Poor quality training
While it can be difficult to admit that we’ve caused problematic behaviours, poor-quality handling and training can leave our dogs confused and unable to understand what we want from them.
If you have previously rewarded a dummy dropped at your feet because it was “almost” in your hand, your dog might think their job is always to drop it at your feet.
On top of this, a previous history of repeated errors makes it harder to ‘correct’. For instance, if your dog has always picked up the dummy and proceeded to run around the field with it, having lots of fun, it could now be a challenge to break this habit and get them to bring it straight to you instead.
Inexperienced handlers also tend to lean over their dogs and grab the dummy in a bid to get it in their hands as quickly as possible. Even if the delivery is well rewarded, the snatching can cause the dog to want to keep hold of the retrieved article even more, as it sees just how valuable it is to the handler.
Negative past experiences
We all know that dogs learn through associations. If your gundog has had negative experiences associated with carrying anything near you or giving up their items to you, they might be reluctant to do so in a training environment.
While you might not have intentionally punished your dog from retrieving or delivering to hand in the past, you might have spent a lot of time grabbing dangerous/poisonous/valuable things they shouldn’t have out of their mouth when they were a puppy. During puppyhood, they could have learned that carrying items near you is wrong or that you just want to steal their “treasure” away.
Health concerns
Physical discomfort or pain can play a significant role, especially if you previously had a good delivery and have noticed that it has suddenly gone out the window.
Young dogs and puppies might be experiencing teething pains, for instance, which can make it punishing for them to carry heavier items, such as the 1 lb standard canvas dummies we use for training.
Older dogs can stop wanting to retrieve due to other dental issues or joint aches, and they could suddenly be avoiding the delivery part of the chain in anticipation that you are going to send them on another retrieve.
If you think this might apply to you, it’s worth ensuring your gundog is in optimal health and free from any underlying ailments that might impact your training.
Using the clicker retrieve to fix your delivery to hand
You will need a reliable delivery to hand, whether you want to work your gundog on a shoot, are looking to do non-competitive field assessments, wish to enter working tests, or are just looking to partake in training to keep your pet gundog’s brain active and as a way to provide them with an outlet for their instincts.
The aim is for the dog to reliably deliver an article to your hands, which it releases on cue. This can be achieved using the clicker retrieve.
If you don’t already use a clicker, you will initially need to condition your gundog to understand that the "click" sound means a reward is coming. This is done by clicking and immediately giving the dog something they find rewarding, such as a piece of cheese, and repeating this process multiple times.
The retrieve can then be broken down into smaller, manageable components, such as picking the article up from the ground, holding it in front of you, and finally releasing it into your hand.
The dog is clicked and rewarded for each successful step. Each component is trained separately, ensuring the dog is confident at each stage before proceeding to the next.
Once the dog is comfortable with each part of the retrieve, the components are gradually combined to form an entire retrieve.
The retrieve is then practised in various environments and with different articles to ensure the dog can generalise the behaviour.
Your training sessions should always be short, fun, and positive, ensuring the dog remains engaged and eager to learn.
Teach your gundog to deliver to hand
If you would like more help to teach your gundog a reliable hand delivery, then you are invited to take part in our gundog skills mini-series. Our delivery-to-hand sessions will be held in Haslemere on Saturdays, 22nd March, 5th April and 26th April 2025 at 11:45 am.
The Gundog Skills mini-series is designed to allow you to focus on one or more topics of interest that you want to explore in more depth or that you might be finding rather challenging.
Jules will show you how to break down the learning to help you and your dog make progress through the topic. The group sizes will be capped at six handlers and dogs to ensure that Jules can provide all attendees with individual live feedback, constructive help and support, as well as practical advice on the next steps for your dog.
Each 40-minute session will focus on the details of one specific behaviour at a time. They have been purposefully kept short as you and your dog will be working more intensely, and too much repetition will not benefit anyone.
These sessions are open to all gundog breeds and levels, but please note that the focus will be on understanding the cues and/or concepts, perfecting them, and progression, so we will not be using shot or working over long distances.
If you would like to book the delivery-to-hand sessions, please click here:
https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/products/gundog-skills-mini-series-delivery-to-hand