Speed Retrieve Homework
 
 
If you are interested in getting a jump start on your speed retrieve practice here are a few tips. Basic concept: In speed retrieve you must start your dog at the 20’ mark on the dock. A Dokken Dead Fowl Trainer (foam duck) will be suspended from an apparatus, a few inches from the water, near the end of the pool. The goal is for your dog to run down the dock, jump into the pool, swim fast, and pull the duck off of the apparatus. This is a timed event. The dog is timed from the time the green light signals the ‘go’, to the time the duck is pulled completely off of the apparatus. The duck: You cannot use your own toy or duck for this game. The duck is a nationally standardized Dokken Dead Fowl Trainer - aka DFT. If you do nothing else ahead of time, I would suggest purchasing a small duck (such as a pintail) from Cabela’s or any other local sporting goods or hunting store (Sportco, Sportsmans’s Warehouse, etc). Dokken’s DFT Small Duck Lineup Introduce the duck: For dogs that have never picked up a duck or toy such as this, it will be a new experience. Your job is to make retrieving this new ‘toy’ a whole lot of fun. I generally start by getting the dog excited, dragging the duck along the ground in a game of chase, and then tossing it for a fun game of fetch. Remember to keep the sessions short, and end with your dog still wanting to play more. You can then store your duck somewhere near the residence of the dog, where he/she can see it, but not reach it. It’s a tease...but it’ll build the desire for the duck, even while you’re not playing with it! Taking it to the next level: The next step is to begin to move toward more of a speed retrieve idea. This changes your game of fetch. Holding on to your dog, use the handy string to toss the DFT out ahead of you (shoot for about 60 feet or so). Still holding onto your dog’s collar or hips, get him/her very excited (ie: see your duck, are you ready, do you want to get it, etc). Remember...you’re energy is their energy! You will find that by holding on to your dog for an extra 15-30 seconds is going to make for an explosive retrieve. Ready?!? GOOOOO! Dry land and the real deal: The video above shows how we set up dry land speed retrieve training during one of our practices. It’s very rudimentary, and shows how with just a little creativity, you can set up your own dry land training that best simulates what you will do once you get on the dock. Speed Retrieve Competition Videos: Rockford, IL Spokane, WA August 2008 March 2008 See you on the dock!
~Kristi ;-)
Dry land work A Speed Retrieve Primer
...Get the duck!!!