Training Problem

Question
I have a 7 month old Lab. She is leash broke. Heels at ease and sits on command on leash. She retrieves balls and toys in the house. But outside she has begun to not retreive. Dummy's thrown in the water she sits and then gets, but goes off and plays with the toy, not bringing it to me. If I get another toy she will drop the other and come to retreive. She will then follow the same pattern. She normally comes to the come command--unless she wants to play with her toy. I have never had to use a shock collar in the past, but I am concidering buying one. Do you have any suggestion.

Answer
Bill, there is no need to use a 'shock collar' for this problem. She's only 7 months old - still very much a baby. Put her on a long line or retractable leash, so that you can use it to keep her from running away with the training dummy, and encourage her with light 'pops' to bring it back to you if she starts heading away from you after picking it up. Use your retrieve command instead of a come command for this, and use the leash to reinforce it if she does not listen. Additionally, you should not use a 'shock collar' without the guidance of someone who knows how to use them correctly. You do not just put the collar on and zap the dog if it runs away with the toy. This could create a dog who refuses to go and get the toy at all, or who is terrified to return to you because it doesn't know what happened. I am not averse to using electric collars, and in fact, I DO use them myself, but in the hands of the novice who doesn't know how to use them properly, they can be one of the most inhumane training aids out there.

Are you wanting to train her for sport or hunting, or is she just a pet? If your goal is to turn her into a hunting or sport dog, I would suggest that you enlist the help of a qualified trainer, because I do not have any experience training Labrador retrievers for hunting or field trials, and the method I just described >>might<< not be something you should do with a dog that is being trained to retrieve ducks. I don't know. If she's just a pet, I'd continue to use the leash, and make coming back to you fun! Play a game of tug with her when she comes back to you, or have another dummy ready (hidden) that you can whip out when she gets to you (which should make her drop the one she just brought back to you) and immediately throw for her.