I heard a paint roller is good for teaching out to retrieve....any thoughts?

Attention span during training usually depends on age, breed, and will vary between dogs.

I'm far from a professional dog trainer, but for starters, begin with fetch. Practice throwing the paint roller until the dog becomes tired or wanders off.

Let the pooch roam for awhile and then bring the dog back to the same place where you were training before. This helps the dog become accustomed with routine, and will help increase the chances of the dog repeating the desired result.

Repeat the process of training, roaming for awhile, then back to training, and after a few days, weeks, or years the pup's attention span should increase.

If it doesn't, give the retriever to a significant other, and purchase a Border Collie.

[ This Message was edited by: Quicksilver on 2004-04-06 14:00 ]

Do you want to train your dog to be a hunting retreiver or just a family dog to play fetch? If you are serious about training for working, I suggest you get the book "Training your Retriever for the Marshes and Meadows" by James E. Spencer. I used it for training both of my labs and the system he uses works. I cant put in one posting how to train your retreiver, but I hope to point you in the right direction.
I think quiksilver had some good intentions, but pointed you in the WRONG direction.
NEVER throw the dummy so long that the dogs tires of it. ALWAYS finish with them wanting more, make it fun. A border collie is a great cattle dog, but NOT a hunting dog. YOu might have heard stories about how someones great uncle had a mutt hunting dog, but breeding and breed selection is the key to success when starting training for a hunting retreiver.

Yep, Recon's right, Border Collies are bred for cattle, but when it comes to attention span during training, this breed takes the cake!

James B. Spencer

Try the book and if all else fails, ditch the retriever, and run to a border...

Ha ha! Recon I think Quicksilver was just "pulling your leg"! Border Collie's have absolutely NO interest in birds what so ever, but they do have amazing attention spans and are easy to train. Its a shame they don't pay attention to birds. BTW they are a herding dog, first used with sheep, but will herd just about anything, including squirrels in your back yard !

I never said I didnt know what a border collie was for. I said that they were not good for hunting. Sure they may be great for training, but I dont own cows and I shoot birds, therefore the retriever is the dog for me. I love retrievers because not only are they great family dogs, they are awesome at working. The border collie may take the cake in training, but for what purpose other than having a frisbee dog (if you dont actually have livestock). My entire post was to point twosmalldogs in the right direction for training a retriever, not for what dog was the most trainable. I wont argue with you about the trainability of the Border Collie, my mother-in-law has two of them and they are great trail/cattle dogs, but I wouldnt take one hunting. Not even if you paid me!

I agree, if you're a bird hunter, looking for a basic bird dog, stick with a retriever...

If you're going for attention span and a easy breed to train, test the water with a border collie, but be prepared for a handful!

I've made the statement, "bred for cattle...." But Border Collie's were bred for a dual purpose, herding and hunting, which I've found kind of interesting. Since Border, refer's to a mix, this mixture carries not only the Collie (herding traits) but also the Spaniel's trait to crouch (while approaching a bird), the Setter's instinct to hold fast (set instead of attack), and the focused eyes and the curled front foot of a Pointer.

If anyone owns a pure bred Border Collie, or have watch a BC herd, this breed will crouch while approaching a herd of sheep like the modern Spaniel, hold fast like a Setter without attacking the sheep, and even curl the front right foot with wired eyes while standing still just like a alert pointer...

Who's to say that a Border Collie isn't a bird dog?

Just about every modern (and old) piece of literature about bird hunting with dogs. Just becasue it can herd cattle and sheep (a job done by sight), doesnt mean that it has the instinct to properly hunt birds. It sounds like you have a border collie, I sure hope I didnt offend you by stating that your dog isnt a hunting dog, but it isnt. Its a working dog. Just look at the AKC category that the border collie is placed in, not the sporting dogs, but the working dogs.

Nah, I've been known to get a little heated from time to time, but I'm not easily offended.

Yep, you hit the nail on the head, I own a Border Collie. She's a great dog!
But don't get me wrong, I think retrievers have their place, I just tend to be a little arogant, or better yet, proud of the BC breed.

I think that Border Collie's carry some bird dog traits but the herding nature, or instinct, is a tad bit overbearing. Not to say that they couldn't retrieve but the time would probably be better spent with a Retriever where the instinct is strongly present.

Theres retrieving, and theres RETREIVING. I am not saying a bordercollie cant play fetch and chase a ball or frisbee, but I am saying you would be very hard pressed to ever get one to take marks and go out on blind retreives like a hunting retreiver can. My whole focus of posting to this thread is to point out that if you want to do a certain type of activity (agility, hunting, or defense) you get a specific type of dog that can fulfill your needs. It would be foolish to buy a bordercollie if your main point in buying the dog in the first place is bird hunting. It would be a waste of time and money. It just isnt bred for that type of work. If, however, you wanted a good family dog(or cattle dog) that could run all day and play frisbee with, then a BC would be a good buy, but not if your primary focus is hunting!