Force To Pile
Force to pile is the first retrieving exercise we work on after force fetch has been completed. Many trainers include this exercise as part of force fetch, but I do think it teaches a different concept so it warrants it’s own post. FTP is the first exercise in building blind retrieves because it is the first time your dog will go out and pick something up, as a required obedience task, that they did not see placed or thrown on the ground in front of them.
Goals for this exercise
To teach the dog to go out and pick something up they did not see placed/thrown.
To teach the dog that the default action for remote collar force on a retrieve is to keep going straight away from the handler
To extend the distance the dog is willing to run to retrieve an object.
Prerequisite skills needed for this exercise
In order to be successful in your introduction to this exercise you should have the following:
A reliable stationary behavior like sit or whoa when not around game or environments where encountering game is likely.
Completed force fetch.
Completed remote collar conditioning for basic obedience (3 action introduction: go, come, stop)
Equipment needed for this exercise
Retrieving dummies/bumpers - I prefer 3” white plastic dummies for this exercise. We are not doing a blind retrieve. Rather we are force conditioning the dog. Whenever I am teaching a dog how to respond to force, I want force to lead them to a reward or clear result. Using bumpers that are big and bright limits the amount of searching the dog has to do. We don’t want them having to search for the bumper on this exercise. You should have at least 9, but ideally 18 bumpers. You won’t use them all now, but you will need that many for later work.
A white landscaping stake and/or white 5 gallon bucket - This is used to provide an obvious landmark where the pile of bumpers will be located. We will use this landmark all the way through handling drills and into our blind retrieving work.
Remote collar
Leash or check cord
Training area needed for this exercise
You need a flat, grassy area, at least 100 yards long. The grass must be mowed low. Living in the city, I look for parks that have just been mowed. Bare dirt would be better than grass that is too high. To test if the area is appropriate, throw a bumper 10 yards from you then get down so that your eye level is where your dog’s eye level would be. If you can’t see the bumper, the grass is probably too high. Using a bucket or stake reduces some of the problems with taller grass, but you should not ignore this low mowed grass requirement.
How to perform the exercise
Put your stake or bucket out at the far end of the field, and drop 8 - 10 bumpers in front of your landmark. Spread them out about a foot apart from each other to help avoid the dog picking up the string of a second bumper, or getting picky about which bumper to pick up. Make sure you hold on to one bumper, which you will need to mark your pile.
Face the pile of bumpers from about 10 yards away, with your dog in heel position on leash. Toss the bumper you saved into the pile of bumpers you laid out. This is called, “marking the pile,” and shows the dog where they are supposed to go. If your dog tries to break before you send them, just stop them with the leash.
When your dog settles at heel, send them for the retrieve with the command, “Fetch.” Nick them with the remote collar from the moment you give the command until they are at the pile of bumpers.
As the dog is moving away from you toward the pile, you should be backing up 10 - 20 yards. This will make them run further on the recall than they did on the send away, and it sets up your next retrieve to be a greater distance.
When the dog returns with the bumper, get them back into heel position, take the bumper, and then repeat steps 3 & 4 again.
Keep backing up as your dog is moving away from you. You will eventually hit a distance where you dog has a little trouble. Shorten up the exercise to the point where they are successful again and end your session. I prefer to always end this work before the dog loses enthusiasm. Yes, I am conditioning them to force, but I want them to understand that force is something they can control, not something they just have to deal with. I also want it to create anticipation of a reward, which can only happen if I can guarantee they are successful after I apply force, and if they consider the retrieve a reward. You maintain these two rules by not stretching out the distance too fast and by not overworking the dog on the exercise in any given session.
I will gradually fade out the force as follows:
Nick the dog all the way to the pile each rep.
When the dog is confident and moving with power and purpose to the pile, no head shaking or trying to do anything else but get to the pile, I will begin nicking just once when I command fetch, and then once or twice while they are on the way to the pile when I command, “Back!”.
I will stop using force altogether, unless my dog fails to go when I send them on “fetch”, or they stop on their way out to the pile.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
No-Go: This is when your dog refuses to leave your side. If you are still using e-collar force, your dog probably is confused or lacks confidence. Go closer to the pile and resend them. Consider marking the pile again if you need to. If you have faded out remote collar force, your dog may not be going because they weren’t prompted by the collar. They may just need more reps, or they may need you to take a step or two toward the pile when you send them. Or they may be not going because they don’t think they have to, so repeat your command while nicking them with the collar the second time.
Popping: This is when your dog stops on the way out to the pile. You should nick them with the remote collar and command, “Back!”. I will usually walk toward the dog in an effort to use spatial pressure to push them toward the pile.
Not Steady: When your dog tries to go before you send them for the retrieve, that is anticipation and enthusiasm. This is a good thing early in any training exercise because it shows you that your dog is beginning to understand what you are asking of them. Later in the exercise it is not good because is shows a lack of control and command discrimination (do what I say, when I say it). So early on I will just hold the leash with a tiny bit of slack (not restraining with the leash). This way if the dog goes before I command them, an effort error (not disobedience) they get stopped by the leash. Then we can reset and try again. Later in the exercise, when the dog has shown they understand not to go until sent, I will use the remote collar to enforce the sit/whoa before I send them.
Shopping the Pile: This is when the dog goes from one bumper to the next deciding which to pick up. As soon as the dog gets to the pile, call the dog back to you (I use a recall whistle), and nick the dog. This creates a sense of urgency to grab a bumper and get back to the handler and works well to clean up this common issue.