3 Gundog retrieve exercises for beginners

Seen/marked retrieve
*This is the first retrieve you start with for the puppies and young dogs. When starting out you’re just wanting the dog to be keen to retrieve the dummy and not expecting any steadiness yet.
*Throw or toss the dummy a sensible distance from you depending on what stage your dog is up to. Send the dog when you are ready using your voice command. As the name suggests the dog should see the dummy being thrown and mark when it lands.
*The command we use to send the dogs for a retrieve is “back”.
*The dog should then return the dummy to the handler and as they develop we will want them to “sit and present” the dummy in front of the handler.

Memory retrieve
*Once the dog is retrieving well on a seen/marked retrieve we then start to teach them a memory retrieve. Again as the name suggests this is where the dog will remember where the dummy is.
*You start by walking with the dog at heel (on-lead or off-lead depending on your training level), walk a sensible distance from your start point and then stop and sit your dog, throw the dummy out in front of you a few feet and then turn the dog away from the dummy and return to the start point.
*When back at your start point turn the dog to face the dummy, as the dog has taken their eye off the dummy for a period “line out” with your hand to indicate to the dog the direction you want them to run in towards the dummy. When you are ready give your voice command and send the dog to retrieve.
*Your dog should remember there is a dummy placed out and run out confidently, if they are struggling and not running out far enough recall them back and move closer to the dummy before sending them again.

Mark and replace
*This exercise requires a helper to throw the dummies for you.
*As with a seen/mark retrieve the helper will throw a dummy for the dog to mark and the handler will send the dog when ready. (It is handy for the helper to make a noise to draw the dogs attention to where the dummy is being thrown)
*When the dog has picked up the marked dummy and is returning to the handler the helper should drop a dummy in the place of the one the dog has picked up without the dog seeing.
*Once the dog has retrieved the first dummy to the handler, the handler will set the dog back up at heel and then “line out” to indicate direction as the dog has not seen the other dummy be placed.
*The handler will then send the dog to the second dummy, to start with if the dog is not running out confidently recall them back and move closer to the dummy and send again until the dog finds the dummy.
*The dog should then return the dummy to the handler and as they develop we will want them to “sit and present” the dummy in front of the handler.
*This type of retrieve will then build the dog up to being able to confidently run out to a blind retrieve they have not seen thrown.