@David C,
Most pups that are extremely mouthy and like to “carry” or “steal” objects make the most reliable retrievers you could ask for. This is why Goldens and Labs dominate retrieving trials 😉
I agree with pitlove, get into a basic obedience class and teach her how to learn, and let the instructor teach you how to teach what you want. Sometimes our messages are mixed and we don’t even realize it.
Are you wanting a dog with a competition retrieve with a dumbbell or just a pup that likes to fetch and bring stuff to you?
We had a non-natural retriever that was shaped with a clicker to pick things up and bring them to us. He wasn’t sure about retrieving at first but management and working with a competition trainer changed this.
He’s never, ever NOT done a good, reliable retrieve in the obedience ring and has never shuffled out–he blasts away from me with the fetch command and pretty much hauls ass on the way back!
