Directional Retrieve

This exercise builds on the early foundations of directional work that you introduced on place boards in Gundog Beginner and starts to transition those skills onto retrieving.

At this stage, we are teaching your dog that your hand signals can be used to direct them towards a retrieve, creating a dog that is able to listen and respond to your instructions rather than simply following their own instincts.

To begin, sit your dog up facing you and place a dummy out to one side. Blow your stop whistle to reinforce your dog’s position and attention, then use a clear hand signal to send your dog towards the dummy.

Make sure you practise both sides equally. We use “away” for sending your dog to the left and “out” for sending your dog to the right. You do not have to use these exact verbal cues, but it is useful to introduce them because, at more advanced levels, your dog may not always be able to see your hand signals clearly. Having a verbal cue alongside your hand signal can help your dog understand the direction you want them to go.

Once your dog is confidently taking both directions, you can progress by placing a dummy out to each side. Send your dog for one dummy and always go and pick the other dummy yourself. This helps your dog understand that they only retrieve the dummy you have asked for.

Only once your dog has mastered this stage should you progress further. The next step is to send your dog for one dummy, stop them using the stop whistle and then redirect them onto the other dummy.

After completing the exercise, sit your dog back at the start position and go and collect the remaining dummy yourself.

As with all advanced training, take your time and build this gradually. Clear communication and successful repetitions are what create a reliable directional retrieve.