Why Is Force Fetching Important for Gundogs?

Written By: Zach Miller

"You and your buddies just dropped the most beautiful group of Harlequin drakes and off goes our trusty bird dog. He lunges into the frozen water with joy and off he goes to bring back the fallen trophy birds. The long awaited moment to cross off this bird has finally come. Your gundog brings the bird back to land and you can see all the beautiful colors it has to offer, ahh but wait, you look on with shock as the careless pup spits out the bird into the sand and begins plucking the feathers from the body. It was at this point we realized why we shouldn't have skipped force fetching this dog."

Photo By: Southern Loon Retrievers LLC

The above scenario is a bit dramatic; however, very true and I have witnessed that exact situation not once but twice on trophy birds. It is a sad thing to witness considering how tough some of these species are to harvest. This scenario and others similar to it are the sole purpose gundogs get a bad reputation amongst guides and other hunting services. To play devil's advocate, from their standpoint it is a liability, they did the work to bring the birds in all for a poorly trained dog to ruin the end result. It falls upon the owner and/or trainer to not only ensure the dog is ready for this endeavor but also properly force fetched and that the skill is properly maintained. 

Allow us to back up here for a moment, what exactly is force fetching a dog? Force fetching is a training technique that is used to teach gundogs to retrieve game birds and other small game in a specified manner. If you have ever heard of a gundog having a “soft mouth” and having that “perfect hold”, this is how it comes about. It is an important part of gundog training because it helps to ensure that the dog is reliable and obedient in the field in the manner of finishing the retrieve as a whole. In this article, we will discuss why force fetching a gundog is important and how it can benefit both the dog and the handler.

Firstly, force fetching helps to ensure that the dog is reliable in the field when completing a retrieve. A well-trained gundog should be able to retrieve game birds and other small game quickly and efficiently. However, some dogs may be hesitant to retrieve or may not retrieve at all. Force fetching can help to overcome these issues by teaching the dog to retrieve on command and to do so quickly and efficiently. The overall process has many approaches to get to the same result, a firm yet gentle hold of the bird. 

In most training environments, the process begins on a table known as a force fetching table. It is typically made of wood and I have seen some fancy ones constructed of metal. The table has two poles on each end with a rope of some sort strung across the center from pole to pole. The concept here is a slow yet concise delivery of fetching an object properly and from different areas of the table. We always want to communicate as clearly as possible to our gundogs in order to set them up for success. Until we can speak the same language, this is a must in any training scheme. 

In almost all training regimens, the dog goes in stages through the force fetching process. You have most likely heard terms such as, “Force to Table” and “Force to Ground” and “Walking Fetch”, etc. These all fall into the process of force fetching progression, while some trainers mesh or skip some steps, we are all looking for one thing, a solid yet gentle hold of the bird. When teaching a proper hold, there are some crazy looking tools available on the market today that will show your pup (through frustration) how to pick up and hold the object properly. However, before this market grew so much, many force fetching tools were home made. The idea behind a standard force fetching tool is that it should have protruding ends/caps to each side of the rod or dowel. This gives the dog no other choice than to pick the object up in the center every single time. 

The process typically ends outside with the dog completing its first true retrieve at a short distance. If you could not already guess, dog training is what I have always preached to younger trainers and clients, “Take what the dog knows and build upon it”. Distance, duration and distractions will come, when teaching a new skill, go slow and enjoy the process. 

In conclusion, force fetching is an important part of gundog training that can help to ensure that the dog is reliable, obedient, focused, and bonded with its handler in the art of retrieving. If you are considering training a gundog, it is important to consider force fetching as part of your training program. With proper training and guidance, your gundog can become a reliable and valuable asset in the field to bring that trophy bird back and deliver to hand.