Force Breaking - Part One
It’s an exasperating Experience for the dog and the handler, But in the end it’s well worth the effort
By J. Paul Jackson, Retriever Editor
Without a doubt, force breaking—also known as “force fetch”—is one of the most difficult and time-consuming steps in training a retriever. Even experienced trainers often find the process frustrating at times, and due to the fact that it cannot be accomplished without causing the dog some level of discomfort, it can be downright unpleasant.
On the other hand, force breaking is not some mysterious procedure that only a pro can do, and positive benefits of it far outweigh negative aspects. As with all training, the key is to have a plan and follow it. In this issue and the next we will take an in-depth look at the force fetch procedure and try to break it down into a series of steps that any amateur can use.
I am frequently asked why you should force break your retriever at all. After all, these dogs are supposed to have fetching in their blood, aren’t they? While it is true that all retrieving breeds should have a genetic predisposition to run out and grab a bird, it is not in a dog’s genetic makeup to always bring it back to you, turn at heel and hold the bird until you take it from them. Instead reliable delivery to hand is a trained response.
Therefore, the purpose of force fetch is to teach the dog to bring the bird back to the handler and hold it until the handler takes it from him. While you will occasionally find a dog that delivers to hand naturally, most non-force-broken dogs will drop the bird after completing a retrieve. This can be particularly aggravating if the bird happens to be a strong cripple that subsequently escapes, or if the dog chooses to drop the bird in the water just out of your reach.
Additionally, some dogs will play with birds, hard mouth birds, or stick on birds, refusing to give them up. Force breaking helps us deal with all of these problems.
Finally, most advanced training concepts such as handling and teaching a dog to break cover build on the force-fetch process. As a matter of fact, teaching a retriever to take a line for a blind is an extreme extension of basic force breaking. Therefore, force breaking provides the foundation for almost all future training.
Strange as it may sound, the origins of force-breaking a dog to retrieve actually began with a pointing dog trainer more than 100 years ago. According to noted retriever training author James B. Spencer, a pointing-dog trainer named David Sanborn developed force breaking in the 1880s to get his pointers to deliver to hand.
Back in the late 19th century, when Mr. Sanborn invented force breaking, most dog trainers also worked with horses, and the terminology applied to horses often carried over to the dogs, too. Since training a horse was referred to as “breaking” the horse, it only seemed natural that training a dog would be referred to as “breaking” the dog. Thus, when Mr. Sanborn started forcing his pointers to retrieve, he called it “force breaking” the dog.
Because pointing-dog owners have always been concerned about style in their dogs, Sanborn’s approach to force breaking was slow, methodical and gentle. It involves only applying the amount of pressure necessary to get a response, and it utilizes a great deal of praise. Sanborn began by teaching his dogs to hold a wooden dowel or “buck”. He would then teach the dog to “fetch” the buck by pinching its toes with a string.
Later, he would replace the toe pinch with a pinch of the dog’s ear on the ground. By the time the process was finished he could send his dog after a dead bird on the ground, which the dog would retrieve and deliver to hand.
While all modern force-fetch techniques derive from Mr. Sanborn’s method in one way or another, many no longer resemble it at all. In an effort to show fast results (or just get it over quickly) many pros have adopted what I call the “Hell Week” approach to force fetching a dog.
This technique involves a great deal of pressure in a short amount of time. While it can be fast and effective, it is anything but gentle and can rob a dog of style. Perhaps more importantly, a Hell Week approach just will not work for some dogs.
I personally believe that Sanborn’s way is still best after almost 125 years. It is not as fast as the Hell Week approach, but when used correctly it will work with almost any dog that has a desire to retrieve. The only two requirements are that the dog has its permanent teeth, and that it be fully obedience trained prior to beginning force breaking.
I have often written in this column that any good training program can be broken down into major divisions and/or smaller steps. This certainly applies to force training as well. Force breaking can be broken down into two basic divisions: training on the table, and training in the yard. Additionally, each of these components involves a series of steps. Presented as an outline, force breaking looks like this:
(A) Work on the Training Table
- Acclimating the dog to the table
- Teaching “hold”
- Teaching “fetch” from the hand with the toe hitch
- Teaching “fetch” from the table with the toe hitch
(B) Work on the Ground
- Review “hold”
- “Fetch” from hand with an ear pinch
- “Fetch” from ground with an ear pinch
- Walking fetch with ear pinch
- Reinforced fetch
The two general headings refer to where each step in the division occurs, namely on the training table or in the yard.
More Retriever Tips
· The First Few Months are Critical
· E-Collars - An Effective Tool But Not a Magic Wand
· Force Breaking Part One and Two
· Teaching a Young Dog to Hunt
We begin force-breaking all of our dogs on a training table that is 42 inches high, 3 feet deep and 12 feet long. Our table has a sturdy hitching post in the center of each end with a ¼-inch cable stung taut approximately 30 inches high down the center. Attached to the cable is roller and snap that can be fastened to the dog’s collar. There are also snaps secured to the post on each end of the table so that we may fasten the dog in place if necessary.
Having a table built specifically for the purpose of training a dog is nice, but it is not required. I have seen dogs successfully forced on counter tops, a door across two saw horses, and on the tail gate of trucks. The important thing is that the dog is in an elevated position about waist high where he can easily be secured to maintain stability and control.
Since a great deal of time will be spent on the training table during the initial stages of force breaking it is best to begin by making the dog feel comfortable there. Begin by teaching the dog to jump up onto the table. Depending on the height of your table this may require some encouragement. If the dog is particularly stubborn about loading up you may have to apply upward pressure with the leash just as you did when teaching sit.
After loading the dog onto the table, securely fasten his collar to the roller snap on the cable and have the dog walk back and forth over the length of it. Often the dog will appear scared or uncomfortable on the table. Reassure him that the table is a good place to be and positively reinforce his movements on it with a great deal of praise. If necessary, feed the dog on the table each day to build his confidence there.
Building a confident attitude on the table before beginning the force fetch process will go a long way toward making this entire phase of training easier.
Unfortunately, I am out of space for this issue. In our next issue we will get into the real nuts and bolts of force breaking and conclude this two part series.