Avoidance Training Outline

When you start you retriever with Swift River Retrievers, we will work with you and your dog through our avoidance training outline, building step by step towards your goals. Developed over years of training retrievers, this program has proven to produce outstanding retrievers at all levels.

I. Basic Obedience

A. Teaching Sit

1. with lead

2. with switch

3. condition to electric collar 

B. Teaching Here

1. with lead

2. condition to collar

C. Teaching Heel

1. right and left side heeling

2. pivot heeling

3. backwards heeling

II. Force Fetch

A. Teach hold

B. Fetch with pressure (table then ground)

C. Point Fetch

D. Stick/whip Fetch

E. Walking Fetch

F. Fetch to the pile (introducing the “Back” command)

G. Fetch to the pile from your side (on “Back”)

H. Fetch to the pile from in front (no hands back cast)

III.  Beginning Handling

A. Teaching and proofing turning right and left on the Back command

B. Teaching and proofing casting left and right to over piles

C. Teaching and enforcing sit to the whistle

D. Play Baseball

IV. Single “T”

A. Get the Basic handling down. Turning, Casting, Stop, Here and Back

B. Some time between teaching turning (III A) and the end of double “T” the dog will avoid going, that will be the time to review “force on back” (you better go somewhere, even if it’s the wrong place!).

V. Double “T”

A. Assorted directional commands in route to pile

B. Start simple and complicate as dog progresses

C. Casting on return from pile

D. Run by me drill in preparation for swim by me

E. Transition from yard work to simple land blinds

VI. Swim by me drill

A. Identify the pile

B. Force on back into the water

C. Force on back in the water

D. Teaching sit in the water

E. Teaching left and right overs and exit points

F. Enforce exit points

G. Make the water a good place to be

H. Transition from swim by to simple water blinds