UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Force Breaking:

As I mentioned in the section on obedience I see the down command as a very important command that will help you establish your position as leader of the pack in your dogs mind.

Force breaking your dog to retrieve should completely affirm that you are the leader and reinforce the need for the dog to comply and fully submit. With force breaking there is no ifs, ands or maybes. The dog must retrieve whatever you request it to retrieve after being given a single (one, uno, mono ) command and it must do it consistently, i.e., everytime.

Force breaking is really the part of training a versatile hunting dog that requires the most mental and physical work for both the handler and the dog. Though it's easy enough to describe the steps required to get from point A to Z, it is an art that is better learned by watching than reading.

In the following paragraphs I will try and describe each step and some of the subtle requirements of the methods of force breaking that I have learned from others that have worked for me and some that haven't.

I strongly recommend that you find a mentor experienced in the art of force breaking before you attempt to take the task on yourself. If not done properly and with caution you can cause yourself and your dog many problems down the road and even ruin what might have been a great dog.

By good fortune as I write this I happen to be starting the force breaking process on my dog Ayla. Because of that coincedence I will be able to provide photos of many of the various steps and circumstances that arise.

I am hesitant to ascribe time periods for each step because the time it takes to get through each step can vary greatly depending on each dogs temperament and leaning ability.
I will do it just to give you an idea how long this particular dog took to move thru the process but do not use my time line as a go by schedule. Only you and your dog will set the schedule for completion of force breaking.

Day 1-4
The first four days of Force Breaking (FB) were spent getting the dog comfortable holding something in it's mouth. For this very important step all that is needed is a leather glove, a couple of small treats and a lot of patience. It is important to understand that every step of the process is necessary and has a reason behind it. Each step must be carried out fully and come to the proper conclusion which is a dog that is confident and understands and willingly performs the task.. When complete the dog should confidently perform the task without hesitation.

At this point I have already given the pup some treats on the training bench, sat on the bench with her, petted her and generally made her feel comfortable on the bench. The dog readily jumps up on the bench at the beginning of each session and I give a single treat then proceed with the task. I also end the train ins session with a single treat.

I usually put the glove on my right hand and hold the dog by the collar with my left hand. I carefully but deliberately put my hand in the dogs mouth. This may require a little prying but you should be able to slowly work your hand into the dogs mouth. Do this as gently as possible but make sure you do it. Your hand should be completely flat with fingers extended.

Do not hold the dogs lower jaw or force your hand to far back in the dogs mouth. Make sure that you are not pinching the dogs lips between your hand and its teeth.Your hand should simply be resting in the dogs mouth steadily but with as little force as possible.
Use your un gloved hand to keep the dogs head and body still while you keep the gloved hand steadily in it's mouth.

Some dogs will take the gloved hand with nothing more than a little struggling and twisting of the head each time you insert it in the dogs mouth. Others will pitch a fit, twisting, pawing and doing everything they can to resist and/or escape and get your hand out of their mouth.

Your job is to hold your hand in the dogs mouth as gently as possible until the very instant the dog quits struggling. At that very instant push your hand back firmly and quickly into the back of the dogs mouth and remove it as you voice your realease command. I use the word "give" as my release command some use "out". Whatever command you choose, do not change it.



The dog must associate the "give" command or whatever word you wish to use with the gag reflex that you have initiated by quickly pushing your hand backwards in the dog mouth and removing it.

It is imperative that your dog make the connection between your realease command and its own gag reflex. Down the road this will go a long way towards getting your dog to give up game without any problems.

I do not give any sort of fetch command to initiate my hands entry into the dogs mouth. It is not the intention here to get the dog to associate that command with taking something into its mouth at this point. The intention here is te merely get the dog to hold something, i.e. your hand, in its mouth because you want it there and to associate the gag reflex with the release command.

When your dog lets your hand remain in it's mouth with know struggle and does so consistently it's time to move on the the next step. Knowing when to move forward or backward is an aquired knowledge so get some help from someone with experience.