When dogs she has trained retrieve birds to Barbara Genthner, they come in with merry tails, spin to sit beside her, and then turn their heads up toward her, presenting their birds to her hand. It's a beautiful performance, and when you see it you can't help wanting to know how she gets her dogs to finish their retrieves with such perfect manners. Barbara and Paul Genthner breed and train hunting retrievers at Tealbrook Kennels in Monticello, Florida. They are nationally recognized experts with solid reputations for producing hunting retrievers with field-trial class. The manner with which their dogs complete their retrieves is a hallmark of Genthner training.
Perfect deliveries are the product of careful training.
With patience and consistency, lots of repetition, and a couple of Genthner tricks you'll learn here, you can give your own dog's delivery the same polish. When you take a retrieved object from a dog, reach across the dog's head and grasp the object on the far side rather than on the side that's nearest you. She explains that a dog has the tendency to turn its head away from the hand that reaches toward the object it is holding. When the trainer reaches for the far side of the object, the dog's inclination is to turn its head away from the hand, which means it turns its head toward the trainer. Over time, this develops into the dog's pleasing habit of turning its head in your direction when completing its delivery.