So Bo and i went out today to work conditions were 92F with some cloud cover. There was a lot of people playing football at the same time, which isnt common. His first run/drill was a 4 mark flag type drill. He did exactly what was asked everything in order and didnt shop around. His cold blind retrieves (2) went like clock work. We spent about 25 min on this and he took a break and got some water in between runs due to heat. His last run was a short run (25yd or less) 4 dummy mark in a fan pattern. This is where my question stems from. He wouldnt break when he was steady at my knee. Its like he had no more desire to retrieve. This hasnt happened before. Should i be concerned or chalk it up to a poor finish to the day possibly due to being over stimulated and distracted? He has never had this issue. He has had sub par days but never just quit on me. There was another dog who was just running around chasing launched tennis balls too (wasnt a hunting dog).

Most get clingy from time to time.

Bill is correct I also had the same experience with Daphne till now she won't retrieve at all.

Bill, what do you mean by clingy? Bo likes attention from me. Actually its interesting you say that. My wife has been telling me ever since i got back from the oil patch and we work everyday. He cries at the door and just waits by it when i leave. Is this something to be concerned about. Hes been a great hunting partner for the last 3 years. I would hate for his "feelings" to become a hindrance. This behavior has never been exhibited by any of my labs or the labs i grew up with.

Put him up for a while with no formal workouts. The dog was telling you something.....that he was overheated...sick, dizzy, just did not feel good. Trust your dog and take your time and don't over do it this time of year.

It's difficult to describe. They would rather be with you than out working. Shying away from working.

Has the dog been forced fetch?

If so i would have forced on one retrieve and put him in the truck. Like mentioned above if he was getting hot or wasnt feeling well. I just wouldn't have ended on a refusal.

So are you saying he had a no go? Were you wanting him to break or did he not go when sent? Either way that session was way too long and way too many retrieves, especially in the heat and humidity.

Forced fetch has already been done.

Max: He wasnt wanting to break and wheb sent went a few yards then came back to my knee. We usually work after 6pm so its a bit cooler and during summer months im very mindful of heat and humidity and bo takes extended breaks between sets. He usually does around 6-7 retrieves per day. That is why i kept the last drill fairly short in length. What do you recommend as far as time, number of retrieves, and/or intensity. Thanks for the advice.

That really depends on the dog and the situation. For instance the other day I had a close call with one dog. I had a setup for the big dogs with four retrieves. Double mark with a short go bird and a long punch bird with a double blind. Distances were about 65, 105, 120, and 130. Cover was tall which holds heat. Temp 82 but high humidity. Ran multiple dogs on the setup with no problems. This particular dog however had a huge hunt on one of the marks. I give this example because there are a lot of factors involved like temp, humidity, cover, distance conditioning, and even if they have a big hunt or need to repeat a concept. Two 100+ yard marks may do them in where 10 hand thrown in the yard is fine. It sounds like your dog may have gotten hot and bored. Ultimately it's our job as the handler to set up goal oriented training this time of year so that we can prevent these kind of things from happening. As far as time though I would keep sessions to 15 mins or less.

You said it yourself. Overstimulated. The dog is confused. He'll be okay, just back off a little on using the e-collar

Yeah, i think that attributed to it, also i probably went too long with the sessions as of lately. Spoke to Tony last night and he really knows his stuff. Thanks tony!