I'm in the process of FF training my Chocolate Lab Chase. He's 13 months old. I know I'm behind but better late than never.

Couple questions. *Disclaimer* I'm following the Freddy King YouTube videos.

First, he is behind in his formal obedience. (Basically isn't off leash yet) Should I wait to continue FF until I can get him good off leash?

Second, once I get the object in his mouth, he holds it pretty good with some reinforcement required. But he still really fights getting the item in his mouth. He'll turn his head away and basically refuse to open his mouth to the point that I have to pry it open. Is this normal? He's still doing this but he seems to be getting progressively better in that regard... Any advice would be great!!! 

Here is a Flow chart from Lardy's TRT2.

It's not necessary that obedience is perfect off leash but you want a good solid front "sit" "here" and "heel".

Hold doesn't have to be perfect but you'd like to be able to go through some basic commands while holding a bumper. This will help the FF process go smoother and you can enjoy the success of A good fetch sequence without fighting over holding.

Yes, you should have good off leash obedience before force fetch. You want him to deliver to hand, so healing and sitting for delivery is important. With that said, you will be reinforcing obedience for years.

Regarding the conditioned retrieve/FF and prying open his mouth, go ahead and move to the pinch.

When properly applying the ear or toe pinch he will open his mouth.

Thanks Gents!

Update, I've started the ear pinch and he made that transition perfectly! He grabs for whatever it is sometimes before I even apply the pinch. He knows perfectly what I'm expecting at this step... I'm sure the pressure helps the learning curve drastically.