my dog is a high energy male, ff, cc, fully trained and all around excellent at most all commands
my issue i am having is when i work with him, using bumpers he always has to slightly run into me or touch me with the bumper when he returns, he will not stop before he gets to me, he has to bump me with it as he turns, also he usually will step on my foot upon return (thats how close he gets) as he touches me with the bumper, trying to stay somewhat clean when i work him is useless.

if i throw a fun bumper he will come back wide open and run into me a little harder
i am concerned about using the collar to correct this as i do not want to mess up his desire to retrieve
other than him slightly touching me on regular bumper returns he does excellent, just would like him to return and calmly heal and sit on his own.

any advice is appreciated

Make him return to front finish or remote sit however you wanna say it then have him heel


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Did you train him yourself? Sounds like he was taught heel a little to close. You could try Slow him down by sitting him coming back right in front of you then heel.

i didnt train him myself, bought him trained but have worked with him ever since
he definitely heels close, you dont have to reach out to get the bumper it is right there

what i would like him to do it to bring back, turn and heel, i just have to figure out how to train him to do this, the more excited he is the worse it is, once you take the edge off of him he gets alot better, he does bring back turn and heel with it but like he is on Crack when he does and has to bump you with it

it is just aggravating if you want to work with him for a while in the afternoon before you leave to go somewhere he is going to get you dirty

Try the sit idea and it should slow him down. Once he starts slowing down you can quit using it and start using the heel again and he should pick up that you don't want him rampaging coming in.

If he is high energy like u say don't use the collar but let him have a come to Jesus meeting with food to face a few times. U can try the easier approaches first but more than likely it will resolve to this and just don't run out there kicking the shit out of him try to make him think he done it to himself


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If he is high energy like u say don't use the collar but let him have a come to Jesus meeting with food to face a few times. U can try the easier approaches first but more than likely it will resolve to this and just don't run out there kicking the shit out of him try to make him think he done it to himself


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Yes I meant foot to face. . I'm hungry rite now


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My chocolate lab does that sometimes too.
I just stick out my hand as she's coming to me
and she'll stop

My chocolate lab does that sometimes too. I just stick my hand up when shes coming in and she stops

You may have three different issues going on at the same time. Two are rather obvious. First of all, the dog doesn't have a clue about the proper expectation. There is no known/taught standard which means you can't really apply a correction. You need to teach him what he doesn't know....slow down, come to heel and sit. Take a six foot lead and put him on a remote, front sit. Practice over and over the "here", wheel and sit sequence (on your terms). Make it a conditioned response. At first step slightly back on the side you want him to heel on. When he moves in step forward and physically aid/guide him in making the pivot (wheel) and sit. It is a physical response that must be repeated often.

Once he becomes proficient at 6 feet switch to a longer check cord and increase the remote (facing you) sit. Call him, put your hand up and make him sit on a closer remote/front sit and continue to repeat this expectation. Be consistent and persistent. He needs to understand that responding to your hand signals (and whistle cues) whether to sit immediately, slow down or wheel into the sit for delivery. Finally, repeat all this "with a bumper in mouth".

He doesn't know what to do and you are expecting him to do so "out of the blue". Slow down and teach.

Now the other issue could be only a result of naive excitement, but a dog that goes out its way to "touch" you is often trying to demonstrate dominance....kind of like genetically collecting a coup. It's like they touch you as a sign that "I am in charge." It will be obvious whether this is a real issue or just the result of being uninformed and clumsy. In any event, you need to establish the correct expectation by teaching it.

On a side note, "knocking sense" into him will not teach much more than to avoid you and become hand shy.

Good post Jim.
I think your right on but you might expand on what you mean when you said "When he moves in step forward and physically aid/guide him in making the pivot (wheel) and sit."
Simple to demonstrate but sort of hard to describe in words.

I teach "Easy" which translates to "slow Down". I would command "Easy" with an out stretched flat hand as the dog comes in, encouraging him to slow down.
Thanks, Don

I'm pretty sure what Jim is explaining is to move to help guide the dog to be successful and not to just stand there (statue training) getting the same result. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
You might consider using a mat with Jim's training scenario, bout 30"×30" to give the dog a boundary. A truck floor mat will work just fine. Good for a creeping dog too.

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I would go back thru heel again... do that for about 20 minutes a day for a week then add a bumper into it and when he's about 3 feet from u blow whistle for him to stop grab his lead and make him heel he will figure it out