I wonder if anyone can help.

My FCR sits, stops and recalls with the whistle really well.

My problem is that when I throw something for him to retrieve occasionally he misses where it has gone I try hand signals and whistle controls but sometimes he just seems to charge all over the place and other times he seems to get it right after looking at me.  Not sure if there are any commands I can teach him.

My husbands say he needs glasses as sometimes he just can't see the object that I have thrown.

First of all make sure that the dog will sit steadily when you throw the object (dummy). Get the dog to sit facing you and throw the dummy directly to the dogs right or left. Get the dog to fetch by giving a clear directional signal with your whole arm. Practice this for a few times so that the dog gets accustomed to be directed to a retrieve that it has seen. At this stage all retrieves should be on short grass, so that the dog can go straight to the retrieve.

The next step is two throw two dummies, one each side of the dog, and direct the dog to the object that you choose. Its best to get the dog to retrieve the first thrown dummy first, as it will be more likely to pull to the last thrown object. If the dog tries to go for the wrong object, stop it on the whistle and replace it. Don't let it pick the wrong dummy.

You can also teach the dog to go 'back' by throwing the dummy directly behind the dog. The hand signal is your hand thrust upwards and forwards in a clear motion. To start with it is better to keep backs and left/rights seperate, but as you progress over time you can incorporate all three into the exercise.

You can also progress to doing the same exercises in rough grass where the retrieve becomes a bit more challenging, however, make the progress very gradual.

You can encourage straight running, by directing the dog along the line of a fence or path.

Once the dog becomes really proficient at marked retrieves you can then progress onto the 'blinds' which is what you are realy trying to achieve. To start with, lay the dummies out on bare ground (without the dog seeing), so that as long as the dog moves in the correct direction it will easily find the dummy. As the dog progresses you can make these progresively more challenging so perhaps you could end up directing a dog into heavy cover, over a fence or even over a river.

The key to all these exercises, is building the dogs confidence and trust in you that if it follows your direction it will find a retrieve, even if has seen other distraction retrieves in other directions.

It can be surprising how easily a dog can miss seemingly obvious retrieves, they rely far more on their nose than their eyes.

Once the dog is working well at these exercises the next step is to incorporate in with hunting for a retrieve. The end result should be the dog can be stopped on the whistle whilst hunting and directed to a retrieve whatever the distractions. With the use of left, right, back and the recall a dog should be able to be directed anywhere. Once on to advanced training you can even progress on to diagnal 'backs'.

Hopefully thats given you a flavour. If you want to know more, it might be worth trying to get to some gundog classes, that will really work on theses exercises. Addistionally you could get hold of a gundog training manual / DVD.

Thanks, all that makes a lot of sense.  I'll give it a try.  He would love to work in this way, he has loads of energy and really enjoys the retrieve.

Havoc those are wonderfully clear and concise instructions and if followed, you can't really go wrong.

How come it looks so easy when written down like that?!!