Lab Pups

[JC22]

Hey guys i am new to the forum names Jeremy, and here's my first of many questions to come. I have two purebred labs a black female and a chocolate male they are both 3 months old. My question is I've had them for about 5 weeks, their obedience is great there tempermant is great the only thing they are lacking is their retrieving drive. They will retrieve but they don't seem to be as excited as they should be. They will play fetch with a squek toy but when you get a bumber out its kind of hit or miss. I'm I just wondering if some dogs get their "drive" when they get older or I'm in for a forced retrieve training method.
Thanks

[scudmaster]

The drive will come up naturally 3 months is very young.  Keep the retrieving sessions short and fun and mix up the toys.  If you have bird wings they always make great fun.  Put them on the end of a fishing line on a pole and jerk them around the yard and they will drive the dog nuts.

As for force fetching...you will want to do that no matter what no sooner that 8 to 10 months.  "Fetch" needs to me a command if you ever want your dog to handle for you. 

[JC22]

Thanks for the help!!

[Happy Gilmore]

get a pigeon or two. It will work wonders. bumpers=boredom to some dogs. Bumpers don't get prey drive going...only flopping birds...

[Schmalzfam]

Make it fun! Get some pigeons, clip/pull their wings and let them chase it around. Praise them and make it fun:)
The drive, I feel is genetic and some are slower to mature than thers. I have found that a lot of this get handled when you do the force fetch.

[RPM]

keep them separated while you're doing you're training. if thier spending all day playing together they won't have as much interest in what you want to teach them. and could wind up bonding whith each other more than whith you.

[AngelFace]

I have a yellow lab. She is going on about 10 1/2 months right now. I will tell you that at 3 months she had no coordination and was a serious cluts. She would jump after what you threw, but wouldn't usually bring it back. It was honestly adorable.

But she picked it up at about 6-7 months, really by 8 months had no problem. Would bring it right back. Now we can't keep her away from it. She wants to fetch anything we through. =)

[follow maggie]

My lab is a little over a year, now, same thing, she got her drive at about 6 months to retrieve everything in sight.  I disagree w/ the force fetch, though.  Some dogs need it, some dogs don't.  Maggie will go find any bird with the "fetch" command, though it is taking time to get her trained thoroughly.

I hope you enjoy your lab.  They're truly awesome dogs.