How to Fix Your Labrador's Delivery
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How to Fix Your Labrador's Delivery – Practical Training Tips That Really Work
A Labrador's retrieve is one of the breed's greatest strengths. However, even the most enthusiastic retriever can develop poor delivery habits if they are not addressed early.
Dropping the dummy, carrying it awkwardly, mouthing, stopping short or delivering reluctantly are all common issues we see during training. The good news is that most delivery problems can be improved with the right approach.
In our latest YouTube video, Carl works with Rain, Edward and Oscar—three very different Labradors, each demonstrating their own delivery style and the challenges that come with it.
We show genuine training situations and practical solutions that owners can apply themselves.
Why Delivery Matters
Many owners focus on getting the dog to retrieve the dummy.
In reality, the retrieve is only complete when the dummy is delivered calmly and correctly back to the handler.
A poor delivery can quickly become a habit if it is ignored.
Dogs may:
Drop the dummy early.
Sit too far away.
Mouth or chew the dummy.
Carry the dummy by one end.
Swing the dummy using the toggle or cord.
Become reluctant to release it.
The sooner these habits are recognised, the easier they are to improve.
Every Labrador Is Different
One of the biggest mistakes owners make is expecting every Labrador to learn in exactly the same way.
Rain, Edward and Oscar each have different personalities, levels of experience and delivery habits. Carl adapts his training to suit the individual dog rather than applying the same method to all three.
Successful gundog training is about working with the dog in front of you.
Understanding why a dog is making a mistake is often more important than correcting the mistake itself.
Small Changes Make a Big Difference
Many delivery problems are caused by small details that are easily overlooked.
Simple adjustments to timing, handling and the way retrieves are set up can often produce noticeable improvements.
Rather than constantly repeating retrieves, each retrieve should teach the dog something positive.
Quality always beats quantity.
Build Good Habits From the Start
Good retrieves don't happen by accident.
Every retrieve your Labrador completes reinforces behaviour—whether it's correct or incorrect.
Taking time to build clean pickups, calm returns and confident deliveries from the beginning creates strong foundations for future training.
Even experienced Labradors can benefit from returning to these basics when problems begin to appear.
Training With Real Dogs
One thing that makes our YouTube channel different is that we don't stage our training sessions.
Dogs make mistakes.
Handlers make mistakes.
That's exactly how learning happens.
By working with real Labradors in genuine training situations, you can see how Carl reads each dog and makes small adjustments to help improve their performance.
These are the same methods we use every day when training Labradors at Kugae Gundogs.
Watch the Full Video
If your Labrador struggles with delivery—or you simply want to build cleaner retrieving habits from the beginning—our latest YouTube video is packed with practical advice that you can immediately apply to your own training.
You'll see:
The different delivery styles of Rain, Edward and Oscar.
Common delivery mistakes Labradors make.
Why those problems develop.
Practical ways to improve retrieves.
Real training with real dogs.
Whether you're training your first Labrador or refining an experienced working dog, understanding delivery is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.
Continue Building Better Retrieves
At Kugae Gundogs, we believe successful gundog training isn't about perfection—it's about understanding your dog, building confidence and creating reliable habits through consistent, fair training.
Our YouTube channel is full of training videos covering Labrador and Spaniel training, puppy development, retrieves, hunting, steadiness and much more.
If you'd like to continue improving your dog's training, be sure to subscribe and follow along as we share more real-world advice, practical demonstrations and honest training sessions with the dogs we work every day. (2) Kugae Gundogs - YouTube