How do the Retrieving talents of Belgian malinois, Dobermans and Labs compare?

[Amstaffer]

How do the Retrieving talents of Belgian malinois, Dobermans and Labs compare? That was a question I was asked by one of my nieghbors today while Sal played with his Lab. I told him that his field lab is the most retrieving nut I have ever seen but BMs and Dobes do retrieve. I have seen BMs as frisbee dogs and Dobes playing fetch in the park. After we got talking it started me thinking about protection dogs and retrieving... My Rotts didn't like retrieving too much but they did a little, How do most protection dogs do at retrieving?

[bubbatd]

Never occurred to me !! Retrieving is natural to Labs but still has to be taught ..... I think any breed could be taught to retrieve .

I've had 2 Rottweilers (still have one) that were/are retrieving fools. My old girl who's been gone almost 6 years would fetch until she fell over. She would pick up anything and carry it, and was the type who would pick up the ball and shove it in your lap and bark til you throw it.

My middle bitch is similar.

Penny has moderate retrieving drive, but was easy to TRAIN to retrieve reliably.

[jess2416]

Chloe has Lab *we think* in her...and she is a natural retriever....I NEVER had to teach her to go get balls or toys that I threw and I NEVER had to teach her to bring them back to me either...(letting go of them however was a different story )

[Toller_08]

Tango is a natural retriever. She'd retrieve things by the time she was about 5 weeks old. No training at all. She even "handed" stuff to us on her own. Never had/has to be asked at all. Out of the protections breeds (Rottweilers and Dobermans) that we've had, none really enjoyed retrieving that much and they did have to be taught how to.

[SizzleDog]

Ilsa is a retrieving fool, but I think that's because she likes the CHASE, not the actual retrieve. If she retrieves what you tell her to retrieve, it usually means it'll get thrown and she'll get to CHASE!

[doberkim]

It depends on individual dogs. As a whole and generalizing, I would say a lab has more INNATE desire to retrieve but that is because it was what the breed was meant to do. doens't mean they all have the same drive, determination and zest for it.

My dog is insane for retrieve, but that is not the norm for dobermans. he will fetch a tennis ball day in, day out (And evidence for that, he did it until his paws were run raw, so right now instead of being out in the lovely 85 degree weather in our backyard, hes sitting on the couch drugged up on pain meds because his paws are bleeding). he loves to retrieve, but his crazed drive for it isn't typical for the breed.

[RD]

Retrieving is a self-reinforcing behavior since the dog will figure out if he brings the ball back, he'll be rewarded with the ball being launched into motion. The higher the dog's prey drive, the better the reward is. My border collies love fetch, in fact Dakota can sympathize with Rah because he scraped up his pads AND the back of his legs and hocks, because he'd put on the brakes at the very last minute to get the ball. Over and over.

The drive to retrieve is certainly not exclusive to retrievers, but a dog like a lab would retrieve at a young age without prompting because instinct tells them to do so. I think dogs like the Malinois and Doberman would need to learn that retrieving will bring another throw of their toy.

[bubbatd]

Our Goldens were mainly used to take things to people . I could give them a note , a shoe and hammer , anything and tell them to take it to the person . Came in handy ! At one horse show , we were at the show ring and we'd forgotten a grooming brush . Bushwacker and I ran back to the stall and I gave him the brush and said " Take it to Daddy " ...the brush arrived 4 minutes before I did !

[SummerRiot]

Riot will retrieve on command and not on Impluse lol

He will however "Guard" his toy naturally and on command...