[miket]

Ferreted's quote of how to play retrieval game and when to stop engaging the ball can also be useful. It teaches the maintain focus on you when playing/retrieving. Ultimately, Jennes has to decide if the dog has the ability to focus on you.

As for the electric collar, my advise is not yet. Don't use e-collars on any form of teaching/training, just use it as reminders. More importantly, never use it for obedience work. It's not so much about cruelty, it's just that when the dog locks on to something - say, a cyclist - and the e-collar is activated, the dog may think it's the cyclist that's causing the sudden light shock. So it confuses the dog and the may make it worse.

Otherwise, Ferreted's suggestion is useful. What I like about it is that it gives Jennes an idea whether the dog is listening in indoor environment before going outdoors.