When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [40]
3. Do not try to get your dog to bring the ball back to you. Just go and pick it up wherever your dog drops it and throw it again. Your dog will naturally begin bringing it back to you over time, and you will have a great game.
All of Ruby’s enthusiasm and joy for chasing a ball is the result of training and practice. You can teach your dog to enjoy playing!
My dog, Ruby, had no interest in the ball, and less interest in running anywhere quickly. She rarely broke out of a trot when she was around me. Now she trembles with excitement when I pick up a ball, and will gladly perform any behavior in exchange for the opportunity to chase it. It took many weeks before she got the hang of the game, and many months, if not years, before she became a ball maniac, but it did happen. Don’t give up if your dog takes a really long time to pick up on how much fun it is to chase a ball and don’t be in a hurry.
Piggy Pointer
It does not matter if your dog does not bring the ball back to you. The entire point of this game is that your dog thinks it is great to chase after the ball. You can use that as a reinforcer to get other behaviors that you would like your dog to do. So what if you have to walk over and pick up the ball to throw it again? Most of us need the exercise, anyway. If you want to teach your dog to retrieve, you can do that separately, but the point of this exercise is to build another reinforcer for your dog, not to teach him to retrieve.
It is also helpful if, when you are first teaching this game, you play it at the same time each day. Even if the game only creates the tiniest bit of excitement at first, you can quickly condition your dog to anticipate that excitement at a certain time of day and that will help build more excitement. For instance, when some people come home from work the first thing they do is take their dog outside and throw the ball a few times. This is great because it is coupling the excitement of coming home with the ball playing game. You can condition a lot of interest into the ball very quickly that way. If you are lucky enough to have another person willing to help you, you can run after the ball together, tussle for it, toss it to each other, and generally act very excited about the ball. Watching other people play this game seems to make dogs understand the fun of it very quickly.
Experiment with throwing different things. Some dogs go crazy for Frisbee type toys. Squeaky toys are excellent attention getters. If you squeeze all the air out of the squeaky toy before you throw it, it will make a hideous wailing noise as it sails through the air. Many dogs find that noise irresistible. If food is your dog’s top motivator, throw a bait bag full of food. Give your dog some of the food after he picks up the bag—there’s no need for him to bring it back to you, but jackpot him if he does.
A Win-Win Situation
Tug Games
When it comes to pure, interactive fun, nothing beats a tug game. Getting a reluctant dog interested in tugging can be a challenge, but if you consider your dog’s breed characteristics and adapt your play style accordingly, you will succeed. Generally, dragging a toy on the ground is more enticing than shoving it in your dog’s face. The more you can imitate the scurrying movement of a rodent, the more interesting the toy will be. Likewise, standing at an oblique angle to your dog while you brandish your toy is more fun for your dog than if you stand over him. Some hardy breeds will enjoy being shoved around a bit while you initiate the game, particularly if you push them away in the chest as you run off with the toy. With toy-sized dogs or dogs with a soft temperament, I crouch so that I am actually facing slightly away from them and gently drag the toy along the ground. Especially with little dogs, you should let the dog do the tugging and you just hold the toy. If you tug too hard you can hurt your small dog’s neck and back.
Piggy Pointer
If your dog is fearful, reactive,