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Post by alfiemummy on Dec 6, 2014 20:28:27 GMT
What about taking a different approach to the leave of food. Why not try a wait and take? Start with holding treat in hand, show it to alfie and leave in snatching distance, command wait, and only let him take it when you have commanded to take. Improving food manners might help towards the leave (in longer term) Then do same exercise but by dropping food to the floor. Then drop food to the floor, command leave, (have another in your hand at same time as dropping treat to floor) and lead him away from the treat on the floor Build this up and hopefully in time the leave will start to work and he learns leave = you have something for him. However you must always pick this dropped treat back up and never let him have it. Does he still have his tennis ball infatuation? Might be able to us this to your advantage. i.e he goes for food and you scream him back for his ball play session? I will definitely work on that, he does it somewhat already. When we are cooking if anything drops he won't touch it if you tell him, so I will try to advance that. Also thank you so much for switching on lightbulb in my head - tennis balls! He will do absolutely anything for a tennis ball, I think they will be the answer to my problem. He prefers tennis balls to any kind of treat I have ever offered him - even cooked meats. So bird seed should seem boring in comparison. I had stopped taking them on walks completely as he wouldn't leave my side when I have one and I wanted him to explore and sniff around more. Now I want him to stop sniffing around and come with me they are perfect. Think I have become boring to him now as I don't take toys on walks because they cause problems with the other dogs we walk with. My friend doesn't like it when there are toys as his dog will steal them and he has trouble getting them back to give them back to the owner. I don't care if she steals them and can even bring extra just for her so it shouldn't be a problem.
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Post by caz2golden on Dec 6, 2014 20:46:43 GMT
Just wanted to say Good Luck Hope your friend will be on board with idea (especially if he can see that it works (if it works)) Perhaps with playing regularly with balls your friends dog will learn bringing back = new throw, so perhaps improve everyone's problems. Phoebe used to get a ball and not want to give back, now she is older she is the one who brings it back and drops it at my feet for another go. She is infatuated with balls too!! However I dont actually take a ball out very much, its usually only if they find one and then I play with it. They quarter one of the fields we go to as 99% of the time there is a lost ball somewhere! My car is full of these balls!!
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Post by zahada on Dec 6, 2014 20:51:06 GMT
Ha ha alfiemummy. I have lost many toys to my friend's German shepherds. My friend, although she competes in obedience, has not taught her dogs to bring balls back when on walks so they could be re-used. They will retrieve anything in the competition ring, but outside of it the balls or anything squeeky or tuggy is theirs to do as they want. Which usually is to rip them to pieces. And they are my dogs' balls they're shredding. LOL.
So now I ask my friend to give us distance when I want to play ball with my lot.
Anyway, back to your remark about Alfie doing anything for his ball -how about using that in the door bell training.
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Post by zahada on Dec 6, 2014 20:54:42 GMT
I usually carry about 6 balls with me, plus Kong fetch sticks.
I also have a nice squeeky Air Kong ball attached to a long line for training retrieve.
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Post by alfiemummy on Dec 6, 2014 20:56:27 GMT
Think everyone has gotten lazy with the bad weather at the moment and have been dodging the woods and playing ball on the field instead - Alfie has found about half a dozen in just the last week!
I am quite confident it will work. I will mention my idea to him in the morning, he might not like it but I want to try at least. He also doesn't like it because when she has a toy she will not play with other dogs, he always wants her to play because she has lots of energy - I'm sure we can work something out though. I don't intend to let Alfie keep the ball all the time so there will be time for play too.
If Alfie knows I have a ball he is much more likely to want to come back to me, at the moment he has gotten very naughty and just ignores me.
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Post by alfiemummy on Dec 6, 2014 21:05:37 GMT
Ha ha alfiemummy. I have lost many toys to my friend's German shepherds. My friend, although she competes in obedience, has not taught her dogs to bring balls back when on walks so they could be re-used. They will retrieve anything in the competition ring, but outside of it the balls or anything squeeky or tuggy is theirs to do as they want. Which usually is to rip them to pieces. And they are my dogs' balls they're shredding. LOL. So now I ask my friend to give us distance when I want to play ball with my lot. Anyway, back to your remark about Alfie doing anything for his ball -how about using that in the door bell training. Haha that sounds exactly like my friend's dog, she is a German Shepherd x Greyhound. So super quick to catch the ball before anyone else and then won't give it back! She can fit about 3 balls in at once too so you have to bring a whole bag of toys if you want to keep a game of fetch going! She also loves to rip up toys which is why he doesn't like it, many times he has had to apologise to owners after she chewed up a toy when he couldn't get it back! Great idea about the doorbell thanks! Think I will have to get the tennis balls out again, I had shoved them all away because they became a nuisance but now they will come in handy.
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Post by scallywag on Dec 6, 2014 21:06:11 GMT
You are not alone Beau is becoming a right sniff it out and eat, even cat poo I wonder if it is because I have cut his food back slightly (because he is not allowed long walks at the mo, only 40 mins) and also OH keeps feeding him tit bits, but hes not burning it off. He is becoming a right pain in the Bum to walk lately, having to keep reprimanding him, having to pull him away and say leave it, the pleasure of walking him is gone
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Post by alfiemummy on Dec 6, 2014 21:09:41 GMT
You are not alone Beau is becoming a right sniff it out and eat, even cat poo I wonder if it is because I have cut his food back slightly (because he is not allowed long walks at the mo, only 40 mins) and also OH keeps feeding him tit bits, but hes not burning it off. He is becoming a right pain in the Bum to walk lately, having to keep reprimanding him, having to pull him away and say leave it, the pleasure of walking him is gone I was also wondering if it is down to a change in his food, he seems to be forever hungry lately. Though I could be mistaking his enthusiasm about his new food for hunger. He has never touched the bird seed in our garden and still doesn't.
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Post by zahada on Dec 6, 2014 21:14:12 GMT
It would be so much more fun if my friend's dogs were taught to bring the ball back and have it thrown again and again. And the wonderful exercise and satisfaction that ball obsessed dogs get. But no. They have to find their own entertainment on walks because it's their time. They do receive a lot of training so walks are theirs to spend as they want. Except they want to play with toys, she doesn't bring any.....etc. Fun having walking friends. LOL.
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Post by zahada on Dec 6, 2014 21:15:37 GMT
Cat poo is a delicacy for dogs scallywag. Didn't you know that? The caviar of the dog world.
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Post by zahada on Dec 6, 2014 21:18:02 GMT
The pleasure of walking Beau will return. Beau must be as frustrated by his present restrictions as you are. He probably thinks that you are a pain in the bum.
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Post by scallywag on Dec 6, 2014 21:51:12 GMT
Cat poo is a delicacy for dogs scallywag. Didn't you know that? The caviar of the dog world. no I didn't know that, think I detest it cause when I forget about that I allow him to give me kisses
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Post by alfiemummy on Dec 6, 2014 21:58:23 GMT
Cat poo is a delicacy for dogs scallywag. Didn't you know that? The caviar of the dog world. no I didn't know that, think I detest it cause when I forget about that I allow him to give me kisses
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Post by scallywag on Dec 6, 2014 22:05:14 GMT
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Post by orpheous87 on Dec 6, 2014 23:06:01 GMT
There's a man in my town who does the same alfiemummy, except he just puts out breadcrumbs. Last winter, he put out bits of bacon too. I wouldn't mind if he put it in his garden, but he puts it all along the public footpath that goes right through the town. As it's alongside the river, the risk of rats there is much greater, but also means that the council probably wouldn't think of it as a problem because it's not a residential area. I actually wrote to Your Dog about it and this is the response I got: I will admit that I haven't actually contacted the council about it, because I'm incredibly lazy (and forgetful). If the problem starts again this winter, then I'll get in touch with them because it really annoys me. I only have to worry about Ellie really, and probably Cody now, but because she's allergic to gluten, it'll have more negative effects than it would for other dogs. I tend to resolve it by putting Ellie on the lead until we're out of the 'danger zone'. Unfortunately, I never spot the bread first so she always manages to get some! The fat balls is another issue I've come across - Ellie once ate a whole one, including the little net bag. Her poo was awful for a few days afterwards! I've always assumed that the reason these are in the middle of our field is because birds have flown off with them and dropped them over the grass, but it could also be squirrels I suppose as there are a few in the area.
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