By LAURA GARBER
Columnist
We all know that breed characteristics were developed
for the breed’s intended work: Greyhounds were bred to
hunt by sight, Bassets and Beagles to hunt by scent,
Retrievers to retrieve and swim, Terriers to rout out the
hiding places of small game. Breed mixes carry the
inherited traits of each of the breeds, to a greater or lesser
degree.
But nowadays it’s rare that we ask our house dogs to do
the work for which they were intended, even as those traits
still surface, often to our dismay. The trick is to tap into those natural traits of your dog,
channeling them in positive, creative games and tasks, while discouraging some of the
more troublesome aspects of their behaviors.
Ultimately, you know your dog and you know his strengths… so let’s use them to best
advantage, for your dog’s well-being as well as your own.
Go Find It
This is a game of sniffing out a fragrant piece of food and it makes a wonderful pastime,
particularly for a scent-driven dog.
Builds On: Stay.
Game Variation: If your dog doesn’t have a stay yet, you can still play using two people,
one to hold the dog, the other to hide the treat.
Installing the Command: We want the command Go find it! to indicate that there is food
somewhere for the hunting. Start easy by saying “Go find it!” and tossing a piece of
kibble. Make it easy to find.
Playing the Game: Take a piece of cold cut or a little chunk of cooked chicken, put the dog
in a sit-stay or down-stay in one room, and plant the food in another room in plain view.
Then release her from her stay and direct her to start her hunt by saying “OK, go find it!”
(Remember that it’s important to give both the OK release as well as the hunt command
or the integrity of her stay will be weakened.)
Super dog: As she gains fluency, make the treat increasingly well hidden, under furniture,
in her crate, inside a toy on the floor, wherever… be creative! And you can hide a couple of
treats at one time; when she’s found the first, repeat the command “go find it” to indicate
that there’s still another one out there somewhere.
Note: Do not hide the tidbits in places where you don’t want her hunting, like on a table
top, which would encourage counter surfing. Also, if your dog breaks her stay, put her
back in her spot. What she’ll learn is that breaking her stay delays the game.
Hide and Seek
Just like you played as a kid…
Builds On: Stay.
Game Variation: If your dog doesn’t have a stay yet, you can still play using two people,
alternating the person holding the dog and the person hiding.
Installing the Command: If you want to install the command come, this is a great way to
do it. Say “OK, Biscuit, come!” Again, OK releases the stay, using her name attracts her
attention, and come will come to mean the command to seek you out.
Playing the Game: Put the dog in a sit-stay or down-stay, then go off and hide. Say the
release word and call her name. Let her sniff you out! If she doesn’t find you at first, call
her name again as a hint. For starters, give her a treat or a quick game of tug when she
finds you to motivate her playing the game. Eventually, the game itself, and your praise,
will become rewarding enough.
Keep Away
Dogs love to be the object of a chase. And it’s great exercise for both of you!
Builds On: Take it.
Installing the Command: Whenever you offer your dog a biscuit, chewy, or toy, precede it
with “take it.”
Playing the Game: Offer your dog the toy by saying “take it.” Then make an exaggerated
posture of playful stalking, saying “I’m gonna getcha!” Have a vigorous game of chase.
When you’re done, say “Good boy. All done,” and turn away. Game over.
Note: Have one toy designated for this game. Otherwise it might invite play with some
undesirable objects, such as your favorite socks.
Tug and Drop It
Far from being adversarial, your
dog considers playing tug with you
to be cooperative… together, you
are subduing the “prey.” Playing tug
can also accentuate the herding
instinct while at the same time
making the drop it an important
component of the exercise (i.e. a
working dog would have to release
the stray sheep on command).
Builds On: Tug it!, Take it, Drop it
and impulse control (Wait).
Installing the Command: When
your pup has a toy in her mouth,
say “drop it” and offer a tasty treat
right at her nose. Then offer her toy
back to her with a “take it.’ This way, drop it doesn’t mean to her that she’s losing her toy
permanently but just long enough to get a nice treat and then get the toy back.
Playing the Game: Say “tug it!” and offer her the other end of the tug rope. For starters,
don’t lag between showing the tug toy and saying “tug it!,” as the sight of it can be
arousing initially. This impulse control will come later. Play a vigorous bout of tug, then
have your arm become motionless (i.e. the prey goes limp), and say “drop it.” By now,
she should be dropping without treat; instead the reward is getting the opportunity to play
tug again.
Super dog: To increase impulse control, show her the tug toy and use a command like
wait or simply wait for her to show polite behavior, like a sit or down. She should only
grab hold of the tug toy when invited with a tug it!
Note: As with Keep Away, have one toy designated for this game.
Fetch
Retrievers make natural fetchers but all dogs can learn to play the game of fetch.
Playing the Game: Throw the ball, saying “get the ball.” If your dog is more interested in
playing keep away than fetch, end the game with a “too bad!” and turn your back.
You may also want to leave the leash on so you can catch him more easily. Make the
experience very rewarding, with a nice treat for the drop it and another immediate toss;
this way your dog learns that there are some definite perks to returning with the ball.
Super Dog: Ultimately the game itself becomes reward, so say “wait” or simply wait for
polite behavior, like a sit, between each round.
Some Final Tips
Playing is on your terms: you start the game and you end it. Ignore her if she tries to
provoke more play. If you notice undesirable behaviors developing, like body checking or
mouthiness, give a verbal warning like “uh uh” to mark the behavior you don’t like and
ask for a sit to quiet things down a bit. If the behavior continues with more play, say
“Too bad!” and stop the game.
Remember, always quit with your dog wanting more.
First published December 2005 in The Animal Companion.
Columnist
We all know that breed characteristics were developed
for the breed’s intended work: Greyhounds were bred to
hunt by sight, Bassets and Beagles to hunt by scent,
Retrievers to retrieve and swim, Terriers to rout out the
hiding places of small game. Breed mixes carry the
inherited traits of each of the breeds, to a greater or lesser
degree.
But nowadays it’s rare that we ask our house dogs to do
the work for which they were intended, even as those traits
still surface, often to our dismay. The trick is to tap into those natural traits of your dog,
channeling them in positive, creative games and tasks, while discouraging some of the
more troublesome aspects of their behaviors.
Ultimately, you know your dog and you know his strengths… so let’s use them to best
advantage, for your dog’s well-being as well as your own.
Go Find It
This is a game of sniffing out a fragrant piece of food and it makes a wonderful pastime,
particularly for a scent-driven dog.
Builds On: Stay.
Game Variation: If your dog doesn’t have a stay yet, you can still play using two people,
one to hold the dog, the other to hide the treat.
Installing the Command: We want the command Go find it! to indicate that there is food
somewhere for the hunting. Start easy by saying “Go find it!” and tossing a piece of
kibble. Make it easy to find.
Playing the Game: Take a piece of cold cut or a little chunk of cooked chicken, put the dog
in a sit-stay or down-stay in one room, and plant the food in another room in plain view.
Then release her from her stay and direct her to start her hunt by saying “OK, go find it!”
(Remember that it’s important to give both the OK release as well as the hunt command
or the integrity of her stay will be weakened.)
Super dog: As she gains fluency, make the treat increasingly well hidden, under furniture,
in her crate, inside a toy on the floor, wherever… be creative! And you can hide a couple of
treats at one time; when she’s found the first, repeat the command “go find it” to indicate
that there’s still another one out there somewhere.
Note: Do not hide the tidbits in places where you don’t want her hunting, like on a table
top, which would encourage counter surfing. Also, if your dog breaks her stay, put her
back in her spot. What she’ll learn is that breaking her stay delays the game.
Hide and Seek
Just like you played as a kid…
Builds On: Stay.
Game Variation: If your dog doesn’t have a stay yet, you can still play using two people,
alternating the person holding the dog and the person hiding.
Installing the Command: If you want to install the command come, this is a great way to
do it. Say “OK, Biscuit, come!” Again, OK releases the stay, using her name attracts her
attention, and come will come to mean the command to seek you out.
Playing the Game: Put the dog in a sit-stay or down-stay, then go off and hide. Say the
release word and call her name. Let her sniff you out! If she doesn’t find you at first, call
her name again as a hint. For starters, give her a treat or a quick game of tug when she
finds you to motivate her playing the game. Eventually, the game itself, and your praise,
will become rewarding enough.
Keep Away
Dogs love to be the object of a chase. And it’s great exercise for both of you!
Builds On: Take it.
Installing the Command: Whenever you offer your dog a biscuit, chewy, or toy, precede it
with “take it.”
Playing the Game: Offer your dog the toy by saying “take it.” Then make an exaggerated
posture of playful stalking, saying “I’m gonna getcha!” Have a vigorous game of chase.
When you’re done, say “Good boy. All done,” and turn away. Game over.
Note: Have one toy designated for this game. Otherwise it might invite play with some
undesirable objects, such as your favorite socks.
Tug and Drop It
Far from being adversarial, your
dog considers playing tug with you
to be cooperative… together, you
are subduing the “prey.” Playing tug
can also accentuate the herding
instinct while at the same time
making the drop it an important
component of the exercise (i.e. a
working dog would have to release
the stray sheep on command).
Builds On: Tug it!, Take it, Drop it
and impulse control (Wait).
Installing the Command: When
your pup has a toy in her mouth,
say “drop it” and offer a tasty treat
right at her nose. Then offer her toy
back to her with a “take it.’ This way, drop it doesn’t mean to her that she’s losing her toy
permanently but just long enough to get a nice treat and then get the toy back.
Playing the Game: Say “tug it!” and offer her the other end of the tug rope. For starters,
don’t lag between showing the tug toy and saying “tug it!,” as the sight of it can be
arousing initially. This impulse control will come later. Play a vigorous bout of tug, then
have your arm become motionless (i.e. the prey goes limp), and say “drop it.” By now,
she should be dropping without treat; instead the reward is getting the opportunity to play
tug again.
Super dog: To increase impulse control, show her the tug toy and use a command like
wait or simply wait for her to show polite behavior, like a sit or down. She should only
grab hold of the tug toy when invited with a tug it!
Note: As with Keep Away, have one toy designated for this game.
Fetch
Retrievers make natural fetchers but all dogs can learn to play the game of fetch.
Playing the Game: Throw the ball, saying “get the ball.” If your dog is more interested in
playing keep away than fetch, end the game with a “too bad!” and turn your back.
You may also want to leave the leash on so you can catch him more easily. Make the
experience very rewarding, with a nice treat for the drop it and another immediate toss;
this way your dog learns that there are some definite perks to returning with the ball.
Super Dog: Ultimately the game itself becomes reward, so say “wait” or simply wait for
polite behavior, like a sit, between each round.
Some Final Tips
Playing is on your terms: you start the game and you end it. Ignore her if she tries to
provoke more play. If you notice undesirable behaviors developing, like body checking or
mouthiness, give a verbal warning like “uh uh” to mark the behavior you don’t like and
ask for a sit to quiet things down a bit. If the behavior continues with more play, say
“Too bad!” and stop the game.
Remember, always quit with your dog wanting more.
First published December 2005 in The Animal Companion.
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Laura Garber is a trainer and behavior consultant living in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her company, WoofGang, LLC is committed to deepening the bonds between dogs and their people through positive training and behavior modification techniques. Write her with questions at Laura@myWoofGang.com. |
Builds on: Drop it, Fetch, impulse control
(Wait).
Installing the Commands: If your dog does not
have a natural attraction to chasing a thrown
object, shape it by treating for successive
approximations, like approaching it, touching
it, mouthing it, then picking it up. Once you
have this established, precede the behavior
with “get the ball!” (Being specific about the
object allows you to shape distinction to
different objects later if you want.)