Jedismom Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 There is nothing that Jedi likes better than when I give him a task. I sometimes think about the term "having fun with your dogs" and it just doesn't seem to apply to Jedi. He considers it all "work" and he likes it that way. So in order to keep my little workaholic challenged, so that he doesn't try to disassemble the barbecue grill (like he did last week), I'd appreciate your input. What "jobs" have you taught your BC and how? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Sami used to pick up socks and small pieces of clothing and put them in a laundry basket. If I scattered socks, dish towels, etc on the floor in front of our front loading washer, she'd pick them up one at a time and put them in for me. Now that she's older, she seems to get confused when I ask her to do that, so I do the laundry on my own. Both dogs will bring me anything I point to, which is handy when I'm oh so comfy on the couch and drop the remote. If you google 'service dog training' you should find some things you can teach him. A woman named Barbara Handelman teaches people how to train their own service dogs, and I'm pretty sure she's got a web site. Have fun! Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4ever Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Sami used to pick up socks and small pieces of clothing and put them in a laundry basket. If I scattered socks, dish towels, etc on the floor in front of our front loading washer, she'd pick them up one at a time and put them in for me. Now that she's older, she seems to get confused when I ask her to do that, so I do the laundry on my own. Both dogs will bring me anything I point to, which is handy when I'm oh so comfy on the couch and drop the remote. If you google 'service dog training' you should find some things you can teach him. A woman named Barbara Handelman teaches people how to train their own service dogs, and I'm pretty sure she's got a web site. Have fun! Ruth Thanks for the advice about Googling "service dog training." Could be helpful as it pertains to a topic I started on Fibromyalgia. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo Peep Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Usher picks up anything I drop. He waits for the "take it" command. My wallet is pretty heavy- not due to money in it- LOL. Cell phone has puppy teeth in it. But pens, papers, almost anything else, he will easily grab and sit and hold it in his mouth so I don't fall over while picking them up. Here is a good website http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assistance-dogs/ I mainly lurk there. If you go to a Fibromyalgia web site, they can help you with your dog, also. Assistant dogs aren't only for the blind. I use mine for lack of balance and my tremors. If you need any additional information as to where to purchase vests, cards, etc... certification. Just PM me. I'd be happy to help you. My mother suffers from fibromyalgia and it is very painful. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 My dog doesn't really have any "jobs," but he does come to alert me when the tea kettle whistles or the microwave beeps. I have no illusions that he's being philanthropic; he loves to have a taste of my tea or whatever comes out of the microwave. Once, early on, Buddy barked after I'd fallen asleep, and couldn't be settled. I ignored him. Should have listened. The bread maching was on a "mix" cycle and wasn't balanced right on the counter - it was slowly walking off. I only paid attention when it crashed to the floor. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Quinn picks up socks and small towels and puts them in the laundry drop. He will also put all the toys away in a box. He's also great about picking up things I drop and bringing them to me. Quinn acts like it's all a game and most of the time it would be quicker for me to take care of things so I don't know that I'd call any of that a "job." However, he does have a command that is very helpful for me. I say "cherchez" when I need help locating one of the dogs' poop and he will seek it out and stand by it until I get there. This really helpful in the dark or when there are leaves on the ground. Only someone who is determined to keep the yard picked up with multiple dogs could truly appreciate this talent. I use a French command so any neighbors who hear me over the privacy fence don't think I'm even more of a loon with my dogs than they've already decided I was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4ever Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 I say "cherchez" when I need help locating one of the dogs' poop and he will seek it out and stand by it until I get there. This really helpful in the dark or when there are leaves on the ground. Only someone who is determined to keep the yard picked up with multiple dogs could truly appreciate this talent. I use a French command so any neighbors who hear me over the privacy fence don't think I'm even more of a loon with my dogs than they've already decided I was. LOVE IT!! Now that's a useful command!! I'm just wondering how you came to teach him this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 LOL - that's clever I have to admit to asking Ouzo where he just went, if I cannot locate the landmine, and he usually goes back and sniffs desgusted at the area, but close enough for me to zero in on it and bag it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 I'm just wondering how you came to teach him this... Well, if you really want to know.... I noticed Quinn often went to sniff after my Sheltie finished her business, so to speak. I started saying "Cherchez. Good cherchez!" whenever he did this. And with a Border Collie, the rest was simple. He quickly figured out what I wanted when I said "cherchez." Shortly after he learned this trick, I couldn't find where he had just gone so I called him back to the general area to "cherchez." The look he gave me as he went back to the spot was priceless. Sort of "Do I need to do everything around here???" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedismom Posted January 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 When I posted this I never thought I'd get where's the poop stories. I'd love to teach the toy pick-up if I can. How did you do it? Georgia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 I'd love to teach the toy pick-up if I can. How did you do it? Quinn was retrieving at 7 weeks and has always enjoyed picking up stuff and bringing it to me so it was pretty easy. I encouraged the behavior and sort of "talked him through" putting the toys in the toy box. I also used a clicker-ish approach. We started with the toys only about 4 or 5 feet away from the box. I did some shaping, rewarding for carrying the toy toward the box, then for dropping the toy in the vicinity of the box, then for dropping the toy into the box. After he had that down, I backchained the behavior so the toys were farther and farther away, eventually in different rooms. He'll now run through the house and take flying leaps onto any toy he sees, bring it to the box, then go look look for more toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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