Update on Frisbee Problem

[GeorgiaBC]

I posted a while back about how my dog decided to shut down on frisbee because she could read my disappointment when wasn't bringing it all the way back. Remember, no correction--just not a "good girl." When she didn't hear the "good girl" she decided she had screwed up and didn't want to play.

 

Well, based on my own instincts and some good advice here, I gave it a week off, then started again with a lot of enthusiasm. Every time the frisbee came out she got lots of "good girl's." Now it's her favorite game again. She still doesn't bring it all the way back, but since it's just for fun I'm not going to worry too much about that. I'm going to work on "give it to me" with other objects, then try to transfer that to frisbee.

[Deanna in OR]

Our Border Collie, Tenaya, is a Frisbee-obsessed BC and learned early that if she brought it back and sat nicely in front, it would get thrown again.

 

One thing that has worked for me as I try to teach my rough collie Willow to catch and bring back the Frisbee (she isn't the natural Frisbee hound that Tenaya is)--If after Willow gets the disk, she starts mouthing the Frisbee and playing with it in place, rather than picking it up to bring back to me, I just turn the other way and start running away, wooping and hollering. She goes crazy running after me any time I run away, and with the Frisbee, she'll grab it and come running after me. When she gets to me, I grab it and play a little tug with her, then ask her to "drop" and then throw it again.

 

This way it's always a fun game and no correction necessary.

 

I also play close attention to her mood with it--any sign at all that she is tiring of the game, and the Frisbee is put away, leaving her always wanting more.

 

Deanna in OR

[GeorgiaBC]

Tried the running away. She leaves the frisbee and runs. I'm going to play more tug with her with other toys, then try to use the frisbee for that, two. She's a natural and loves to play. If she brings it to within about 15 feet that's good enough. Sometimes it's not that close.

 

I'm going to work on tug and give it to me.

[Alaska]

I'm going to work on "give it to me" with other objects, then try to transfer that to frisbee.

 

If the frisbee is what she loves, she'll be more motivated to learn it with the frisbee than the other way around. I traded high-value treats for the frisbee for what seemed like forever to get my BC to hand it to me, but now she plays the game according to my rules (frisbee retrieved to hand) with no treats involved.

 

Frequently when we play fetch with a new toy, I have to briefly repeat the process of trading treat for toy to convince her that this toy, too, needs to be delivered to my hand to be thrown again. So I'm not sure working on the behavior with other objects would be the most efficient way to resolve the issue.

 

High value rewards and patience are the key.

[Deanna in OR]

The other thing I forgot to mention--is that so far, I am working with Willow the collie just in the living room with a soft frisbee. and only with a few feet (5-10 at the most) between us.

 

I know from past experience, that if we went outside and put more distance, she would drop the frisbee to run after me when I run away.

 

Also, I have a mild correction--"uh-uh"--which tells the dogs that "oops--you didn't do what I wanted". I couple this with "where's your frisbee?!?" and let her know we won't play if she doesn't bring it with her. Adding the tug game when she does bring it creates its own reward to bringing it back.

 

A rule of thumb in training is to remember "Distance, Distraction, Difficulty, Duration"--any time you change one of those dimensions, don't change the others at the same time. And you might even need to reduce the other dimensions as you work on increasing one. In Willow's case, we are increasing difficulty (bringing it back) and keeping the other 3 to an absolute minimum (short distance, little distraction in the living room, and keeping the sessions of very short duration).

 

Deanna in OR