need retrieving help

[Miztiki]

I need to teach Boyden how to go to a specified object, put it in his mouth, and put it either in my hand or somewhere else. He is NOT a natural at that and I don't know how to teach it. Can anyone help? Even just the right keywords so I can do a google search would be fine.

 

Ultimately I'd like to teach him (or Fynne, or a future dog) how to do lots of useful things for me for when I'll really need it. Apparently I don't know where to look to find this kind of information. (I did look at all those links Annette, but didn't find specific info.)

 

Thanks!

 

Miz

 

p.s. I pulled 14 ticks off him today. I just Frontlined him 2 days ago. Ugh.

[Maralynn]

Have you tried Googling for either retrieving or training for obedience trials? Utility dog obedience requires sending your dog out to retrieve a certain object (a dumbell).

 

Also, the book "Dog Tricks for Dummies" has a good detailed breakdown of the steps to teaching fetching paticular items and also carrying things and putting them away. I think they also have a section on basic carting. The author did say that getting a dog to take and hold things can take a few weeks of patient work. The key she says is breaking it down into baby steps.

 

Hope this helps!

[INU]

Miz,

It was easy with Cooper because he is a retriever but it took me some time with Jazzy. When I taught her to pick up my keys (with a small stuffed animal attache to it) and bring them back, I used clicker. I started with just touching the keys. if she put her nose to it, click and treat. I did that many times.

 

Then I moved on to actually picking it up.

 

She was never really into tugging either so it was even harder. I had to teach her to put a thing in her mouth and pick it up. I teased her with the stuffed animal and when she put her mouth on it, I click and treat. when she picked it up on her own, jackpot treat. You get the idea. No tricks, just patience and repetitions.

 

I just added those two and click treat click treat... increase the distance, change the items etc.

 

Do you want to teach him to retrieve things just for you?

[Miztiki]

I specifically want to teach him to put something in his mouth. If you recall, he had no interest in balls and such when I got him. I have encouraged any and all interest and he will now *maybe* play fetch for a few throws. The big thing is making him understand that I want him to actually put an object in his mouth and not just touch it. The rest I can manage in baby steps and encourage, but he's not understanding that I want him to put the object in his mouth and I don't know how to teach that.

[INU]

Maybe obedience folks can tell you how they teach 'hold'. I think I've seen a thread about it.

 

For puppies, we cut a tennis ball and put boiled chickn inside or soak in chicken stock. The dog usually picks it up and play with it.

[Maralynn]

The suggestion in the book I have is to start with a dowel. go to a quiet area with the dog on a leash. Hold the dowel in front of him and say "take it". Try a variety of ways to get him to open his mouth - a treat, tickling his wiskers below the nose, gently pressuring the spot just behind the canine teeth (will drop the jaw automatically). When he takes it click and treat (I would just use the word "yes"). It can take some time and some enticing!

 

Maybe it would help to flavor the dowel with something?

 

I have not tried this, just read about it. I do want to eventually try it. Missy has a great ball drive and will retrive it as long as you will throw it. But with most other things I've tried, she looks at me like "I don't get it". If I get really excited and get her hyped up about it she will usually do a frisbee as well - but only if if I leave the ball in the house.

[Miztiki]

INU, how much liver and/or egg have you been feeding Jazzy? I just read your blog again and it ocurred to me that that might have something to do with it.

 

Organs (like liver) are quite rich and can cause digestive upsets. Eggs can cause digestive problems for some dogs too, like Fynne and her explosive diarrhea.

 

Did you feed her liver and eggs before? If not, then skip the liver and eggs for a week and see if her poops firm up. If they do, then introduce one or the other and see what happens. Maybe it's the egg or the liver that's not agreeing with her.

 

As for my original question, maybe I just need to be patient and persistent with Boyden. I have a stuffed whale that he likes to play with and have used that in trying to teach him to go to, put in his mouth, bring to me, and let go. I tried stuffing treats in the whale and a tennis ball but he wouldn't put it in his mouth, just used his paws and teeth to get it out.

 

I'll try the tickling and gum thing too Maralynn.

[INU]

I give her quite a lot of liver... I made a lot and put them in freezer. I will try it (without) for a week to see. I just noticed another thing. She smells good! She used to smell like 'chicken soup for dog lovers' but she doesn't have any odor

 

Have you tried tying a rope to his toy and dragging it?

[Miztiki]

Go without egg for a while too, unless she's eaten them cooked before and never had any problems. Why cook it though?

 

I tied his tug rope to his 20' leash and he chased that around. That was a long time ago though, so don't remember much.

 

What's a good command word for when the dog puts something in it's mouth? If I could give that behavior a name, then I could get him to do it when we're playing fetch then transfer that command.

 

I could say "get the..." then the put it in your mouth command, then "bring it" then "let go".

 

Yeah, that would work. What's a good command word for when the dog puts an object in it's mouth? Grab it?

 

Ooh, just thought of an inspiring way too! I could tie a towel to the fridge handle and have some treats inside. That would motivate him!

[INU]

grab it, pick it up, tore (had to throw it).

He will eventually pick it up when you give the 'get the...' command.

 

I cook the egg with other stuff to make their treat so I can freeze them and use them later. I don't want to have raw stuff all over my hand when I train them.

 

Where did you get the liver treat you have? Did you buy online?

 

what are you doing up so late. should be in bed!

[Miztiki]

What are YOU doing up so late?

 

I bought those liver treats at petsmart. They were expensive though and I won't buy them again. Much easier to buy large hunks of beef and dry them out for treats.

 

I just tied a towel to the fridge handle and put Jazzy's chicken on the shelf. I grabbed the towel and opened the fridge a whole bunch of times to show him how it works. I got Boy all excited and he would nudge the towel with his nose but that's it. I told him good boy for nudging it, but anything I try never goes beyond that. If he knew what I wanted then I'm sure he would do it. I'm not communicating what I want though. *sigh*

 

Fynne did no better btw.

[kelpiegirl]

hi there:

What I do is get something he/she really likes- a toy, a bone, what have you. Then once they really like it, throw it on the ground and say "get it , go get that toy, get it get it get it" in a really happy tone, and run to it and pick it up and play with it like it was the BEST toy invented! If they so much as put their mouth on it whoop it up with them- what GOOOOD dogs! ))

Soon they will see that the game is go get it, and will bring it to you to play with you. Since they aren't natural retrievers, don't worry about having them give it to you, rather really solidify their retrieving yen. When you get that, then let us know and we can help you with the rest

Julie

[Journey]

Ah, well, in teaching "retrieves" to a non compliant dog takes time and patience. If your beginning issue is that he won't place items in his mouth then I would suggest you use "food" not every day stuff, really good stuf. Choose a word that you want to be your command to fetch. Be it "take it, get it or fetch", whatever.

 

Place the goody on the floor in front of you, holding his collar while you do so. Say choosen word, release dog. When he goes to get it praise him, say your come word (come, here, whatever you use for a return) You will need to have a second cookie in your hand. When he returns to you give him the 2nd good cookie. You gradually increase the distance you have placed the cookie on the ground, which in turn increases the distance he goes and comes back. You can also have him on lead if you think he won't return as quickly as you would like him to. Once he understands the concept of "going to object, getting it (even though he eats it) and coming back you can progress from there. You can put said cookie into a light cloth garden glove, start back at the beginning with glove in front of you "close" so as to help him if he needs it. When he attempt to pick it up, mouth it, play, simply be interested in it ask him to "come" - granted he may not have the glove but you have to piece this exersize together, back-chaining in some cases. You can praise him for coming, no treat from you though, once he picks it up, give him the cookies that are in the glove. Stay close, you don't want him picking it up and running off with it :>) As he progresses, you can then make it so that he gets the rewards from you, not the ones in the glove. Here you're weaning away from allowing an object to reward him, you should be the one rewarding him, hence the cookies on you at all times.

 

Clear as mud? It's not easy, take time and most of all patience.

 

Karen

[BigD]

Miztiki -

 

Clicker, clicker, clicker and you can teach anything.

 

Make it 'work' - seems these guys have more fun when they think it's a 'job.'

 

We used all the stupid obedience tricks to teach Buddy the dumbell and it was a serious mess. I had to take a year off with him on it because the sight of a dumbell shut him down instantly.

 

Then I was taught the clicker and his response to it was so good that I tried it out with the dumbell. He will now run/prance to the dumbell and run/prance with it in his mouth back to me. Happy as can be.

 

I only use the clicker now to teach new behaviors. Both dogs can put their toys away, take, hold and give. All taught with the click.

 

I can PM more info on it if you want.

 

Denise

[Journey]

We used all the stupid obedience tricks to teach Buddy the dumbell and it was a serious mess. I had to take a year off with him on it because the sight of a dumbell shut him down instantly.

 

Sometimes it is also the attitude of the handler. Teaching a retrieve is "work" when done properly. If you convey to the dog that it's drugery then they will think of it that way as well. The retreive is more than picking something up. It involves the "going", the "pick up", the "return - i.e. recall" and the delivery. You have to be very clear in what you want, what you expect and what you settle for. If you lower your standard they (the dog) will too. If you don't care about "how" or even "if" they respond all the time....well then that's not a very clear picture to them either.

 

Karen

[Miztiki]

I'll be darned! It worked!

 

I've got a towel tied to the fridge handle. Was again showing him that pulling on the towel will open up the fridge. He just wasn't getting it. I told him to get it then left the room hoping he would figure it out.

 

A couple minutes later I went into the kitchen and he was laying on the floor staring longingly at the food I had put in the fridge as motivation!

 

I went and got the camera and got a ton of really crappy resolution pics, but these two came out ok.

 

 

 

He opened the fridge several times. Now I'll have to lock it!

[BigD]

Actually Karen, I didn't have a problem with it until Buddy decided that he would rather bite me than hold a dumbell in his mouth.

 

At that point, yes, I did have a major attitude but it was directed at the A-holes that made me believe that a lip roll (where you grab the top lip and roll it around the top canine until the dog opens his mouth in pain) and an ear pinch (where you take an edge of the dogs ear and mash it between your finger nail and the ring on the collar until the dog opens his mouth in pain) were the only proper ways to teach a "take" command.

 

To them, a retrieve was not "work" it was "control."

 

I'm not going to go into the whole long story but they (the trainers) felt that even though there was blood on the dumbell and even though Buddy would bite me if I got near him with the dumbell in my hand - they STILL felt that I should bash it into his head WITH PAIN that he had to pick up the stupid thing.

 

And that's when I walked away.

 

Went right into agility training and never took the dumbell out again for another year.

 

In that time I learned how to make it "work" through the use of a clicker. Many folks can do this without a clicker, but with the horrible experience we had, I feel the only way I could train it properly was with a clicker.

 

Denise

[BigD]

Miztikie - that's great!!!

 

Now make sure you take the towel off the door unless you want the fridge door left open all night long.

 

Denise

[Miztiki]

And now he's in big trouble. :mad:

 

He and Fynne have been eating a whole turkey for a couple days. After successfully opening the fridge several times, I gave him the turkey for dinner. He ate alot then stopped.

 

So I picked it up and gave it to Fynne in her crate. A couple minutes later I heard fighting and ran out to the living room. Boyden was trying to take the turkey from Fynne through the crate - had his paws up on the crate snarling and everything. He's in a down-stay in the bathtub right now and will be there for a good long time.

 

I've noticed in the last few days that he has become more food aggressive. What I saw a few minutes ago has me very angry and will be dealt with. My Boy needs to be knocked down a peg or two. Grrr.

[Miztiki]

Originally posted by BigD:

Miztikie - that's great!!!

 

Now make sure you take the towel off the door unless you want the fridge door left open all night long.

 

Denise

Glad you said that! I'm doing it now...

 

Oh geez, is this pitiful or what?

 

 

(Tub is clean, grout job is crap!)

[kelpiegirl]

Miztiki:

 

Boy, with Boy and Fynn, I think you should put in your sig line "as the world turns" hee hee hee!

Sounds like Boy is a very dynamic critter- he is in the perfect place for it- you are up for the challenge!

 

Julie

[kelpiegirl]

Oh, and one more thing. Those who preach lip rolling and ear pinching to teach the retrieve- I hope at least ONE dog teaches them what teeth feel like on THEIR skin. I galls me that people go to training classes and pay someone to abuse their dogs. I know many people don't know better, but I sure hope they learn!

Julie

[INU]

oh i didn't realize there were new posts on this thread.

 

Miz,

Is that his 'naughty spot'? (as in Super Nanny)

I wonder if Cooper had anything to do with his resource guarding... If we could somehow show him that it's going to be okay and that he/she wouldn't take his food away... but I'd have to make sure that Cooper WOULDN'T take his food away

 

( edited - horrible grammer )

[Miztiki]

Good morning INU! Cooper had nothing to do with it. He's just getting a bit too big for his britches is all. I immediately started putting him back in his place after he pulled that stunt and will continue to do so. He's on probation for a while.

[Miztiki]

Denise, did another fridge session today and forgot to take the towel off. There was Boy laying in front of the open fridge for God knows how long! His other training has kept him from actually eating anything though, so that's good.

 

Might have to get those security things on that really annoying tv commercial. Anyone know what they are called? They let out an annoying noise when a door is opened, a cupboard is opened, etc.