Friday, April 24, 2015

Up Trading

Have you ever tried to play fetch with your dog only to find Fido happily chases the ball, grabs it and then forgets all about the bringing back part?

Many dogs love to chase toys and they do really want you to throw them. They also adore having a "special" object in their mouth that is theirs. This can include toys, sticks and even prized possessions that your child will spend the next few hours screaming about.

So what's a fun loving dog owner to do? You want to play but Fido only gets half the game. Plus you don't really want your furry pooch stealing stuff around the house and playing keep away.

It's really important to teach your dog to up trade. Now what does that mean? The just is that they give up something and get something better. This encourages them to relinquish objects readily. And it does work even when you don't have a trade item down the road.

A great example would be my dog is fetching a ball. He brings it back. I say "Out" and show him a new ball. He drops the ball and I throw the new one. We can continue to play using two balls so there's always something exciting to chase and my dog doesn't feel conflicted about relinquishing the one he has.

Another example would be my dog retrieves a stuffed toy. I say "Out" and show my pup a treat. He drops the toy for the treat. I throw the toy and we resume "trading".

A really important note is to avoid taking the toy from your dog or chasing your dog around. You need to make them excited about your item and not worried about you taking something from them.

Give it a try!


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