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!

Train with Toys!

So when most people think about positive reinforcement training they think food and praise BUT really it can be anything your dog considers good and every dog is different so the list varies. One of the best reinforcers can be play. 

Most dog owners who train for dog sports like Obedience or Agility discover training with toys early on but many regular pet owners miss the boat using exlusively treats or praise. So you ask how do you train with toys? It's easy and we'll go over some concepts now. 

Recall - Teaching Your Dog to Come

1. Start in your yard or home. Use a toy that your dog really likes. Some of my favourites are chuck-it balls or skinneez (stuff animals with squeakers but no stuffing). The toy you pick for training should only be available to your dog during the training session. As soon as your done put it away so it maintains a high value for your dog. 

2. Call your dog "come" and run away from your dog. When he/she catches you pull out the toy and either throw the ball or play tug with your dog. The more exciting you can be the better. 

3. If you've thrown the ball reward your dog with a treat if he/she brings it back. Don't focus on the retrieve part since you are practicing recall at this moment. 

Heeling

1. Same concept as recall. Use a special toy only for training and otherwise put it away. 

2. You can start by holding the toy on the side you wish your dog to walk on and get him/her to focus on it while moving forward.

3. When your dog takes a few steps in heel position stop and play. 

4. Stop the game, get your dog to take more steps and then stop and play again. 

A ball can be held in your arm pit and occassionally dropped for your dog to grab. A tug toy can be easily held in your hand or pocket and brought out spontaneously. 

Any skill you teach with food or praise can also be taught by playing. Remember it's important to teach your dog "leave it" so you can get the toy back in order to keep practicing. 

I'll upload some YouTube videos shortly using toys as rewards so you can get a better concept of the idea. In all the classes at Where's Your Sit we suggest using toy rewards along with food, praise and petting. One of my dogs prefers toys as his BEST reward even over really good treats.

Look forward to our next entry on how to create "toy drive" in a dog that doesn't play naturally.

Why Dogs Develop Aggression?

Aggression can mean a lot of different things. Most owners are describing behaviours that they feel are threatening when referring to aggression. Commonly this can be biting where there's an injury, biting where there's no injuring, growling, barking, lunging, air snapping, etc. 

Sometimes the reason for "aggressive" behaviour is clear and other times it's not. For many dogs they start with low level behaviour such as growling and progress to more serious threats when they realize that it works. Other dogs may suddenly develop "aggression". 

The first step would be to rule out medical issues. An animal in pain will not act like they usually do and might respond to touch in a dramatic fashion. When my dog Tank had a knee injury he began to shown aggressive behaviour when dogs came near that part of his body. He would snarl, growl and even air snap. This was unusual for him and a clear sign that something was wrong. 

Another cause for aggression is often fear. This can not be understated. Dogs who are scared will run or fight. We humans unwittingly trap our dogs with leashes, walls, kennels, etc and can trigger a bite when a dog really just wants to avoid. 

Dogs can be fearful of anything! Common issues include fear of strangers, kids, loss of a valuable resource (ball, sock, food) and of course other dogs. If we treat aggression (fear) with physical violence or force then we are often pushing the dog to escalate his/her own aggression. A better approach would be to use slow desensitization to the source of the fear so our dogs learn to deal with it. 

Aggression is one of those behaviours that needs to be treated with care. It's imperative that you seek help from a professional trainer or behaviourist and veterinarian. For more information please contact Where's Your Sit or the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).