Did you know that playing repeated fetch with your dog, apart from being potentially damaging to their joints can create a super athlete adrenaline junkie who needs to feel the thrill every day, finds it tough to settle and can develop behaviour problems as a result?
Did you know that instead of mindless fetch, all the control you’ll ever need to allow your dog off leash in public can be taught through structured play, search and retrieve?
Take your turn retrieves should be easy to start with (no water or ditch, short distance, easy to find). The rules are simple. Leash your dog up. Throw the ball but close by so your dog doesn’t hurt themselves trying to lunge forward. Wait for them to stop trying to drag towards the ball-any relaxed leash or calm is rewarded. Once this happens, mark it (my verbal marker/release cue in this case is the dog’s name) and send to search.
When you have your dog immediately releasing tension on the leash when you toss the ball, you can start to add the ‘wait’ signal just BEFORE he waits. Practice lots indoors and out and only get rid of the leash when your dog stops steady on the wait cue. The key is your dog should not get the ball until you say their name and ‘find’ so have a second person handy when you first get rid of the leash and stand them close to the ball to pick it up if you dog breaks the ‘wait’. If needed, leash up again and repeat the training a few more times helping them realise the reward for wait is to get their ball.
In the video below Guinness the Border Collie and Jack Russell Jellybean are practising:
*Wait: freeze, don’t move until you’re told to.
*Stay: Hold a position regardless of what’s going on.
* Impulse control: Even if you want something, you may not get access to it immediately.
* Patience: if you don’t hear your name it’s not your turn.
* Search & Retrieve: mental exercise for your dog using natural instincts.
* Recall: come back even if you’re in the middle of something.
* Break off a recall: begin another behaviour on cue-in this instance search some more.
https://www.facebook.com/muttamorphosisDogTrainingandBehaviour/videos/1746337302084400/
Tougher training for a further game challenge.
Wait (freeze temporarily) without a static position, so it’s more tempting to break off therefore needs more impulse control by the dog. Retrieve over a water filled ditch with return via a directed route.
Wait.
Find (but only if you hear your name).
Get on! This is my cue which means run in a straight line away from me. Watch where tell him this as he’s running left (my mistake) and he turns confused before running left of me again.
Left-self explanatory directional cue.
Recall and retrieve back to me.
https://www.facebook.com/muttamorphosisDogTrainingandBehaviour/videos/1746474795403984/
https://www.facebook.com/muttamorphosisDogTrainingandBehaviour/videos/1746478692070261/
