Samson

thanks for the suggestions everyone! If anything, it looks like I'll get a lot more exercise if I have to run with him every morning

So I've been fetching with Samson for a little less than a year now and he's just started something that is kind of annoying. Whenever I fetch with him now, he is all excited, runs after the ball, but then lays down where he finds the ball. He doesnt bring it back and when he does it's hesitantly and usually doesnt bring it back to me but takes it near me and lays down. I like fetchin with him cause it gives him his exercise, but it doesnt do much now because he runs to it once and then doesnt bring it back. if he does, I'll throw it again and he'll do the same routine and lay down where he found it. Has anyone experienced this before? Any suggestions? i'm thinking maybe he's just bored with fetch but he always seems really excited when he see's me with the chuck'it. Thanks

Does anyone have any good online sources for tricks you can teach a dog? After watching Dazzle's video, I was inspired to try to teach my pup some more tricks. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Liz, Thanks for the great tips! Samson is a little over a year old but I think strangers giving him treats might be a good option. He also does better when people ignore him and gives him the chance to initiate the contact. Thanks again! Brian

Are there any tricks or ways to build my BC's confidence. He's getting a lot better around cars, but he tends to be really timid around new people and his tail is typically between his legs whenever we go for walks. He seems happy but his body language doesnt convince me when we are out walking

Hello! just posted this message to someone who was looking for ways to get their BC to fetch. What I did to remedy the situation was I made a slit into a tennis ball so that you coul squeeze the ball to get a treat into it, but then when you released the pressure of the ball the hole closed and the treat would stay in the ball and when you threw it. Put one of her favorite treats in the ball and close it up - make sure she smells the treat in the ball and get her excited about it before you throw it. When you do throw it, she'll be more inclined to pick it up since there's goodies in there and then praise her to come back to you. Do this a couple of times and even reward her with a treat the 1st couple of times she brings it back to you. After she gets the hang of it you won't have to use treats and you'll have a fun and simple way to tire your BC out. I was very suprised how short of a time it took Samson to fetch and return the ball to me. It took him about an hour to learn fetch wtih this technique. Good luck and get better! Brian

Hello! I had the same trouble, but Samson would not even run after the ball. What I did to remedy the situation was I made a slit into a tennis ball so that you coul squeeze the ball to get a treat into it, but then when you released the pressure of the ball the hole closed and the treat would stay in the ball and when you threw it. Put one of her favorite treats in the ball and close it up - make sure she smells the treat in the ball and get her excited about it before you throw it. When you do throw it, she'll be more inclined to pick it up since there's goodies in there and then praise her to come back to you. Do this a couple of times and even reward her with a treat the 1st couple of times she brings it back to you. After she gets the hang of it you won't have to use treats and you'll have a fun and simple way to tire your BC out. I was very suprised how short of a time it took Samson to fetch and return the ball to me. It took him about an hour to learn fetch wtih this technique. Good luck! Brian

I'm sorry to hear about your floor. Samson has chewed a number of shoes, furniture, etc. Once we started crating him and really exercising him in the morning, afternoon and night we don't have to worry about it. Tire him out and he'll be less inclined to mischeive. Hope you're feelin better

I'm not too sure what flipped him out, but the new crate looks like it is a little small for him. It doesnt look like he can stand up straight unhibited. Maybe that's why he doesnt like it. Or, maybe put a blanket over it so it seems more enclosed like that other one was.

I'd recommend either Purina One Adult Food - Beef or Chicken or Eukenuba adult dog food for medium size dogs. My pup loves both of them and was having similar issues when I tried feeding him other food

Samson use to be very obsessed with squirels and whenever I'd take him out for walks when he was a puppy (3-7 months old) I'd actually kind of encourage it until it got to the point where I'd tried riding a bike with him and he'd pull me off the bike because of the squirels. The way that I got him to stop (he's almost a year old now) took a little while but whenver we'd go on a walk and he'd see a squirel and start to crouch down I'd give the leash a quick snap and say HEY or Stop or something along those lines. After many weeks of doing so (quick snap with a HEY or STOP) he got good enough to where now I don't have to have him on a leash when we walk and if he see's a squirel, as he starts to stoop low (or even before) I give him a loud HEY before he can get into his squirel zone and he snaps out of it. If I dont say anything he'll still try to chase them, but only if they are really close or they run right out in front of us, but whenver I say HEY or STOP, he does and comes back to me. So moral of the story is to associate some sort of discomfort (quick snap of the leash) along with a verbal command, even accompanied with a treat if you use them whenver you see him start to get zoned into a squirel. Eventually he'll get the idea and will not get too obsessed over them but it takes a month or two before it really works. Hope this helps!

I use these too and Samson loves them. You don't have to throw them hard and they bounce/go a long way. $9.99 at most stores that have them

Frontline - went on a hike with Samson not thinking he'd get ticks, sure enough he was full of them, so I got some frontline after the fact and they all fell off

For your viewing pleasure.

Thanks for all the great info. He's about 11 months old and is eating Purina One adult dog food - 26 protein and 16 fat. Does that sound about right for a dog his age