CptJack Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 I've had the best luck with closed treat containers that the owner has to open. You can throw them without the food coming out, but the dog has to get you to open it for them to get a treat. I use an old pill bottle with holes drilled in it, though they make more proper things for the purpose. Doesn't take the dog long to learn that bringing it to you gets them the treat faster. Once you've got that, you can try pairing it with a command. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted October 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 She is back to purely biting at it, maybe picking it up. She went through a brief phase of standing-on-it-while-biting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Yeah. Just take whatever interaction you get. Give her a treat, let her watch you fill it and sniff at it and then give it a tiny little toss. When she interacts amble SLOOOWLY over, open it up and give her one. Repeat. Most dogs pick up real fast that getting that thing to you results in food, so they'll start working to meet you part way. When she goes further than she has before, reward her more heavily (from the container). Or not - I mean you're clearly making progress. This is just my short cut around my prissy 'why would I USE MY MOUTH LIKE A SAVAGE" dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 I've been reading this, and related posts, with interest, because I have been trying to teach my terrier to take something from my hand and hold it. I am making no progress. I do not understand why he will not take from my hand. He will take any kind of food, readily. But if it is a toy, even though he values toys, he won't take it. If it is a nice chew bone, or a hoof, both of which he loves to chew on, he will not take it. Even if another dog is standing by waiting to grab it, and he wants to have it, he will not take it from my hand, but will wait for me to put it on the floor, whereupon another dog invariably grabs it first. This is not enough to motivate him to take it from my hand. He does know the "touch" command, and will touch with his nose anything I point to and say "touch". But he won't take it in his mouth, and if I open his mouth and put it in (very gently), he backs off and won't close his mouth on it.....even if it is the aforementioned chew bone. Very puzzling. Any suggestions from anyone on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 He might be following the 'if you have it it's yours' doggy school of thought on ownership. Could you start by marking him picking up things off the floor, to maybe give him the idea that 'you take this when I say so.' So eventually he feels he's just following commands from you by taking an object from you, rather than stealing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borasaurus Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I've been struggling with this so much. Kieran is very food driven, so any hint of a treat will get him crazy and he won't focus on picking up other things for fear of missing a snack. I've taught him all of his commands with treats/praise and more recently a clicker. But this one he just won't get. I have to hide the treat until he focuses on something else. Then when I click for picking up something he drops it and runs over for a treat without registering the action he did to get it. I'm at a loss. How can something like this be so difficult? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 You have to withhold the click until he's gotten it into his mouth and then withhold longer until you're getting some duration. For most dogs the click is a release - because like you've noticed, it means come get the food. You'll probably have to go more gradually and build up that duration so he doesn't get discouraged, but if he's willing to put things in his mouth you're mostly there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sekah Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I occasionally throw in a courtesy "stay" when working on duration in tricks. Purists may not approve, but it certainly works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sekah Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 And because it's fun and on topic, have a photo of a more advanced formal hold exercise. My girl is really, really food motivated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RemsMom Posted November 13, 2014 Report Share Posted November 13, 2014 ^^^ That is a wonderful trick! Do you give the food to her after as a reward? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted November 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 If I throw it over her shoulder, just behind her, she will now 9 out of 10 times grab it, turn around, and drop it at my feet. If I can get her doing that from across a room, and understanding that's what's required, that will pretty much have achieved my initial goal. I wouldn't mind a dog who had a perfect retrieve, but all I really wanted initially was for her to literally bring it back to me. Okay, bad dog trainer, obviously, given how long it took. But good dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted November 30, 2014 Report Share Posted November 30, 2014 Dogs who hold stuff make it easy to make fun Christmas card photos... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Aaaaaand now I'm tempted. How quickly the training goals change... Must go google how to do this without totally confusing her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 As part of his training I taught him to "hold." We have been practicing holding random stuff like utility gloves, canning rings, my keys, socks, kleenex that he has stolen, basically anything not nasty tasting. That ribbon was flocked, so I used a small bit of red fabric to wrap a "bite" so it would be less icky in his mouth. I have way too much time on my hands some days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RemsMom Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Dogs who hold stuff make it easy to make fun Christmas card photos... That is a wonderful photo. My poor husband....what is he going to think when I tell him I NEED two Papillons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kian's Mom Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 I just got my 3 yr old to actually hold it. LOL. Probably because it's not something that I worked on very often. I started her at 8 wks on getting it ( toys ) if she brought it back mostly praise but some treats. If she didn't bring it back our play quite. I was sitting on the floor with her. So she would drop it in my lap. Then as she got older and I was standing to play with her, She would bring it back and drop it at my feet. That was ok for a while. Then I started telling her hand. If she didn't get it to my hand we didn't play. That didn't take her long to figure out. Playing ball or frizbee if I told her to hold when she brought it back she would press it against my leg and hold with her chin or her paw. Cute but not what I wanted. Then one day when she brought her Frizbee back and I told her hold, she actually did for a second before she spit it out against my leg. A lot of big praise. Every time I got her to hold it a little longer. Now she will come front sit and hold until I ask for it. I had also tried putting it in her mouth and gently holding her mouth closed while telling her hold. My cocker learned that way but not my Border. Haven't really tried to get her to pick up things other than her tug rope, ball and frizbee. If it's something for her to pick up off the floor I tell her get it. Something out of my hand is take it. Don't give up like kids some dogs take longer to figure it out and what works for one may not on another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted December 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Only three years old? This dog is ten. So you are waaaaaay ahead of me on the schedule! Now I want giant ribbon and a nice backdrop. I blame you, Rushdoggie. This site fosters my 'crazy dog person' side way too much. I've started taking pictures of the dogs, I'm doing more stupid tricks with them (both more tricks and increasingly stupid tricks), I want to take them into markets and outdoor events because hey, other people take their dogs random places! And now I have decided I'm going to get some liver and make liver cookies (or dry it). The die is cast. It's only a matter of time before costumes happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Now I want giant ribbon and a nice backdrop. I blame you, Rushdoggie. Hahaha, 3 yards of quilt batting (which will someday also fill a quilt) and $3 ribbon from Micheal's. And now I have decided I'm going to get some liver and make liver cookies (or dry it). The die is cast. It's only a matter of time before costumes happen. So soon this will happen at your house too? or worse: I have very tolerant dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted December 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 All of the 'awwww', that is just amazing. I do have a little pumpkin costume for the dog I got because it was 25 cent post-Halloween. Maybe next year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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