The Dog Whisperer Presents Good Habits for Great Dogs by Paul Owens

Author:Paul Owens [Owens, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Adams Media Corp.

“Drop It” (“Let Go”) Without Treats

In the beginning, you will have to teach your dog “Drop It” using food treats. But it shouldn't take too long before your dog lets go of the toy as soon as he hears “drop it” or “let go,” without seeing a treat. In fact, you may notice that your dog starts automatically letting go of the toy, without waiting to be asked. Now is the time to change the nature of your cooperation. If your dog gives up the toy, the reward is that you keep playing! The prize for letting go of the toy is to let him grab it in his mouth again. Sparky is learning to let go, because he trusts that you will give it back again. He is learning that he can give up in order to get. What a great lesson.

Ask for the toy back many times during a play session, as “payment” for the continuation of play, like putting another quarter in a parking meter. If at any point he refuses to let go when asked, hold still and try to be as boring and lifeless as possible. Do this until he lets go, at which point you become animated and playful again. He will learn quickly that if he wants you to play with him, you will only do so if he cooperates. If he is cooperating well and you would like to end the play session, you can reward his final return of the toy with a treat. This way the end of the play session is not a punishment.

Once your dog knows how to drop the the toy, you can use Tug as a “life reward” instead of using treats. Let's say you're playing a session of Tug and say “Drop it.” Immediately ask your dog to sit or lie down. As soon as she does, start playing Tug again. The reward for sitting or lying down is the continuation of the game. But what happens if your dog doesn't sit and jumps on you or tries to grab the toy?

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.