Pets
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How do I get
my puppy to drop something while playing fetch?
My 4 month old bulldog is fairly good at playing fetch (well only if he see you actually throw the item). He will always bring it back, but then it's a little game of tug and war before I can get the item. When he brings back the items I'm always saying "drop it". Sometimes I have to pry it out of his mouth. Other times he will eventually drop the item, but I'm not convinced he knows that is what I'm asking for.
What can I do to make him drop it with out the little game of tug and war?
Re: How do I get
Here's what I did:
First, stop prying it out of his mouth. That becomes the game. For my dog, I would throw the ball and when she brought it back I had a treat waiting. She knew I had a treat and so would open her mouth, causing her to drop the ball. As soon as she dropped the ball, she got a treat. I eventually marked this behavior with a word and hand motion. Rinse and repeat.
For a foster that was not food motivated, I had another tennis ball in hand. As soon as he returned with the ball he would see the ball in my hand and drop the ball he had. As soon as he dropped it, I praised him and threw the ball. Again, once he got what was expected, I gave it a word and motion.
We offer a treat. He has to open his mouth to eat the treat, and therefore drops the toy! We always say "drop" or whatever command you want to use, and then offer the treat, taking the toy away as we give him the treat.
Then again, B will do almost anything for food.
Thanks, sometimes it's the simple things that you miss.
I never had to teach him to bring back the item, he always just did it on his own. I guess it never occurred to me to use treats for the "drop it" phase.
When we took our little Frenchie to puppy class, we quickly learned that most everything you do involved a treat!
Like the PPs have said, when he brings the ball back, give him a treat. Then after you've done it a bunch of times that way, start using the phrase "drop it."
I don't know about your puppy, but mine is 100% food motivated and will do anything for a treat!
Thanks... He is a cutie.