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Training Tips -
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TRAINING TO HOLD AND GIVE.
Like most of dog training, teaching your dog to "Hold" and
"Give" an item is purely repetition. However some dogs will make
harder work of it than others.
· You will need a training dummy (described in
previous newsletters) which should be used for nothing other than
training, i.e. no playing tug-of-war etc.
· You will need to use clear and distinctly different voice tones
for correction and praise.
· You must be consistent with your commands.
· You must ensure the dog carries out your commands,
always followed by enormous amounts of praise.
Below are some of the more common problems, together with some training
methods you may like to try?
1 . Q: My dog refuses to pick up a dummy I've thrown for him.
A: There are a number of ways to get your dog to
pick up a dummy.First of all try to entice the dog into picking it up
by exciting it. Playfully run up to the dummy with the dog, gently
kicking the dummy along several times, all the time telling the dog to
fetch it. Try to refrain from picking it up yourself. Should the dog.
pick up the dummy, immediately turn to the dog, crouching down,
pouring on the praise, open arms, saying come. You can build on the
actual retrieve by taking a few steps back after the dog has the
dummy, then crouching down to take delivery.
If your dog refuses to pick up the dummy, find an
article you know your dog will pick up, e.g. an old sock that you can
put over your dummy, or perhaps an old sock over a tennis ball. Run
through the same procedure. If you have success, end the training
session there (on a good note) and continue the same later. Once
competent with this you can gradually go back to the dummy.
2. Q: My dog will retrieve a dummy, but drops it in front of
me.
A: We must teach our dog the command to
"Hold'. Training the dog for this exercise does not need to be a
formal trip to the park or favourite training spot. It is best carried
out with short regular training sessions in or around the home with
the dog right in front of you. First, place the dummy in the dogs
mouth, whilst telling the dog to "Hold".
If the dog refuses to open its mouth you can
encourage it by gripping the lower jaw with one hand, working the
forefinger and thumb into the dogs mouth, the only objective being to
get the dog to open its mouth. Once the mouth opens, with the other
hand place the dummy in the dog’s mouth. Immediately begin to praise
the dog and gently stroke under the jaw and neck, whilst commanding to
hold. Stroking the dog in this way, will tend to make the dog lift its
head, thus reducing the risk if the dog dropping the dummy. You may
then command the dog to "Give" and proceed to take the dummy
from the dog. If the dog tries to drop the dummy before the
"Give" command, you must immediately change the tone of your
voice to a harsher corrective tone and place the dummy back in the dog’s
mouth, again commanding the dog to "Hold". Repeat this
exercise several times and try to finish on a happy note.
3. Q: My dog will pick up and return with a
dummy, but refuses to release it.
A: Again, this can be resolved at home. With the dog in front of
you (preferably sitting), command the dog to "Hold" whilst
giving it the dummy. Pause, and if necessary stroke the dog under the
jaw 1 neck, then command the dog to "Give". Should the dog
refuse to release the dummy, you will need to encourage the dog to
open its mouth.
Some options are:
· To offer the dog another item such as its favourite toy.
· To offer the dog food.
· To place the hand over the dogs muzzle gently
squeezing the jowls. This will not harm the dog, only discomfort the
dog enough to release the dummy.
This method is extremely effective as:
a. It doesn't focus the dog's attention on what's
in your pocket or behind your back.
b. When the dog is praised straight away, it will quickly forget
about any discomfort. It knows exactly what it is being praised for,
and will quickly associate releasing the dummy with the command
give.
You will no doubt encounter other problems along the way. The key is
persistence. When you finally succeed, the rewards far exceed the effort.
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