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Articles:
How to teach
Give & Take
Dogs Just Want to Have Fun
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Articles Contributed By Other Trainers
Dogs Just Want to have Fun
By
Suzzane Anaya
Dogs love games. One of my favorite games was
taught to me by another
clicker trainer. The game is simple. All you need is a large coffee can
and 3 to 4 tennis balls. This is a great way to teach the "find it, take,
and
give or (drop)." All 4 of my dogs love this game; the Border Collies, the
Lab, and the JRT. I start by teaching them with "one" tennis ball
and the
coffee can. I throw the ball, have them retrieve it, and then with
praise and
luring (pointing to the coffee can) they learn to drop it in the can.
C/T.
YEA...have a party. I work up to two balls, three, and then four. I
toss four balls out a good distance away from the coffee can and tell
them "find it" with
great enthusiasm. C/T each time they place the ball in the coffee can.
Get them jazzed up and make it a race to get the ball and put it in the
can.
An advanced clicker dog can be clicked without a treat each time he gets
the
ball in the can. That way he can really go FAST. He gets a big reward
after
the last ball is in the can. It is amazing how fast they catch on to this
game. At the last class of a 6 week clicker course I taught, a man with a
re-homed lab mix for graduation could say, "basket" and the dog would
fetch two balls
and put them in a plastic bucket without any other cueing. Way cool! And,
way FUN!
Suzanne Anaya
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