My rott, from purely showlines, is a real hassle to train because he loses interest in the toy after a few minutes. I then have to drag it around the ground to get his attention again but then loses interest once we start the heeling. I've been playing with him for months now but he can't stay focused on the toy. When we train at the club I generally keep the toy in my pocket because he's not at all interested in it and when he is it's short lived.
My dog isn't very drivey with the Kong, either. She views the Kong as a chew toy more than a prey item.
Tugs, on the other hand, are for killing, in her opinion.
She also has an old pillow-case, tied into knots, that she adores. She'll work for that thing all day long. It's so shredded and torn up at this point, it is now knotted into one big ball that clips to the end of a leash. It's lost all tug value, as now that she hits and shakes, she tears it all to bits.
Now it works as a decent reward, since it fit's nicely in the front pocket of a "hoodie" sweatshirt, and I can toss it directly into her mouth, since it's soft and can't hurt her teeth. It's comical, you can tell when she *knows* she nailed a command, because she'll immediately open her mouth for her "pillow ball".
Experiment with the toys you use. What turns your dog on? For example, my Sheltie will play with anything but he is springing 3' into the air if I bust out anything with long fur or tennis balls attached. (As I type, he is laying next to me ripping the faux fur off of a cheap toy his sister won at an obedience competition.) My ESS is hardly toy motivated, but when I can occasionally convince her to play she LOVES those bungee stretch toys.
The agility and flyball people in particular have a slew of exciting toys. Try furry, squeaky, bungee, tennis-ball added, braided, long, short, and/or different colors and fabrics.
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
Posts: 31571
Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Quote: Craig Brown
My rott, from purely showlines, is a real hassle to train because he loses interest in the toy after a few minutes. I then have to drag it around the ground to get his attention again but then loses interest once we start the heeling. I've been playing with him for months now but he can't stay focused on the toy. When we train at the club I generally keep the toy in my pocket because he's not at all interested in it and when he is it's short lived.
Any advice on what I should do?
You can put lots of energy and excitement into wiggling the toy and congratulating him for chasing and getting it at home.
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
Posts: 31571
Loc: North-Central coast of California
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P.S. I have one who especially loves used toys. My daughter mails her dogs' hand-me-down toys to him because he loves that smell of other dogs on the toy. He'll totally bury his face in the fuzzy "skin" of a beat-up, chewed toy.
Jennifer Marshal Webboard User Reg: 08-02-2007
Posts: 1078
Loc: Southern Oregon
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Hows much foundation and drive building have you done for the item before trying to incorporate OB? Is there any other type of toy or prey item that the dog does get revved up for?
What is your method of delivering the reward to the dog? Do you just bring it out to play tug, do you throw it, toss it to the dog, what? (how interactive is your play?) Do you out him a lot while playing?
How old is the dog, also?
There could be many reasons you are having difficulty keeping his attention on the item. You could be moving too fast and asking too much or not timing the reward right or making the game inconvenient for the dog, or you are not closely enough connected with the reward and item/play/fun etc yet, among other things.
Not to be rude...but what did you expect from a showline? Stop wasting your energy on a dog that does not want to work and buy a working line GSD or Malinois.
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