matt schmidt Webboard User Reg: 01-10-2005
Posts: 214
Loc: Los Angeles
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Every morning I take my 5 month pup to the park and do recall games, walk, and play fetch on a long line. Sometimes he gets distracted (by a smell, sees a squirrel, or canit find the ball in the grass) and doesn't bring the ball back, or he will bring it back but drop it way too early.
He is nearing the correction age, and I was wondering if this was something I should correct for? It is just a game, and he is not going to be used as a working dog?????
Diann L. Wine Webboard User Reg: 02-05-2005
Posts: 88
Loc: Parkersburg, West Virginia
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How long do you do this every morning? Maybe the dog doesn't have a real strong drive for fetch. I used to have a Blue Heeler GSD mix whose wouldn't even acknowledge a ball, stick, nothing just looked at me like "You want it so bad you fetch it." On the other hand her sister was absolutely ball crazy, digging under fences just to get the ball to bring it to the front door, scratch on the door and when you opened it, dropped the ball at your feet and wanted you to throw some more.
Maybe your dog just has a little drive for the ball and is quite frankly bored with the ball. Instead maybe try throwing pieces of hot dog every which way and tell the dog to "FIND IT!!!". I think I remember one poster who does this to wear her dogs out and they of course love it. I do this with my dogs on occasion. We also play tetherball, but since recall isn't perfect with your pup, I'd wait awhile till it is. My two go batty over tetherball.
matt schmidt Webboard User Reg: 01-10-2005
Posts: 214
Loc: Los Angeles
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I only play fetch for 5 minutes and he does enjoy, but he will tire of it. He certainly doesn't have the retrieving dive of a golden, or a lab, but he will get worked up and excited about it. Similarly, I play fetch with a super ball in his pen and he goes nuts for that - the odd, unpredictable bounces get him really worked up.
I wasn't use if this was something I should treat like an obedience command since it is just a game for him? The purpose is for him to have fun, but at the same time I am giving him a "get the ball" command which he is choosing to sometimes not obey???
Nylabone makes a flexible frisbee that my dog
loves to chase. He'll bring it back for me to throw (otherwise it just stays where he left it, no fun for him, lol) so no correction is needed.
He learns "Go get it".
IMHO, throwing food in a public place will teach the dog to scarf down garbage...could be dangerous. I'd also worry about the size of the superball- it could get stuck in his throat when
he's bigger. I'd switch to a kong, which also has an erratic bouncing pattern. Can't be too careful,
lol.
Look up 'two ball' or 'two squeakies' on this site or google it.
it is a great game to build ball drive. you start from whatever genetic prey drive is in the dog but you can build it to max potential for that dog. your dog may have the latent drives if it wants to chase squirrels, you just need to convince it that your game is better.
also by throwing the ball in two different directions (look up the description of how to do it, no point reinvinting the wheel with the how toos) the dog learns to drop the ball closer to you. if i only throw in one direcction mine tends to drop prematurely to run out for the next one.
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