Yep, Sandy one only allows the dog to win if you want to build self confidence in a dog. Not sure Teagan fits that catagory!

Randy

thanks guys.

i use the toys as rewards now - and often make her do a couple of commands while we're playing - but w/the tugging, i'm not sure i'm doing that consistently enough.

i think i'm also - b/c luc has seriously, as of this weekend, in the - what, 8.5 months i've had him - now had toys in his mouth twice i can think of. the first time was before i had teagan, i put a rubber bone in his mouth and praised him. he looked all horrified, pulled his lips back as far as he could, then sat it down next to me, and backed away, looking at me with a look i can't quite describe. so to have a dog that wants to play with toys - for hours - is so cool to me - i think sometimes i over focus on that. but i still get excited when she chases something, or will tug - i know it's silly, but it's just so the opposite of luc and as a result my dog experience, that it seems so special that she wants to play. i know it's not, and it's luc that's the weirdo (however a lovely weirdo).

lately with tug too, b/c i found out she has a carie on her lower canine, i've been letting her win too easily - even i can see that.

so no toys in the crate? man, it's going to be sparse. she's currently at no blankets/bed in the crate (someone keeps shredding them!). i guess i keep on thinking of people who stick their dogs in there with a kong or something. she's not on a hard-core diet anymore, but she still doesn't get a treat in her kong, but i'd leave the kong in there. i will crack down though and go no toys. i'll also do that when i leave for work, b/c she's now free in the house (i have the rabbits/guinea pigs/grumpy cat shut off in one room, and the other cats shut off in another - complete w/child safety handles since teagan understands handles), so it's freedom plus toy - the same space she occupies when i'm at home and playing with her.

Jennifer, I wouldn't stop playing with toys with Teagan, just teach her to out or drop it when you tell her to. You throw the toy, she runs after it, call her to you, show her the high value treat, give her the drop it command, treat, give her the sit command (sit meaning sit/stay), take the toy, treat. Throw the toy again, right away. Repeat constantly

It's the tug that I would stop doing with her. She has an overload of confidence already . But yes, continue to play with her with her toys, with commands to guide her into what you want her to do and how you want her to behave.

i'll still play with her - but i won't leave her a toy when i'm at work, or in the crate. i don't think i could not play with her - it's nerdy, but it's so exciting! and she just loves it.

so....no more justifying tug by a 'i'm building her confidence' thing? heh heh.

basically, in terms of the growling - just give her no opportunities, and work on the drop it (i think she'll pick it up fast)....no cuz-line toys for now, and then slowly work them back in when she's solid w/the drop it. it's not the 'oh s**t!' growling, but it does make sense, that with her, just don't make room for the behaviour to occur.

Sounds great, a side advise. I don't know how agressive Teagen is with her toys. When you gave her a yummy reward when she drops her toy, I would put a foot on the toy to avoid her picking it up or trying to attack me from picking it up. Do you understand what I m saying? Keep the foot on the toy until i get the toy again and threw it. Until she started to stop going after the toy, I will stop putting my foot on the toy. Just Pick up. U know.

nope, i get what you're saying.

teagan (other than this growling, and like i said, it's not her serious growling) is pretty good about toy aggression. the first time she bit me was over a toy, a cuz, so i revamped how i gave them to her and how i played with her. she has never had free access to a cuz, b/c i know how high-value they are for her. nothing comes close to them.

but putting my foot on the toy would also just help to reinforce that it's mine now. i think i will do that, thanks!

Jen, this is my opinion, but I don't think leaving a kong in her crate is what has caused any problem so don't think that's a biggie. If she comes out of the crate with the kong in her mouth (probably does), good time to start the drop it command with a special treat.

Once she's learned the drop it command, you can start playing 2 toy/ball with her. Do you know that game?

yup, she comes out with the kong. one reason actually why i got the kong ball is she'd started to tear the regular kong....and that's without filling it with treats! she's hard on her toys. okay....i will leave it in the crate then. i always figured it gave her something to do if she wasn't sleeping.

is the 2 toy/ball switching it off? i do have her switch toys now - she gives me her old one, gets a new one....

 Quote: jennifer mullen

..is the 2 toy/ball switching it off? i do have her switch toys now - she gives me her old one, gets a new one....

We may be talking about the same game, but just to make sure: you throw a toy or ball, when she brings it back to you (and drops it, has to drop it), you immediately throw the other one. Repeat, again, constantly

If that's what you're already doing, you can familiarize her with the drop it command in the game by saying drop it an instant before you know she's going to, then praise her and throw the other toy.

You can then graduate to standing in the middle of the yard, throwing one toy to your right, tell her drop it as she comes running back and throw the other toy to your left; the dog never stops running in other words. Just goes back and forth. If you time your "drop it" well, she can get to the point where she drops it pretty much at your feet, or at least it rolls to your feet so you can pick it up and have it ready to throw.

Granted, you may do some running around after the toys if they don't land at your feet, but it's fun to see how close the dog can get the toy to you, as well as learn when to say the drop it while they're still running.

Lear and I have played this game since he was a little guy. That's actually how I taught him the drop it. At first he'd bring it to me, I'd say drop it which he readily did cause he saw the other toy in my hands. Of course at first there was a lot of stopping on his part when he got to me, but then he caught on and realized he could keep running if he dropped it on the fly

i haven't always been throwing it again immediately....sometimes i toss it to myself. i was reading last night though, it's best to throw immediately, b/c then they're rewarded immediately. we worked on drop it last night and she was doing decently by the end of the night (not everytime, but a huge improvement!)

edit: oh, and i actually accidentally dropped the long line while we were outside yesterday....that's what happens when you're playing two different games w/two dogs. i didn't realize i'd done it until she took off across the street for the lady she'd been watching (pulling a cart....teagan was fascinated by the cart). i was really embarrassed, but nothing happened. the lady stopped, and i caught up and grabbed teagan, who was inspecting the cart. phew!