Reg: 12-15-2007
Posts: 143
Loc: New Zealand, Auckland
Offline
Has anyone taught their dog to go to or look at something you've pointed to?
I've been trying to teach Max to differentiate between his toys. So I say 'ball' for his ball but if he just stares blankly at me I've tried pointing to it. That also fails miserably.
Now I would like to be able to get him to at least look in the direction that I point, (as a separate thing from knowing his toys) but he keeps looking at my hand like he's gonna get a treat from it.
I eventually would like to be able to get him to run in the direction I point - for instance if he is running to fetch his ball and is way off track.
Or sometimes if I/he drops a treat I want to be able to point at it so he looks, sees the treat and gets it.
If anyone has any suggestions on how I can get him to understand what I want when I point that would be great.
Drop a yummy treat on the floor, call the dog over and point right at it (with your finger no more than an inch or two away from the treat). They catch on really quickly and you can then increase the distance.
If your dog is slow to find the treat (with encouragement) you could drop it right in front of him, but I've never had this problem.
After they get it with food, you can begin to use it for anything the dog is already looking for or wants.
I have never taught this for anything further than about 10ft away (from me) or as a reliable command to do anything the dog would not already want to do on his own, but there are others here who can help you with that.
If you want another practical application of this, my parents (who know next to zilch about dog training) use this all the time to get their dogs to clean up edible messes on the floor.
Mary Velazquez Webboard User Reg: 12-24-2007
Posts: 575
Loc: Texas
Offline
It will come with time, mostly. But using treats and other things that really get the dog excited will jump start the dogs understanding.
I know that this may not be a good idea in many cases but I would point and tell my dog if I saw an opposum half a block away and the dog would notice it and perk up. Now I can point at a tree and the dog will search it or if I point and say "look" theyll look for the movement and shape. Itll work with toys the same, just have the reward of playing with the toy afterwards.
teaching it is similar to teaching it to "pick it up". start close and point at it using the tone of voice that says youll play with them. the dog will probably start to pick it up and try and entice you to play. gradually you can get farther away and eventually the pup/dog will know the different toys names. Good Luck!
When purchasing any product from Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. it is understood
that any and all products sold by Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. are sold in Dunn
County Wisconsin, USA. Any and all legal action taken against Leerburg Enterprises,
Inc. concerning the purchase or use of these products must take place in Dunn
County, Wisconsin. If customers do not agree with this policy they should not
purchase Leerburg Ent. Inc. products.
Dog Training is never without risk of injury. Do not use any of the products
sold by Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. without consulting a local professional.
The training methods shown in the Leerburg Ent. Inc. DVD’s are meant
to be used with a local instructor or trainer. Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. cannot
be held responsible for accidents or injuries to humans and/or animals.
Copyright 2010 Leerburg® Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. All photos and content on leerburg.com are part of a registered copyright owned by Leerburg Enterprise, Inc.
By accessing any information within Leerburg.com, you agree to abide by the
Leerburg.com Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Teaching dogs to understand pointing
#191520 - 04/20/2008 11:26 PM 
Top
Previous Topic
Index
Next Topic
.jpg)
