 Rocky did very well learning how to Come When Called. At first, he wouldn't go to his owner when she called him, but once she switched from boring old treats to peanut butter Rocky was running to her as fast as he was running to me.
Remember: behavior that is rewarded gets repeated. But the value of the reward is decided by the receiver (the dog), not the giver (us).  Dachshunds are notoriously tough to teach to Down because, well, they already are down! Luna was no different, but with a lot of patience we eventually taught her to lie down on cue!
 When Raelynn has something, such as a ball, she will not bring it to you and drop it. In fact
she runs and plays keep-away. Today we taught her Drop It and in just a few minutes she was bringing her ball to me and dropping it for a treat (and to get the ball back!). We then taught her Leave It, which she did well, too. Rocky is so food motivated that teaching him to Wait patiently for it was not easy and took a little while, but he eventually figured it out. We also taught him to Stay, which he was able to do when we went out of sight, and even when I walked out of the door. Good job, Rocky!
 Since we last saw Floyd six months ago he has transitioned from a cute, bashful puppy to a brash, energetic adolescent that barks and nips at your clothing for attention. We used the Click to Calm method to mark and reward good behaviors and to help him relax. In no time he was sitting, lying down, and offering other behaviors in order to earn rewards. We then took him outside where he barks and lunges at other dogs he is excited to meet. Again, we did Click to Calm and he quietly met two dogs, even lying down in the grass at one point. Well done, Floyd!
 When Lucy gets a hold of things she shouldn't she does not release them - the scar on her owner's hand from when he tried to force a pen out of her mouth is testament to that - so tonight we taught her Drop It. We also taught her Leave It so she doesn't pick things up in the first place. Her owners than challenged Lucy and I with a roll of toilet paper, a recent favorite, and another pen. Challenge was accepted. You can guess the outcome.
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AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
March 2023
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