The Old Trainer: Use dog’s ball obsession to train
D EAR OLD TRAINER: Lizzy, our 4-year old English bulldog is an angel except for one problem. She is crazy about retrieving balls. As soon as she sees the ball, she barks and jumps and begs until we throw it and ignores everything else. How do we stop this obsession?
Kay, Dana Point
DEAR KAY: This is not a major problem, just a matter of Lizzy being excited because she’s happy. You just need to calm her down a little and you do it by using her obsession against her – she doesn’t get what she wants until she does what you want.
Take her ball out to the yard and order her to sit. If she doesn’t sit, put the ball in your pocket. After a few seconds take it out so she can see it and give the command again.
Each time she refuses to sit, put it back in your pocket.
Don’t throw the ball until she sits. When she does, brag on her and throw the ball.
When she brings it back, order her to sit. If she sits throw the ball again, if not, it goes back in your pocket. If she does not sit after five minutes of showing her the ball and withdrawing it, go back in the house and try again in an hour.
It won’t take long for her to realize she has to sit if she wants to chase the ball. When she does, pet her and brag on her and throw the ball, but repeat the routine every time she brings it back.
Once she learns to sit, use the same routine to stop the barking. If she barks, put the ball away, grasp her muzzle and say, “no barking.” She has to learn she doesn’t even get to see the ball, let alone retrieve it, until she sits without barking.
Keep throwing the ball as long as she obeys your orders. If she doesn’t, the ball goes back in your pocket.
But remember it’s a game, so don’t take all the fun out of it. Incorporate some of her excitement as part of the game.
Every few throws have her bark or sit up or roll over – any trick will do – before you throw the ball. Let her show how happy she is. After all, the reason she loves retrieving is because she is doing it for you.
DEAR OLD TRAINER: My dog is a little dog named Brownie. I love her and she loves me and kisses me a lot. I didn’t teach her to kiss and my mother didn’t so how does she know to kiss me? Brownie is 4 and I am 10.
Carley, Modesto
DEAR CARLEY: All dogs come from wolves and when wolf puppies get hungry they lick the muzzles of the big wolves. When they do, the big wolves feed them. When dogs came along they retained the habit, so puppies are born knowing how to do it.
Over many years, puppies learned that when they kiss others they get what they want, so kissing – licking with the tongue – became something they do when they are happy and want to show a person they love them.
My dogs kiss me too.
Jack Haskins writes as The Old Trainer. A trainer for more than 30 years, he has rescued, trained, and placed more than 2,500 dogs. Send questions to theoldtrainer@gmail.com.
This story was originally published December 26, 2014 at 4:00 PM with the headline "The Old Trainer: Use dog’s ball obsession to train."