Let's Play!

Come and play
Everything's A-OK
Friendly neighbors there
That's where we meet

Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street                                                    

Wasn't Sesame Street ground breaking for children's learning?        You bet! Little did our children know they were actually learning something while having fun. It also taught us that learning in small spurts was more beneficial. So is playing with our dogs. Sure we could a toss a ball, toy or stick just to tire our dog out but like Sesame Street we can sneak in some learning and obedience. This makes training easier and fun. The best way to learn!

A favorite way for me to play with a dog is Tug. There are many opinions against playing Tug most often heard is that this will make your dog mean and aggressive. I wonder about that but I see how happy dogs are while playing and how much calmer they are after playing. Besides you can't be Happy and Mad at the same time. And of course there are rules how to play as in any game. And remember Tug is a game.

1. Who bought the toy? You did, so you own and will only bring it out when  you are ready to play.
2. Keep a leash on your dog so they can't run away with the "Treasure". Make your dog bring you the toy every time.
3. Teach your dog an "Out " Command.
4. End the game before your dog decides to quit. Put your toy away. Doing this makes your dog want to play with you next time.

So how do we sneak in obedience? Since our dog really wants what we have, he will work really hard to get it. Sit, Down, Come, Fetch and Stay are all at our finger tips to teach our dog. Tug will bridge the gap because in itself it is rewarding.

Our Event Marker Word system works well in Tug because hearing YES predicts for the dog the toy is coming. Knowing that, our dog will learn to let go of the toy quicker because he will get it back as soon as he hears Yes. This makes teaching Out easier. The tricky part is waiting for the dog to let go.

And wait you must. We need to show our dog that an active toy means tug. Where as when the activity stops they must let go. So all play stops as you hold the toy steady and wait from them to let go. Quietly you name this OUT and as soon as they let go quickly present the toy for them to grab again.

Here is a video of Tug. In it you will see Daisy playing, letting go and doing commands. Also you will see Lola, a 4 month old Cavalier King Charles puppy. This show her great ability to play, listen and learn.




Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.com
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070