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Does your
dog love to chase down a ball, but won't bring it back?
The trick to turning Max into a true retriever is to
have two balls; throw the first one, and as he runs out
and grabs it, start to talk about and tempt him with the
second ball in your hand. Entice Max back in your
direction with the second ball, and wait for him to drop
the first ball. When he does, throw ball number two,
pick up ball number one and repeat!
Some dogs
have a tendency to inhale, or wolf down their food,
which is not healthy. Trick Molly into eating more
slowly by placing her kibble in a single layer on a
cookie sheet. This way, she will not be able to grab big
mouthfuls at a time. Instead, she will only be able to
lick up a few pieces of kibble at one time, thereby
slowing down her rate of consumption. An even better
solution is to place her kibble in a Buster Cube, a
kibble dispensing toy. Molly's mealtime will then become
a stimulating event, where she has to figure out how to
get the kibble out of the Buster Cube, which is
accomplished by pawing and nudging it from side to side.
Does your
dog respond to your "Come" cue at a snail's
pace? A trick to encourage your dog to come to you at
high speed is to run away from him. Call Luther in a
happy tone of voice. As you get his attention, run away,
clapping and encouraging him to catch you. A special
treat when he gets to you — a few goodies, a long
belly rub, a game of tug — will improve his response
to your "Come" request in the future.
If Lucy
tends to bolt through the door each time you open it to
let her in from the yard, teach her to wait patiently
for permission. The trick is to open the door only
enough so that she could squeeze through, but use your
body to block her entrance. Each time she tries to push
through, you silently push back. When you have
successfully prevented her from rushing past you, close
the door and walk away. Return a few seconds later and
repeat. When Lucy chooses to pause for a few seconds,
instead of attempting to bolt through the door, treat
her by standing aside and give her permission to enter
by calling her inside with a happy voice.
Do your
dogs jump, whine and clamor over each other to get your
attention every time you come home? Pretend you don't
have dogs at that moment. Wade through them without
acknowledgment. This means no eye contact, no talking
and no touching. While it may take a few minutes for
Shadow and Sadie to calm down, continue to ignore them
both until they have given up completely, and have
settled down once again. Then go to them, one by one,
and calmly acknowledge them with a gentle rub and a soft
voice. You can actually condition your dogs into not
responding at all when you arrive home, as in time they
will recognize that the fastest way to get your
attention is to remain settled and calm.
Finally,
if Sparky likes to rush the front door barking, and
attempts to run out each time you open it, use visitors
to change that behavior. Designate one family member as
the door opener, and another as Sparky's trainer. Find a
friend or neighbor to be the "visitor." Attach
him to a leash, and set up his training area in the
family room. Do not offer him any meals this day — you
will use his food in the training exercise. Each time a
visitor approaches your door, take a handful of kibble
(Sparky would appreciate you mixing in a few tasty
treats as well) and liberally toss it around you,
leaving him to embark on a busy kibble hunt. This
prevents him from even trying to get to the door, and
also keeps him quiet — dogs can't bark when they are
busy eating!
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Lisa Moore's
pet-behavior column appears once a month on the Weekly
Pet Page. Write to her in care of LifeStyles,
The Modesto Bee
, P.O. Box 5256,
Modesto
95352.
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