Robbie found his retrieve drive last month with the help of his newest dog friend, a Jack-Chihuahua mix named Miles. While house sitting & dog sitting Miles, I would often play fetch with the little mix on leash because his recall is a tad shaky. At the start of each play session, Robbie was less than enthusiastic, but something about watching another dog get to play with a toy made him want to play as well! Every day, we would play fetch with both dogs inside, and after a week of that I tried it with Robbie off-leash outside and he was AWESOME!!! He would run after the toy, pick it up, and return. If he got distracted, I could say the command again to refocus him and he was right back in it. Finally! His outdoor fetch drive still needs some work, and he doesn't want to do it every day, but we are getting more confidence and more drive from him which falls in with task work beautifully! His MethodWe must be patient. If we are in the heat of an exercise it takes him about 3-5 seconds to process the request, but if we are starting from a nap, or general release, it may take up to 30 seconds. Ideally it should always take about 3-5 seconds, but I have discovered that with Robbie, if I push too hard with corrections and increasing tones, he will shut down and refuse to take. So sometimes, I stand with my arm out pointing to an object for close to 30 seconds... then he POUNCES ON IT! Once he is engaged in the task, he pounces on the object, and usually paws at it once or twice before picking it up and handing it to me. For this reason, we are practicing right now with objects that he can't break and that won't make startling sounds when he pushes on them, like empty water bottles. We will work our way up to those! Robbie is proof that traditional rules of teaching won't always work on your dog. You should always aim to follow the rules first, but you should be willing to accept that your dog is different and may need a different approach. Do I like waiting 30 seconds for him to decide to pick up a shoe? No, not really, it's super tiresome for me, but if he needs that time to decide to do it and then he actually does do the task and he does it well, then ok. As he gets increasingly confident in retrieves, we will press him more for shorter processing times. For now, I can wait. Dropped ItemsRobbie has begun helping me with dropped items, which is a huge help to me. Bending over can often make me dizzy or unstable on my feet, and reaching my arms down always causes hand numbers and shoulder pain spikes. Robbie can't yet help with every object, such as small items or breakables, but so far he has helped pick up a lot of things for me! He will even leave nap time or play time to help retrieve a dropped item. Here's what he has picked up so far...
Help with LaundryNow that he has a retrieve, I've been able to incorporate his assistance even more into our laundry chore. Once he tugs the hamper over and digs or tugs the clothes out, I ask him to "Take Cloth" or "Take It", pointing to the piles of clothes. Once he grabs something, I mark with "Yes" then direct him to another basket and ask him to drop the item into the basket. He has gotten so proficient that I no longer need his drop cue, I can simply say "basket" and he knows what to do. While right now, this exercise is tiring because it requires a lot of energy from me to keep him engaged, I know we will get to the day where I can do less and he does more - that's how it is with Robbie. We have also been able to finish off his "reach" cue and have begun teaching him to drop one of his ropes into the washing machine as practice for helping me clothes into it one day. He is doing great! The more retrieve games we play, the more he is growing to love it. Miscellaneous Retrieve ExercisesRobbie has also learned to...
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My Name is Sally...I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This blog is about my journey training Robbie, a dog who helped me regain independence, confidence, and achieve the impossible in the face of my disability. It continues on with the training of Austin, Robbie's successor. Check Out... - "More than a Dog" was published on a site called The Mighty Categories
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