What a good boy! I love my collie!

[TerryJ2]

I knew, knew, knew that difficult child would forget to bring his dinner dishes downstairs. So, I find a wet sock in the hallway near his room and pick it up, then go into the room to find the rest of the clothes that the dogs have goobered up ... and see this huge, black bedspread move on its own. Oh, wait, that's Starbucks, at the end of the bed, crunching something. Oh no! The porkchops! I called him. He came and tried to sneak away, but I made him lie down and told him to drop it. I actually had to pry the bone out of his jaws but he was complacent and never growled (my dogs only do that to me once and they end up in orbit, and he has never done it anyway). I got the bone out and said, "Good boy! Want a treat?"
So of course he hops up and the golden retriever, Google, follows as well, so I threw away the pork chop in the kitchen trash and gave them both non-dangerous treats.
What a good boy!

 

[hearts and roses]

Depending upon which one of my dogs had the bone, I would either Izzy: get the bone no problem; Sophie: be able to pry it out of her jaws and lure her with a new treat; or Nala: get my hand chewed off for even trying! Lol.

What a good baby you have there. ♥

 

[Star*]

WHAT A GOOD BOY!!!!!!!!!! What a good Mom for training them so well - DROP IT - (and phooey - on the floor) ! and then they got something else! Good on ya mom.

 

[donna723]

Mine know exactly what "Drop it!" means but then they will turn around, look me right in the eye, and go "Pffffttft!" Bostons have jaws like their bulldog ancestors and it's a real adventure to try to pry something out of their mouth that they are determined to keep! I've been known to wrestle them to the ground outside and get them in a headlock, shoving my fingers through their clenched teeth, only to find out that the "treasure" they picked up off the ground was a petrified cat turd! Katy and Ragan are my two mouser dogs and have both caught quite a few, but getting them to give up their "trophy" isn't easy. NOT sticking my fingers in their mouth with a mouse in there, not going there at all! The only thing that works is to get one of the big cheese/bacon flavored dog cookies I bought them and wave it around ... they have to spit out the mouse to get the cookie. Works every time!

 

[InsaneCdn]

The only thing that works is to get one of the big cheese/bacon flavored dog cookies I bought them and wave it around ... they have to spit out the mouse to get the cookie. Works every time!

Donna... it's a well-known dog-training approach, and the only one that's recommended for this stuff. While you're waving that "cookie" around, you also say "drop it" (which they do...), and then tell them how good they are while you "reward" them for dropping it. EVENTUALLY, they may catch on, if you are consistent with the "drop it" while they are in the act of dropping it... After a while, you shouldn't have to "wave" the cookie... but they will still need one. Leaving some really "good" thing the found... requires something at least as good.

 

[Hound dog]

Aww what a good boy!

Mine would've looked at you like you lost your mind. Mainly because I deliberately buy meat with the bones so that I can give it them. I've rarely had an issue. Honestly, Betsy is the only one who ever had an issue.......but she tends to enhale instead of chew, so now that she's living with Nichole I've had to remind Nichole there are types of bones to avoid with her. Pork chop bones with the pointy end are a big no no as they'll get caught every time.

Never in my life had an issue with a dog giving me attitude about me taking something out of it's mouth, be it food, a bone, whatever. Never deliberately trained them. Just when they're pups and I give them raw hides or other bones......I tend to play with them with it, like fetch, which involves them handing the bone over if they want to continue the game. Uhh........so maybe I did train them, I just never thought about it. lol

 

[donna723]

InsaneCdn, my dogs know perfectly well what "Leave it" means ... they just choose not to if they have some highly prized item in their mouth like a live mouse or a petrified cat turd. Actually I don't use "Leave it", I tell them to "Spit!" and usually they do, unless it is something they really want to keep, like a live mouse. In that case, I offer them something they want more - like a cheese/bacon flavored cookie. They have to spit out out the mouse to get the cookie, so we trade.

I've had dogs for over fifty years and I know all about dog training. I just do things my own way - the dogs are happy and so am I!

 

[TerryJ2]

How sad is it that my dog is trained better than my difficult child?

 

[InsaneCdn]

How sad is it that my dog is trained better than my difficult child?

Terry... you won't believe this, but I came back to this thread intentionally to tell you that it's a bit ironic when... we have more success training the dogs than training the difficult children... and the only time that picture failed? we had a difficult child-dog for a few weeks... the combo was not workable!