If I say to Snowie, Go fetch your ball, he knows exactly what to do. And if he doesn't find a ball in the vicinity, he goes to his shelf in another room and rummages around until he finds one. But my shoes, no. He knows what they are. If he's asking for a walk and I point to my running shoes and say, Go fetch my shoes, he walks to them, lowers his head as if to pick one up, and then comes back to me -- all very happy when this is happening. If I keep asking, he gets excited and might vocalise as if to say, What do you want? And then, as a last resort, he goes to find a ball and brings it to me. How can I get him to know that I want him to pick up the shoe and bring it to me? He won't even take it in his mouth if I present it to him. He's never been reprimanded for picking up my shoes -- he often used to take a shoe out onto the balcony and lie with it. Although I've not seen him do that in a while actually. I do sound rather lazy, though, don't I?! If this works, there is no end to chores I have in mind!
Just train the clicker retrieve with your shoes! http://totallygundogs.com/clicker-trained-retrieve/ Luna has come pre-programmed to pick up shoes - sadly, to run off to chew in her crate
What about back chaining it and start by teaching him to GIVE the shoe to you. Put it in his mouth, or close and fake it, take it back while saying GIVE, good boy, here's your treat and backwards from there? That's how I was taught to teach fetch, start with the GIVE. Ok, now for my brag, I have to since you provided such a good setup. Jet just started bringing my slippers on her own after we got back from skiing. Then she would bring me my shoes when we were about to walk or my ski boots when we were about to ski. She knew which ones were which. I guess they are made of different materials so they smell different. She would fetch up a guest's shoes when I asked her to, unerringly picking them out from the collection at the door. I missed my chance and never taught her a silent hand signal to pick up and deliver a guest's shoes to them so they'd get a hint it was time for them to go home.
Agree with @snowbunny - clicker training all the way for teaching retrieve for specific items. For Brogan's service dog test, one of the things he had to learn to pick up from the ground and retrieve for me was a coin. I thought we'd never get there. But darn if it wasn't interesting to teach and one of his very best party tricks throughout his life. (no reason for the monkey, just wanted to try him out, heh, heh...)
Just clicker train each step as with anything else. I haven't had to train it though as all mine seem to have become pre-programmed Jennie actually goes to pick up my slippers as soon as I walk through the door and brings them to me
Thank you all! That article is just what I need @snowbunny. Can't wait to get started. Just need to get some really yummy treats... (Since the diet started 5 weeks ago, poor Snowie has not had a whiff of cheddar cheese or any of the other delicious treats that used to materialise from the fridge area.)
I managed to clicker train Charlie to fetch my keys and the post, very helpful so must get to work on my slippers x
I can't help myself, another brag. Jet would find my keys for me. No steak attached. Only my car keys though. I guess the car was important to her as we often took it to a walking spot.
Tread in something interesting? I can only think that's what I must have done when I got home last Thursday afternoon to find my slippers had disappeared. I eventually found them on the landing, one with the rubber sole completely missing. I'm still waiting for the bits to reappear nearly a week later, but it seems that lab gastric juices must be strong enough to dissolve rubber! Tuppence even had the nerve to try to snatch my new ones from my bag when I'd been to buy new ones!
Holly fetches my slippers when I get home. I taught her with a bag of treats and some old slippers. The first step was to get her to pick one up and drop it at my feet. Over time we increased the distance to a few feet, then across the room. I then introduced the second slipper. The big step was when I put them in the hallway. She quickly picked it up and learned to look for them. Nowadays she will search the house for them.
Yes, Cooper's FAVORITE is finding one of my shoes or slippers! I have to put everything away or up high away from his reach. He would LOVE for me to ask him to bring my shoes!!! Would be the answer to his best wish!!!
