hello. any ideas how to discourage gooning about with a rabbit skin dummy without making things boring and reducing desire to retreive? My two are excellent at bringing the rabbit skin dummy back to me in the house, but take it outside and its Game Time.... Cuillin in particular seems to find it really tricky to not try and start a huge chasing game with Brodick after about one sensible retreive each...she is fine with a canvas dummy but canvas doesnt light brodicks fire outside and I'm desparately keen to keep his interest in the rabbit skin dummy outside up, he's wild about it in the house and I'm limiting his retreives there to keep him interested, outside there are so many competing smells/rustles/distant quacks that will make his head shoot up instantly and his body quiver I'm apprehensive about any thing making it seem boring, if you know what I mean. Training them alone would no doubt be the most sensible but with life time contraints I can only manage two walks a week separately, the rest of the time they are together.... Thanks!
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... I haven't managed to crack that one with one dog, never mind two. ;D
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... Use the canvas dummy only for Cuilliin, and the rabbit skin dummy only for Broderick? Make them wait until it is their turn to retrieve...
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... Is she chasing him whilst he is carrying the dummy? Not quite sure what the game is they are playing.
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... Its Cuillin's Game... She will run out and get the Dummy, then run up to Brodick, start bouncing up and down on her front paws, play growling, shaking the dummy in her mouth, and playbowing at him, then will dart off looking behind her hopefully.... trying to get him to chase her...he will normally oblige.....
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... Ok, in that case I would say have two different dummies, fur for Brodick and plain canvas for Cuillin. And a game bag for you ;D. I would also keep the non retrieving dog an the lead if you can't split their training sessions.
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... thanks all. i will try the canvas/fur split and keep brods on lead when cuilli is retreiving she is the minx with this kind of stuff and i guess if he cant respond she'll give up. eventually....she's very playful bless her but will do her good to know when we are 'working'...i suppose it would b a bad idea to reward her for focusing rather than playing by giving her the fur dummy and letting her have a game with it as that would b her top reward...will bring her favourite ball too and get a game going with that and yes i need a Game Bag... . im pleased to report the young brodick is developing a serious ball retreiving addiction which will hopefully transfer to dummies too...that'll keep him out of mischief....
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... erm i was thinking of letting her have a good chase game with it but now im typing this it seems very wrong! dummies afe not for chasy games....!
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... LOL Cuillin sounds a lot like Lilly. She isn't really interested in retrieving - puts up with a few, but easily loses interest. Her wee doggy cousin on the other hand is a natural. Put them both together, Lilly goes for the ball like a rocket and does exactly the same as Cuillin - the chase me, chase me game! Her cousin then runs off to mum for another ball to retrieve!!! Lilly's just a mischief-maker I think. Would cause a riot at one of Heidrun's training sessions ;D jac
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... thanks , nice chunk of chicken for Miss Playful then and she can keep her Chasy games with brodsie for house/park and not with dummies...my socks always seem to b used by the pair of them as their preferred item to get the other one chasing them anyway! jac Lilly and Cuillin sound VERY similar! they are very funny when they do it mind u . cuilli loves to retreive in the house up the hall but outside she thinks like Lilly. why retreive when you might b chased. much more fun!
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=1695.msg12592#msg12592 date=1371073058] LOL Cuillin sounds a lot like Lilly. She isn't really interested in retrieving - puts up with a few, but easily loses interest. Her wee doggy cousin on the other hand is a natural. Put them both together, Lilly goes for the ball like a rocket and does exactly the same as Cuillin - the chase me, chase me game! Her cousin then runs off to mum for another ball to retrieve!!! Lilly's just a mischief-maker I think. Would cause a riot at one of Heidrun's training sessions ;D jac [/quote] Jac, she would get bored with that game in my training session because none of my dogs would chase her whilst she has a retrieve in her mouth. I don't know if you saw the video clip of my two springers playing. They do chase each other and they are having a wonderful time but neither one is carrying anything. From a young age I have taught them to bring anything they pick up, toys, shoes, socks anything really, back to me. It would make my training sessions a lot harder if I allowed them to hooley around with each other whilst one is carrying something.
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... thats my new resolution. discourage/ban chasy games when we are retreiving but make sure they get chasy time after with a clear break after retreives so they know its 'playtime' after. like the spaniels! that was a lovely video btw...tried out this morning and cuilli was very good, i gave her extra special treats for coming back to me with the dummy and not bothering brods who i had by the collar so she knew he couldnt play. brods was being The Good Retreiver Boy this morning, he is being worryingly well behaved just now im expecting an outburst soon
Re: gooning about with rabbit skin dummy.... Lovely video heidrun! Sometimes I just wish I had more time to really have a go. She loves her fun, but is so placid in the house. I guess most of the dogs we come across are also up for a play : I have to say at training she will not START the play now, but if another dogs breaks away, she is in there! Jac
