A bit flat

I'm concerned that I've trained all the fun out of Riley

He seems quite flat, I don't think he really likes the warm weather and his nose is permanently attached to the ground. He's spent 5 days with my in-laws having fun with their dog (and very little training) and now he's back with us on our own. He's usually a bit tired after staying with Monty.

He's pleased to be out and about but when we do any training he kind of does it but is pretty half-hearted. I was hoping to get more accuracy in his retrieving and recall but he just seems a bit bored.

Clearly I need to be more fun and exciting but that's difficult with my bump and I'm worried about tripping if I start running about.

I've got some other dummies that I don't use often that I'll try and am happy to drive to other venues, he's pretty responsive to food but it's generally the same treats so will try and get something higher value.

Any other ideas of things I should change up or try?

 

Re: A bit flat

This warmer weather has come out of the blue hasnt it ? i`ve noticed that Sam has been bone idle for two days , lots of daytime naps so maybe it does affect them . Have you had a go at making some treats ? Tuna ones are easy and cheap . I use one tin of tuna in spring water, mixed with a raw egg and enough plain flour to make a sort of dough , spread it on a baking sheet and bake in med oven for about 15 mins, cool and break up, it makes loads and you can freeze bags of them , Sam would sell his soul for one ! Do you think maybe he is a bit bored with his training ? I found that after a training session of about 20-30 mins , Sams had enough and because he is a big lad, I have to remind myself that he is just a pup !

 

Re: A bit flat

Hi Kate, thanks for the thoughts.

I try and keep his sessions short - about 15--20 too but we probably do two a day if he's perky. I've been finishing them earlier and trying to end on a positive while I decide what to do next.......

 

Re: A bit flat

Is it the retrieving he is a bit stale with Barbara? If so, how often are you practicing retrieves, and how many retrieves at a time?

Pippa

 

Re: A bit flat

Hi Pippa,

Yes his retrieving is definitely a problem. He'll run out fairly enthusiastically but is slow to pick up and easily distracted by smells, then he cruises/ambles back and often drops the ball or dummy as he gets to me.

I've tried only doing 2 or 3 so that it's not endless and also not asking him to be steady and allowing him to chase but I still get the same behaviour.

We probably do the 2 or 3 retrieves most walks though as I thought they were more fun than sit/stays and heelwork.....but that may be my bias rather than his.....

 

Re: A bit flat

I find with Lady she needs "reving up" sometimes to get her going. That can be say a stop whistle when she's a little way off followed by a thrown dummy when she looks back. Then maybe a tease dummy ie which way is it going? Then just throw in the opposite direction and let her chase it. Just making it clear that I want to play eg by running along with her for a bit and getting her to bounce. Once she's in the groove so to speak she's good to go and seems to switch from smells to keeping an eye on what I'm going to do next so it gets quite tricky to place the dummy for a blind retreive without getting spotted. ;D

 

Re: A bit flat

Hi Barbara
I think it is really important to take action if a dog seems to be losing interest in retrieving.

The problem with early retrieves is that they soon become boring and predictable. A couple of things to consider

• 
  [li]Frequency of retrieves[/li]
  [li]Interest level of retrieves[/li]

Frequency
One suggestion I would make is to stop practicing retrieves every day. I would be tempted to give him a break of several days, and then maybe just one retrieve. Then a few more days and maybe a couple of retrieves. Build back up slowly. Even quite keen dogs can get a bit tired of dummy work from time to time.
The idea is always to stop whilst he is desperate for more. The point at which this happens varies from dog to dog, so only you can judge

Interest level
Marked retrieves, especially on short grass, may be getting just a little boring for Riley now. He might feel more inspired if you start making the retrieves a little more testing. Dropping retrieves into cover, or sending him for ‘go-backs’ and building up distances.

Excitement can help. Tennis balls can get some dogs going, because they bounce and roll, especially if you throw them downhill.

Once you get Riley going again with fewer, and more interesting retrieves, always stopping whilst he is keen for another throw, It might be a good idea to steady him up so that you can move on with his training and make it more interesting. I’m thinking he must be about ten months old now?

Pippa

 

Re: A bit flat

He's just coming up to 11 months old now. He was mad for his tennis ball and now he'll still chase it (especially when Ben throws it reeeeaally far) but won't be massively interested in bringing it back so a break is probably just what he needs and I'm guessing won't do him any harm whereas keeping going will just turn him off more.

There's some longer grass in the field near us so when I start again I'll go in there and see which dummies/balls get him going most.

Thanks everyone for the ideas

 

Re: A bit flat

So we had three days off and he was definitely more perky yesterday and today we were in class where he had much more energy. He decided to do a lap of honour after he'd picked up the dummy :-[

He's really not great at coming straight back when there are other dogs around, also true for his recall. So my trainer has said he needs to stay on a long lead until I become the centre of his world and much more interesting than other dogs this is going to tak a LOT of treats!!

On the plus side I'll keep a much closer eye on his enthusiasm levels for the retrieving. Thanks for the guidance and support.

Barbara