1.5yr old lab, want to train her to go in the other room and get her bed (a cheap little doggie bed), and bring it into den where i am. Rooms are 20 ft apart, not far. How do I go about getting her to understand what I want and reinforcing it to the point where we get it engrained?
Excellent. The hard training is done. Put the dog bed in the same room as you. I don't know what is your cue for retrieve. But suppose it is "Bring". Then cue her "Bring. Bed" assuming she knows the word bed. You may need to do a bit of shaping to convince her to get the bed. Initially clear the floor of everything else. If that is a stumbling block. Practise with a small cushion first, then a larger cushion, then use a pillow, then put her bed in the pillow case. Then bed out of pillow case. You'll have to experiment to see whether she can figure out what you want her to get. Don't get stuck practising with just one object--you want her to be bringing back lots of objects. A bed is a cumbersome object for a dog to retrieve so teach her the ability to get lots of things. Reward each time she is successful. If other things are about, then do not apply any real verbal or physical punishment if she brings back the wrong object other than "Not that one mate". Once she is retrieving the bed you're on the "final leg of the race". Initially you had the distance reasonably short between the dog and the bed. Gradually and slowly move the bed across the room. Next to the doorway. Then partially hidden by the wall. Then out of sight. You may not need all the steps set out here. But you do need a written plan. You need to be very clear how you can break the exercise into small steps in which the dog can succeed. And if something is not working, then be prepared to change the plan. I now always write down some contingency steps so that if plan B happens I have already though through how I am going to react. Have fun. May I ask, why do you want her to get her bed?
This is great! Thanks so much. I want her to get her bed because it stays in our bedroom, but when I’m sitting on the couch after dinner, i am so lazy that id prefer her to go get it herself!
