Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

General issues of training/education
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Portertheds
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Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Portertheds »

He's about 6 months now. Typically every day we walk 2 miles, let him run in the dog park, then he's calm enough to do some training. He's teething something crazy right now (got some adult teeth but a lot have just now broken.) he chews up kong, starmark, whatever all the pet supplies have for tough chewers. I've never seen a dog rip up a tough kong in one afternoon before! I feel like he needs more games to keep him entertained. We've been hiding his toys and having him search, lots of dog puzzle toys to get snacks, fetch... He gets bored of a game pretty quickly. He's not quite good enough at recalls and keeping eye contact for me to want to try agility yet. What kind of games do you play to keep your dogs mentally stimulated?
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by LyonsFamily »

At his age, he's too young for agility anyway. I would be doing foundation work including crate games, send outs, targeting, tug work, and just general obedience. 6 months is a good time for limited exposure and desensitization to new environments, people, and objects. Going to a structured puppy class (not a free for all puppy play time) would be a good option to get him used to everything. A dog park with other off leash dogs could be amping him up and unless it's a huge place with lots of educated and aware owners and you don't have the space at home, it's probably be something I'd avoid. It's hard to give suggestions for entertainment and training without knowing your home structure. My dogs are constantly learning and we use things like feeding time and even trips to the store as training.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Stacy_R »

LyonsFamily wrote:My dogs are constantly learning and we use things like feeding time and even trips to the store as training.
Ditto that.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Raven »

Ditto Stephanie and Stacy.

In my house, nearly every minute I'm home with a new dog, regardless of age (except young pups, which I won't have) is some type of opportunity for training and/or reinforcement. It's tons of work and dedication. It's necessary but worth every minute. A DS, especially a young one, is typically enthralled by any involvement.

Your dog is still young enough to be enthralled by A LOT of things he already knows, just changed up a bit.

Build up the work on detection. A toy is easy for him to find now. Start using articles and/or scent balls. You can start training him to down (or bark or paw at) at the site of the article when he finds it. (I bury things in leaves or under dirt or place them in receptacles outside. Inside, I bury them in closets, in a closed hamper, up on a shelf, etc.) Whatever seems too easy for him, up the ante. Most DSs excel in nosework. Mine tracked me without me knowing when I first got him. When we actually started scent work, he was finding a bottle cap under a pile of wet leaves, with my scent all over the area, in no time flat.

You can start teaching chores (jobs). But he's still young and may not have the best judgment, so maybe keep jobs simple right now. I may be wrong, but I think the first job my guy had was binning all the bottle returns into totes (then dragging the totes out).

Your dog's age and strength of training may have some sort of play in this suggestion, but one of the things I added for fun when building my guys' repertoire was having him push a ball with his nose. We play "soccer."

Tons of other stuff. Basic stuff like push (in my house, that means with the nose), touch (in my house, that means with a paw), give, take, etc. And don't underestimate trick training. It helps build a bond as long as it stays fun BUT all the rules of OB and respect still apply.

Heel work! There's tons of things to do with heel work! Whatever you can think of! I couldn't tell you all the heel work my guy knows. Whatever he doesn't is the result of my own limitations. :lol:

Keep him engaged...if he's getting bored easily, look at where YOU are losing him.

Hope some of this helps.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Groc352 »

I'm in need of some ideas as well.. especially now that its winter and were outside much less.

I have 2 dutch's both just under 2 years old. I find it very hard to do individual things with them because there's 2. and they always want to be together, doing what the other is doing.

right now ill take 2 toys, show them. put them in another room, hide the toys then tell them "find it" and they tear through the house and bring back the toys. works pretty well.
also I do a muffin pan game. put one dog in the crate, put treats in the muffin pan then tennis balls on top. let them sniff which hole has the treats and move the balls to get to them.

any other good things to do inside? especially with 2 dogs at once!


thanks.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by vicken »

How do you teach them to ignore the balls to get stuff from muffin tin? How do you teach your DS to put their toys away?
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Dutchringgirl »

Its not as hard as it sounds to train a DS. "leave it" works great for hem to leave something alone or to drop what they have picked up that they arent supposed to [ Sadie does this all day]. I just point to the object, say its name and then " get it' or Bring it". If i want them to bring a bone to the other room I point at the bone and say " bone" then when its in their mouth Ill say " bring it " and walk to where I want them to go. Just repeat it until they understand what you want them to do.

Thalie can pick up stuff and give it to me. Its a combo of fetch and the drop it when I take it.

When Thalie used to come biking with me, people used to get a kick out of it when I dropped a glove, I would give her the command to get it and give it to me.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by brindledog »

I'm reading this wondering how the hell I'm supposed to get Grendel to come back to me with the things I want . Her idea of fetch is to get the item, run back and then right as she nears me, veer to the side and run past to go lay down and chew on the thing. Not so great.
I've been luring her to me with treats, but when outside that doesn't work well-she either gets distracted by grass/sounds/whatever or just ignores me to plop down in the grass with the thing she fetched.
How to change this?!
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Dutchringgirl »

I always recomend the pups be on a long line at all times until they are solid in house and training rules. When you teach her to fetch, start with a regular leash. Toss something just in front of you and give her the command then recall. use the leash to bring her to where you want her, I teach mine to eithr come to heal or to sit right in front of me, I mean with in a foot of my legs. do that a thousand times until she has a solid understanding, then increase the distance. if she does not instantly recall or come to where ou want her, use the leash to give a quick snap to place her
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Owned-By-Hendrix »

Two ball game. When teaching H to retrieve this was essential. He chases one ball and as soon as he catches it I start playing with a new one. He comes running back (usually dropping the ball at a point before) and I throw the second ball, and run back to the first and repeat the game. Pretty soon he was flying to me to get the second ball.

Also short distances. Everyone tries with 5+ feet when learning to retrieve. Start with two feet and build distance. Easier to grab an errant pup too from two feet than six.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by brindledog »

Thanks for the replies. I feel better knowing that fetching isn't done inherent skill they Grendel lacks. She was actually quite good about returning object to me when we first started playing fetch in the house when she was about 10 weeks, so I thought it was a natural behavior.... until she started playing keep away!
I have started working on it with her on leash, along with recall. I'll keep at it.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Dutchringgirl »

Sadie figured out herself how to play catch. I would play with Thalie and Sadie would just run after Thalie. When Thalie would go lay down and Sadie still wanted to play, she would bring the ball to me, but hold it, so I would stand there quietly and do nothing. She know out but She is good at figuring things out. After a bit, she would drop the ball, but when I would pick it up she would grab at it, so i would stand there again and wait, not saying anything. She then figured out that if she didnt grab at it, I would take it and throw it.
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by centrop67 »

Dutchringgirl wrote:After a bit, she would drop the ball, but when I would pick it up she would grab at it, so i would stand there again and wait, not saying anything. She then figured out that if she didn't grab at it, I would take it and throw it.
I think this is the number one lesson in training - you have to have worlds of patience to get the desired behavior.

My first couple of attempts to train Radar to "out" had me holding the tug for over 25 minutes before he finally released it. He was so stubborn :shock:
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Re: Running out of ideas to entertain my dutch mutt

Post by Dutchringgirl »

Yes, patience is very very important, You MUST wait them out.

For outing though, I would put my hand in their mouth to oopen it as I said " out "
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