Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hello!

Looking for some tips on reinforcing an "OUT" command.

What I have been doing so far is getting Cede into a toy-tug situation, immobilizing the toy and waiting for her to eventually release (this can last for a short period of time to a long wait) when the release happens marking with the verbal cue "OUT" and providing a high-level food reward.

Just wanted to know if there were any other tips because Cede seems to be a little slower on the learning curve.

I had a hard time teaching out....until we had out first training session with the new trainer. I just said "out", as an example of my problem. Bramble dropped the ball. We did it again, and she dropped the ball. Happened about 10 times, then suddenly didnt workm

I told the trainer I just didnt get it. At home, it rarely worked.

He told me my body language was sending her mixed messages. The first 10 times, my body language was upright, relaxed but powerful. That 10th time, though, I bent over in a "play' position, but my tone was more abrupt. She didn't respond because she didnt know which message to obey....were we playing or was this a command?

I found that being more purposeful in my body language really helped

I also learned to have two balls or discs or tugs. Bramble has a high prey and play drive. She didnt get it when I took the wonderful toy.....and handed her a piece of food. In the moment she was focused on play, not food. Kind of like turning off Empire Strikes Back to turn on Rise of Skywalker.....basically punishing her. Though maybe not that bad. Maybe Phantom Menace.

Once I made the reward equivalent to the "loss", she caught on. Now, she gets it.

Try to get her to release or out while playing with a ball first . Getting them wound up in a tug game is going to make her want to hold .

The out should be part of the game, not the end of it. Like Tim said, if she's excited, it's going to be difficult. Try presenting a toy directly to her at a time when she's not used to playing. If she takes it, mark the take, but keep yourself and the toy still. Give her a verbal out, and don't fight for it. Try that a few times and see if anything comes of it. If she does out, give it a flick to encourage her to take it again. The point being that the dog shouldn't think that every time it outs, it's possible all chance of successful play or fulfillment