Dutch Shepherd Forum

Aren't you supposed to first teach them to ignore the ball?

Sadie just needs to learn not to kill it

OK, in case you guys care...

First, teach your dog to go to a rug. from a sit beside you, and sit on it, facing you, on cue. Then, move the rug around and have the dog go to it ("go rug," or whatever cue you use). Then use two rugs, placed a ways apart from each other, and direct the dog to which rug.

Then place the rug behind the stationary ball. Teach the dog to go around it (counter clockwise) to the rug (where it will sit), or bye it (clockwise) to the rug.

Then, put your stickie on the ball, have the dog sitting behind the ball (you fade the rug when the dog understands the behavior; when you can say "go around" or "go bye" and the dog will go behind the ball in the right direction and sit behind it), then "push." Ideally, the dog only pushes when you give the cue.

Reward for pushing the ball towards you.

At this point, I'd have Geyser sit next to me, I'd kick the ball, and when it stopped moving, I'd send her to the ball and have her start pushing it to me. Eventually, I added goal posts .

Now, if you kick the ball and send your dog before the ball stops moving, have more balls on hand

Great! Thanks! I am prepaird to loose many balls with Sadie! I have already lost a ton of pool floaties.

For the "go around" I used a kitchen chair, and directed with a hand signal, the direction I wanted her to go.(Found out my dog is right handed--lots of animals have a preference.) When she got that part, I started telling her to "wait" in the center of the chair and focus on me for reward.
Don't know if that's the right way, but she got it and we'll try the "go around" from both directions using the ball, but not asking her to move it yet in any way.
I doubt if we would ever enter a trial for this, but it's something to do while it's cold outside, and she already thinks she's a superstar!

alspyce wrote:she already thinks she's a superstar!