newbie, dog will not give ball back (help)

Hi ok I'm looking after my friends rottweiler I had no choice she just up'd and left me with her she 3 years pritty well trained other than this bloody football thing.

she will drop it a couple of times so I can kik it around for her but then she holds on to it like a bone and will not give it back, now one time I got real angry and she was not happy and got even more aggro.

Any idea's other wise the balls gotta go.

one thing I will be doing is pumping up the ball so she can't chew it to death or get are teeth round it she will to be able to chase it but for me it will be easy to get the ball back.

prrr never had a dog so I'm hoping for a little help.

cheers

Try having two balls, trade her when she brings it to you. Take the one in her mouth and throw the other.

yes thanks will try that but then the balls have to be the same otherwise she just go for the one she likes most and that leaves me with her still having a ball....lol

I did try that today, had two balls one she has chewed up and a new one that was know hers, so i tryed throwing the other one (which she has lost intrest in) but she chases it with the new ball in her mouth...she an't dumm....I only got it back when she looked away...

any other idea's

I get what your saying though two ball the same yes makes sense that will work I think simple but clever.

give her a command such as "drop it" while offering her a good treat--when she drops it treat and praise!

Use two balls of lower value than the one she won't let go of, but still high enough value that she wants them. Let her play with the new one for a while so that it become hers - with her smell and tastes like what her ball should taste like and she becomes familiar with the feel of it.

Use tug toys or balls on ropes so that the play is more interactive with you. If she's motivated to have you play with her, you can leave her and stop the game when she refuses to release the ball.

And you can use food to trade for a ball. Teach a command "out" when you do this. You can reward with the ball as soon as she releases it, so that "out" doesn't always mean the game is over.

It's not your dog, and you'll only be taking care of her for a little while - why is it necessary to play with balls with her?? Or play with her with the ball until she decides not to give it back - then just leave her alone. It sounds like she probably likes YOU playing with her with the ball better than just the ball itself (and probably enjoys the fact that you get upset when she steals it from you!), so when she does steal it, she'll learn that it means game over, so that's not a fun thing to do.

Of course the other advice is good if you have the time and effort to put into teaching drop it and everything else.

thanks for advise, the two ball thingy worked perfect...she drops one and chases the other one and when i have to pick them both up no problem...great. and thats with tennis balls so football's will be the same.

I got a new football today she go's mental for it (in a good way) but cant chew it to death. so its still alive for now.

BUT how the hell does a dog manage to pick up a fully pumped up ball, it will be broken soon, another 10 pound gone but its worth it..

I'm very happy she likes tennis balls (cheap) and easy for her to chew them up hence new tennis ball no problem......

happy dog and happy me

"why is it necessary to play with balls with her"

because she likes it"? and so do I.....its just the getting it back thing, but thats sorted..

I dont really get that, the dog is in my hands now so I want her to have fun even if it does **** me off a little....simple training and all is good.

please any more info most appreciated.

"Or play with her with the ball until she decides not to give it back"

yer that would be great but then she has the ball inside my house (she will not let go of it) and then she get's aggro inside (like she has a bone or something).....so ball HAS to be taken away before she come into house house....

not easy (for me anyway)......

I think you missed this part:

So if she's outside with the ball and won't let go, you go inside and leave her until she decides the ball is not fun anymore.

Or just trade, if that seems to work.

The part that I picked up on in your OP was "one time I got real angry and she was not happy and got even more aggro" - my point was, it's not worth it for you to get angry and her to get aggressive if it's not your dog, it's not a behavior that's absolutely necessary, and you're going to give her back in a short time.

all good advice.

One other tidbit worth knowing:

Dogs will release whatever they have in their mouth if they are lifted with the collar. With larger dogs like Rotties you may not have to completely lift them, just some upward pressure on the collar will probably work.

^^^^Since the OP mentioned something about the dog getting aggressive, I don't think this would be a good technique in this situation. Nor do I think it's necessary in the majority of situations.

If they are highly motivated to keep their toy, they will release eventually and with a lot of reluctance to do so.

Be careful with tennis balls. They are a big choking hazard, plus if they chew them and swallow the pieces, they can get impacted. I had to have $1500 surgery on a dog to remove a tennis ball from his stomach.

I would look into something like this.

Hi..
Here is something you can have a go at:

1. Throw the ball, the dog gets the ball.
2. If the dog is not coming back to you, move into a position where you are near your dog.
3. Wait. The instant your dog lets go of the ball, say the command you want your dog to learn (release, drop it, give me the ball, whatever) as you grab the ball.
4. Immediately praise your dog profusely. Get all excited, scritch her ears.

Repeat the whole process (don't work on any given trick for more than about ten minutes at a time).

Before long, she will associate the command with the action of dropping the ball, and associate the action of dropping the ball with your praise and approval.

Good-Luck

Mvh
Rune.

Corgipower, I have 20 years of experience with Rottweilers. I have also dabbled a bit in some SchH work.

Dogs are taken off their sleeve in the beginning by lifting on the collar. And trust me, dogs are MOTIVATED to hold on to the sleeve.

I can have any dog spit out what is in the mouth in seconds using the collar. My old gal is as determined as they get with objects.

This method works with her as well as any other dog I have ever used it on.

Try it sometime next time you are faced with a dog who REALLY wants to hang onto something.

The collar needs to be up under the chin at the top of the neck. Do not use a slip collar, or if you do, put your hand in the collar so that it does not tighten around the neck.

Then put steady upward pressure on the collar. It works EVERY TIME, and it does not take a long time either.

but why use force if you don't need to?

I agree 100% elegy, and other methods should be tried in lieu of any forcible methods beforehand.

However, if one is presented with a situation where it is imperitive to remove something from a dog's mouth, it's handy info to have.

I have tried it...it is a technique I use. I have seen some dogs who drop what's in their mouth, and I have seen many who continue to hold onto what they have for at least a minute, some longer. They slowly start to loosen their grip while continuing to make every attempt to hold onto it.

Any advice I could give has already been covered, but I do want to mention that we have a 16-month-old Rottweiler, and like the dog you are sitting, she adores playing ball and she isn't eager to give one up. I'm working with her on the trading when we are indoors, and usually when we are outside I decide if I want to play or not.

Hay thanks for all advise, I dont really fancy doing the collar thing as its not my dog and not worth the hassle of her getting angro and seeing that I'm 3 weeks in I'll do the two ball thing that works great.

some good points about ignoring her but than I might be waiting for hours until she gives up and I cant leave her outside as I have no garden.

I will try given her a treat see if that works, its only really a problem inside hence no ball's inside.

She seems to like tennis balls I thought she would just chew them up but she does'nt, so a carry 3 tennis balls and trade her (although its not really trading she just drops one because she want the other one (good enough for me).

and she killed the new football withing 2 days (how the f-999 does a dog manage that).

got her one of them food thingy too the ball's with holes in it for when im not in she likes its....

Thanks all again ill stick with the tennis ball's and when I have time ill bring out a football, but when you walked her for an hour you want her to just drop the bloody thing oh well so far so good I guess.

cheers.