A little help with "drop it"...

[Dreeza]

soo, Oakley has this extremely annoying habit of 'dropping it', but then IMMEDIATELY picking it back up again. I've been trying & trying to get this to stop...

His 'drop it' command isn't perfect in the first place...i really think he does KNOW what i'm telling him to do, but he would just rather chew on the ball then give it back...I need to find more high-rewarding treats prob...??

Anyways, ive been trying to treat him only AFTER the ball is in my posession, but its just this constant struggle...i usually have to grab him by the collar and hold him back so i can pick it up (and then he is still lunging for it immediately when i let him go).

He knows "sit" & "back" & "stay"...so i tell him to get back & stay (away from the ball)...but he seems to have caught on to this & now is grabbing the ball before he moves back...

Once again, this seems to stem from him getting over-stimulated & not being able to calm down..ive been really working on ONLY throwing the ball/giving him toys after he has settled a bit, but he really never completely calms...(he just sits, but you can tell he is practically about to burst).

Anyways, he is *improving*, but at a snails pace...any advice to try & speed up the process...especially since he is fast learner, so I think i'm just not going about this exactly the right way.

 

[fillyone]

Have you tried using another ball for the reward rather than a treat?

When Dante has a ball/tug/etc a treat is the last thing he wants

 

[JessLough]

With Rosey, if she wouldn't drop it, we didn't play with her. She learned that if she wants the human interaction, she has to drop the ball. Usually, no human interaction=no fun.

 

[lizzybeth727]

You could teach him to drop it in your hand?

Make sure that when you do get the ball, you throw it for him as quickly as possible.... This way the throw is his reward for bringing it to you. You don't want to tease him with it or anything.

 

[corgipower]

You're basically asking for two separate behaviors. Drop it and leave it. I would work on the leaving it aspect separately - when he's not as highly stimulated from playing. Work with lower value objects first and build up to the ball. Have him have to look at you for the ball. Have him have to do some basic obedience commands for the ball ~ you can change the commands so he can't anticipate them and so he's encouraged to really pay attention to you. When he's good at that, then work on having him do the same in higher states of arousal. Have a bit of play, out, look at you, and he gets the ball back right away. Again, build it up to being able to perform some obedience in between.

 

[Fran101]

Maybe play trade? teach him by that dropping that ball, he gets something so much funner! ball with peanut butter on it etc..

 

[Dogs6]

Maybe play trade? teach him by that dropping that ball, he gets something so much funner! ball with peanut butter on it etc..

would that not just encourage him to chew the ball with peanut butter on it ?