May 2, 2016

Staying to Play - A Surprising Training Discovery


Although this weekend's outdoor activites were thwarted by yet another spring snowstorm (I referred to yesterday as Gray the First), I was able to get in a fun Frisbee game with Ruby before the green was whited-out again. I've been incorporating the long line and flying disc into any outdoor training with Ruby, because it's the one thing I've found that she finds highly motivating, even in the presence of her many triggers. Recently, we even had a great experience with two different dogs being walked around the perimeter of the lawn we play on, where Ruby briefly looked at the dogs and then returned to obsessing over her Frisbee. For a dog so reactive she knows the sound of the doors of the places where dogs live opening from inside our house, this is huge. It was around that time I decided I needed to order the things (Booda's TailSpin Flyer if we're being specific) in bulk from our favorite online retailer. They are magic!


On Wednesday morning, Boca and I had a little outing planned and I wanted to make sure that Ruby got some one-on-one time as well, so I clipped on her long line (she knows what this means and can hardly contain herself) and grabbed her favorite pink-and-green toy.  After her usual keepaway laps and my comedic attempts to pick up and throw the disc in the split second she gives me (dog logic ="no taking, only throwing!"), we happily and inadvertently discovered a new training game that I'll be building on throughout the month. My overstimulated, distracted, reactive dog was able to hold a down-stay at a respectable distance if it meant being released to rocket toward me and launch herself through the air to snatch her precious out of my raised hand. I really wish I had some video footage to share with you, as her focus and athleticism are something to behold.


I certainly never expected a seven-inch piece of neon nylon to become one of the most valuable positive training tools at my disposal, although I shouldn't be so surprised considering how we have used tug games for trick training in the house. Play is a wonderful way to shake up a routine and introduce new approaches to training challenges. Impulse control exercises such as the Relaxation Protocol and crate grames have been so valuable in helping Ruby channel her intensity, and I think we've only scratched the surface of what might be possible with the long line and the flying disc. I plan to adopt the outdoor down-stay as our training challenge for the month of May, increasing distance and duration and reporting back on the June 6th hop!



This post is part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop, hosted by 
Cascadian Nomads,Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days. This month's theme is incorporating play into training. The hop happens on the first Monday of every month, and is open for a full week - please join us in spreading the word about the rewards of positive training!



12 comments:

  1. That's so awesome that Ruby loves to play frisbee so much! I'm glad it's helping her with her reactivity and it reminds me of a story that Lia told me about her friend's dog. Ask Lia to tell you about the blue ball of courage. :)

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  2. Go Ruby! We play a version of that at therapy sessions where the kids throw his squirrel while he waits on his mat until given the OK cue.

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  3. That sounds like fun! I want to get a long lead for our dogs and start walking them in a nearby field. I think Scout and Zoey would do well on low traffic days.

    The prized toys in our house are the Puller rings and the Chuck It throws and flyers. Wow!

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  4. I love her focus too! It's funny how we can't predict what will be their favorite toys. Like Isis with her cheap plastic squeaky Milk Bones!

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  5. That's awesome! I've always been able to get really intense focus with Nola when there's some form of tug involved at the end. It's really interesting to see how food vs play reward affects behavior!

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  6. Go, Ruby, go! Or rather: stay, Ruby, stay!

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  7. Wow! That's wonderful! Barley will not pay any attention to toys--balls, stuffies, frisbees--if there are other dogs in sight. The only hope I have of getting that kind of focus is really yummy treats (and doing some "warm up" recall to let her know I have those really yummy treats before the dog is in sight). I'm so very impressed.

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  8. I have been searching and searching for something that will hold my dogs focus. Frisbees just end up forgotten at the bottom of our hill, treats are ignored (YES my dogs will ignore treats if there's a possibility of someone petting them) tennis balls, etc. If there are any suggestions you have they would be greatly appreciated!
    --Sarah (adventuresofbugandmoo.com)

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  9. Mom said we are stubborn. The nerve! She tries her best to teach us stuff
    Snorts,
    Lily & Edward

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  10. I don't know what it is about frisbees to certain dogs, but Laika was the same way. To her it was the most magical item I could ever hold, and it made training so much fun.

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  11. I've never tried disc with Kilo yet, he seems to have no interest. Although, he does like to chase a similar toy in the house.
    Great post!

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