Encouraging Ball Drive

Hello I am new to the group and I would like to post a question!

I have recently aquired an Australian Cattle Dog female. She will be
two in May. We got her about a month ago. We have started the
training levels and are almost complete level 1. We have also started
agility and flyball classes. She is doing great at the equipment in
both classes, however she does not really have any ball drive or toy
drive. The breeder never played with her. She loves to chase our
other ACD when she fetches. She started to play a little with one
specific sqeeky ball and was retreiving great. But this past week she
has almost completely turned off the ball or any toy. There were no
bad
experiences that happend to turn her off.

She has the potential to be an incredible flyball dog, she is fast and
smart and willing. But she really needs to carry the ball! ha ha kinda
a must in the game :)

thanks !

Comments

jharrold's picture

A plan for retrieving

Melanie,

We have a golden who'd been abused; wanted (no; NEEDED) to play, but wouldn't complete her retrieve because her prior human was dangerous. She wanted desperately to play, but would neither close nor surrender the object. To live w/this high energy dog, I had to use a two frisbee/ball method to exercise her. This allowed me to run her legs off while avoiding the trust violations which would've occurred if I tried to force surrenders. Here's a variation which may help you build the fetching behavior.

Get at least one duplicate of the desirable toy you mentioned & rub several drops of diluted chicken broth on a pair. Not too much; you just want to elevate the toys' interest/desirability. Let them dry overnight.

Next morning, let your dog eat/eliminate, then begin a short session in her most familiar area (her own backyard?) w/all other dogs/distractions removed. She should be at her friskiest first thing in the morning. Bring the two smelly squeakers; you'll also need several high-value treats, hidden in a shirt pocket.

Start w/a little space behind you, so you can move backwards several yards. Let her sniff this very interesting (& squeaky!!!) toy, then begin to bounce up & down, wave it around, talk silly & get her excited -- then roll it for a short distance. (I think something bounding at eye level is more exciting to a dog -- Get it! It's trying to escape! -- rather than something flying through the air.)

When she picks it up & turns back to you, make whatever crazy noises/gestures/jumps that will feed into her excitement. Give your recall command & begin dancing backwards. (You shouldn't actually have to back up much; just bounce & exude excitement. Lift your feet well off the ground when you're first doing this.) She should pursue, w/toy in mouth. Have toy #2 in your hand, but hidden behind your back. Avoid any sort of moves, reaches or even leaning towards her or toy #1 as she comes in. All body language should be away from her, & she will close in. As she nears, display toy #2. You may have to let her smell it the first time, to confirm that it, too, smells mighty fine.

Now you must get her to drop #1. Hold #2 as long as it takes, but do not reach for #1. It must be her decision to surrender the object. Let her smell #2, wave it around, do whatever you must to make this one more interesting than the one she's holding. Movement continues to be away from her; small circles work, just make her pursue you.

When she drops #1, immediately roll #2. When she's outbound, retrieve #1 & rush forward a few steps to recover any lost distance. Resume your silly antics that enhance your interest quotient, so she again returns w/toy in mouth. Repeat for a half dozen or so cycles, then end the session while her desire to continue is strong; you want her last memories to be FUN; MORE! DO IT AGAIN!

On that last retrieve, "rescue" the squeaker by trading up: pull out those high value treats & sprinkle them around so she drops the squeaker. Recover it, then scratch & make a big fuss over her, but the game is over for now. Remember, you're just working to build a behavior at this time, not give her a significant level of exercise. Shape her retrieves by throwing the second (for a good return) or witholding (if she filed to pick up the thrown one); her reward is the next throw. Over time, work different areas/directions of the backyard; when she's solid in her own yard, find a different (but quiet) location & rebuild the behavior. Continue w/things like substituting tennis balls (the wool holds smell very effectively; this might work well early on); introduce distractions, etc., but only move on after she's on proven footing at the present spot.

Hope this helps a bit...
John