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Problems Finding The Right Toy For Drive Training


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You can tug with the wubbas, if you hold onto the tails, and they are squeaky too

I'm doing drive with food

ETA, actually the wubbas arent squeaky are they? My guys love the wubbas, but then they go nutto for the orbee too

Edited by shoemonster
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This is what I used to build drive. Its a fluffy, squeeky one.

Now I use a training tuggie as in the Balabanov dvds.

sept2008007.jpg

We have one of these... Jedi loves it! We also have one of Periau's (sp?) tuggers.

EDT - I think we got the orange tugger from the Castle Hill Homemaker Centre pet shop... Pet 2000 or something like that it's call. The one with Ned, the newfie.

Edited by TerraNik
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An interesting thread. I have never done the "training in drive" seminars or exercises, so have a couple of questions.

How much is about the toy & how much is about what you do with it?

Can any dog be made to find anything rewarding?

When do you give up searching for the perfect toy & focus on technique?

How much of it is genetic?

I guess I am lucky that my dogs don't really care what we use. They will literally be as switched on whether I use a lead, a toilet roll :thumbsup: or an expensive toy. The words "are you ready?" seem to be our on switch. I don't take too much credit for this, I think it's just the way they have been bred, rather than anything I have done with them. Neither will really take food in training & this is something I would like to work towards as I think there are situations where it could be useful.

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I think prey drive training is more about how the item is used..........just like food drive training. Many people train with food, but many dont understand how to use it properly.

And no......I dont think all dogs can be efficiently trained using prey drive. I think it is great to train a high drive dog though.

Ruthless: I got it from Petstock, but I have seen them everywhere. Try Kmart.

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I also think it is about how the item is used - I think I act differently with the squeaky they love than the tug :thumbsup: one of the things I need to fix, but I think I need someone to actually see what I am doing.

All of my dogs love food, and I am more used to using food. They will take food pretty much anywhere (except Diesel when he is overexcited/stressed). I am enjoying using toys for the high energy it puts into the performance, but it is so different to using food!

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An interesting thread. I have never done the "training in drive" seminars or exercises, so have a couple of questions.

How much is about the toy & how much is about what you do with it?

Can any dog be made to find anything rewarding?

When do you give up searching for the perfect toy & focus on technique?

How much of it is genetic?

I guess I am lucky that my dogs don't really care what we use. They will literally be as switched on whether I use a lead, a toilet roll :thumbsup: or an expensive toy. The words "are you ready?" seem to be our on switch. I don't take too much credit for this, I think it's just the way they have been bred, rather than anything I have done with them. Neither will really take food in training & this is something I would like to work towards as I think there are situations where it could be useful.

Great questions Vicki.

I think it is all about "what you do with it". My previously toy neutral dog can now go into drive for me with nearly anything.

I don't think that any dog can be made to find all things EQUALLY rewarding, but I have certainly made an old food hound that hated all toys into a dog that will be happy with a toy reward, but he still prefers food rewards. he was about 8 years when I did this (just for a training exercise). Clicker training is great for this - you simply make the item inherantly rewardable.

I think it is technique, technique, technique. But a toy that suits you and your dog will make things easier. If something fits well in your hand, slips into your pocket and is easy on your dog's teeth and jaw, and can go through the washing machine, you are both more likely to enjoy it, and use it often. I think it was important in the drive building stage to use only one toy, but also important to use a whole lot of items, and eventually just your voice command to get the same drive initiation. You can't take toys into competition.

Don't know, but certainly some pups are more into strong toy play than others. These will surely be easier to develop drive in. But have the others the same potential?? Who knows.

Cheers

ETA: Steve (if you are there), if I have got this all wrong, book me another lesson with Hardy!!

Edited by Dogs4Fun
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I think it is technique, technique, technique. But a toy that suits you and your dog will make things easier. If something fits well in your hand, slips into your pocket and is easy on your dog's teeth and jaw, and can go through the washing machine, you are both more likely to enjoy it, and use it often. I think it was important in the drive building stage to use only one toy, but also important to use a whole lot of items, and eventually just your voice command to get the same drive initiation. You can't take toys into competition

I agree with an additional point to make.

All of the above is very correct if you are doing TID for obedience, agility, flyball etc.

But if you are doing tugging in order to move onto bite work, you cant just work with the squeeky fluffy toy or a ball, as the dog will eventually have to go for a bite pillow or a sleave.

My girl is a prime example, happy to tug on fluffies, not happy to tug on bite pillows.

I guess this is not enough drive genetically, or nerves arent strong enough or combo.

Hey ruthless - lets design a fluffy sqeeky sleave, we will make money on that for sure :thumbsup:

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Bite sleeves and pillows are quite firm - my guys prefer softer stuff. Probably not genetically there for my guys either for that level.

I am just glad I can get Diesel interested in anything at all, even if it is the squeaky :rofl: Just did a great send away to squeaky with him. Tied him up, teased him with toy, put toy down on ground 15 paces away, held him and revved him up, then sent him! Very fast! :thumbsup:

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He won't tug with me. He will with our trainer, but not with me.

Sorry to focus on the above sentences, but why will he tug with your trainer and not you?

Also you stated you take both dogs to the park?

We are buy fancy training aids (heck I tow a trailer full of training equipment LOL).......a piece of garden hose may suit?

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I'm surprised no one else did :rofl:

Something to do with conflict. Chopper sees me as the person who's always telling him not to do things, no jumping, no craziness, etc. The type of toy I use may not overcome that, but at least if I start with something I know he goes crazy for everyday I'll have a good starting point.

I take Chopper and Angel to the park for fetch in the morning [well, I used to before I became the nasty depriver of toys :)], I don't bring them both to the park to train. I did once with OH, but it was rubbish so we won't try that again for a while :thumbsup:

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I'm surprised no one else did :thumbsup:

I did, just not in here LOL

I think you watched way too much Cesar and he does everything in calm submissive state, where now you want the oposite and Chopper is totally confused. With you.

With someone else he doesnt have the problem as the other person didnt tell him to be calm submissive , quite the opposite - be crazy and drivey! and you will get praised and rewarded for that.

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