In this post, we’re going to tackle a brilliant dog training question that was raised in the comments on my previous YouTube video. The question was:
“I think my Aussie Shepherd has trained me… every time he does something wrong like steal another dog’s ball, I have to give him a treat for him to drop it. Now he purposely steals other dogs’ balls because he knows he’ll get treats.”@SimbaPup13_, YouTube
Video Transcript:
This situation is familiar to many dog owners and showcases the remarkable intelligence and adaptability of Australian Shepherds—and other breeds as well. Our dogs are naturally inclined to recognise patterns in our actions to make better decisions and achieve their goals more efficiently. This capacity to identify and utilise patterns is a fundamental aspect of effective dog training.
Dogs are amazing and this trait to identify and recognise patterns is one of the constants – this is one of the things that we can 100% rely on when it comes to training our dog.Charlotte Bryan
Video Transcript:
Hi,
In this video we’re going to answer a great dog training question I got as a comment on my last video:
“I think my Aussie Shepherd has trained me… every time he does something wrong like steal another dog’s ball I have to give him a treat for him to drop it, and now he purposely steals other dog’s balls because he knows he’ll get treats”
This is something that many owners face – this is a great question and I’ve got a couple of ways to help so let’s get started.
First of all, something that I love is that this is a great example of the beauty and intelligence of the Australian Shepherd – and our other dog breeds. All dogs are hardwired to identify common patterns in our behaviour in order to help them make future decisions and get what they want quicker. Dogs are amazing and this trait to identify and recognise patterns is one of the constants – this is one of the things that we can 100% rely on when it comes to training our dog.
I love the way you started training – a treat exchange for the ball early on, and I’ve got a couple of ideas about how we can add to this and tweak it a bit just to get more of the outcome that we want.
So how are we going to address this?
There are a couple of things here – but number 1 – I would make sure that I’m not rewarding when Simba steals another dog’s ball. My boy Frankie does this to some extent as well but not because he wants a treat – he just loves to chase things and so wants someone to throw it. We’ve got to be really careful when it comes to fetch because the constant stopping and starting can be jarring to the joints and have physical consequences and it can affect our dog’s psyche as well. But, first thing, we want to ensure that we’re not rewarding the stealing of another dog’s ball as much as possible – that includes treating our dog and throwing that stolen ball for them.
On that note, I would be introducing both a leave it and a drop it command. These are a little different. For me, a “leave it” is only appropriate BEFORE my dog has picked up something in his mouth or has approached something. It’s like the pre-emptive “leave it alone, don’t even go near it”. “Drop it” is an appropriate command for after our dog has got hold of an item. For instance, when Simba has a ball in his mouth and we want him to put it down.
So Number 2 – I would be using the “leave it” to prevent that stealing of other dogs’ toys. You could do some rewarding when Simba responds to the “leave it” of other dogs’ toys. For instance, we see Simba approaching a toy that another dog has and see was say “leave it” and then reward when Simba looks back to us – rather than rewarding after Simba has stolen another dog’s toy. So, we want to ensure we’re not rewarding Simba for stealing toys.
And Number 3 – I would be ensuring that Simba has a clear understanding of “drop it” but I would make sure that I’m only rewarding Simba when a) Simba hasn’t stolen another dog’s toy – i.e. we want to make sure it’s his toy that he’s got, and b) only rewarding when we have said “drop it” – if Simba comes up and tries to just drop a ball in front of us, I’d either ignore it (if it’s not playtime) or throw it (if we are ready to play) but I wouldn’t be actually treating if he just releases the ball. I would only be incorporating treats if I have actually said “drop it”.
So, I hope that’s helped. If you want a couple videos how to actually teach “drop it” and “leave it” etc then let me know. If you watching this and you’ve got a question about your own dog then feel free to comment and ask.
If you liked this video please like and subscribe, it does really help the channel and will help me keep making helpful videos for you.
Otherwise, I’ll see you in the next video.
Thanks,
Bye.
