[nagdu] Picking up things from the ground

Wed Dec 17 18:15:19 UTC 2014

Daryl,

I've found the techniques you describe work best with Mitzi, too, and 
they appear to work well with the pup Loki. So if we're on a sniff 'n 
stroll and she takes to scavenging and won't drop it or leave it, then 
it becomes just a stroll. We also play the leave it game at home, along 
with the drop it game. It is one of Loki's favorite forms of 
entertainment when we're busy with other stuff. /lol/ He has certain 
things he will pick up and will actually make noise on purpose so that 
whoever is near can tell him to drop it! He will do so, get his reward, 
then move towards the contraband to be told to leave it! Then he gets 
the reward for doing that. I think with him, part of it is testing out 
the rules and limits and part of it is just fun and attention, and also 
treats. He's a funny boy. There have been times it's driven me batty, 
especially when he was younger and just learning how to entertain 
himself and get attention that way. But it's been nice when we're 
walking, since he's not sneaky about grabbing stuff and will drop most 
of it on command. Whew! He's made me appreciate Mitzi's self-control, 
since I never knew most of that stuff was there to be picked up. /lol/

I think the real key is figuring out what the dog values more than what 
it might get into its mouth and work with that. With the poodles, treats 
are nice, but freedom is everything and everything must be fun. They 
will be happy to choose to obey and follow the rules or cater to my 
silly whims, but being *made* to do anything is an offense to them of 
the highest order. Being prevented from doing what they want is also a 
very big bummer.

I get the impression that Mitzi, especially, finds having something 
taken from her mouth to be a great indignity which makes her pout but 
convinces her that leaving it and/or dropping it are a better option. 
Unfortunately, the only things she needs to have removed from her mouth 
by my hands are the things dogs find really nummy and humans consider 
untouchable. Ewwwww! /lol/

Tami

On 12/17/2014 07:18 AM, Daryl Marie via nagdu wrote:
> hi, Lisa,
> Oh, how I can sympathize!  Jenny has also been a scavenger, though admittedly it has gotten so much better, particularly in the last six months.
>
> A few things here:
> 1) this might never EVER go away completely, but the rules in my house are these:
> a. if we're on a long leash (which for me is still short enough to pull her back) or at an off-leash park, she is to obey the "Leave it!" command. If she does drop whatever she has gotten, she is permitted to run and frolic and generally be a happy dog until it's time to go home.  If she does not obey the leave it command, or continues to scavenge, the leash goes back on, and fun is OVER, period.
> b. If she is doing this in harness, it gets taken away from her, she gets a scolding, and if we're in a place I know well, I drop the harness handle and double up the leash so short that she can't dip her head down.  If that's not possible, then I have something in my purse...
>
> 2. I keep a Halti in my purse.  I don't know if Germany sells these, but they are basically small head collars.  The Halti clips behind Jenn's ears. There's a ring that goes over her nose with straps that go over her cheeks.  Her leash is clipped to a small ring about 2 inches under her chin, and another clip attaches to her collar.  When I first got this, I used it constantly, then gradually reduced its use, until now it just stays in my purse for either really REALLY bad days or a day where she's in a high-stimulating environment such as a vet's office or pet store where she is likely to dip her head and sniff EVERYTHING.  It took a lot of work to get here, but we're making it :)
>
> 3. Play the "Leave It" game at home.  You mentioned when your big boy first arrived that he would take stuff and chew it, so use this to your advantage to continue to reinforce that taking things is NOT OK.  I have done more redirection than corrections, just because of who Jenny is... for us, using treats as a reward for leaving whatever it is on the ground has been counterproductive, so praise has gone a LONG way to showing her that leaving the apple or popcorn (her weaknesses) on the ground is going to make me happy.
>
> The scavenging is a tough one, because it often reinforces itself: doggie picks up something, it tastes good! Even if doggie gets sick an hour later they don't always associate it with that pulled pork sandwich they picked up an hour ago.  Work hard, you can do it, it WILL get better... but you are right; you do have to deal with this, and quickly.
>
> Feel free to write me offlist if you'd like to ask any question.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Daryl
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Lisa via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 04:18:59 -0700 (MST)
> Subject: [nagdu] Picking up things from the ground
>
> Hello everyone!
>
> Taylor does great guidework and we enjoy every day we spend with this
> playful and energetic dog. But there's a big problem that bothers me.
> Taylor picks up things from the ground, mostly during our walks but
> sometimes also in harness, when it is something very "delicious". Of course
> I try to be very quick, correct him and/or take it out of his mouth but
> especially during walks, when he is on the long leash, that's not possible.
> So he gets the chance to swallow things like leftovers from a sandwich
> including its packaging, napkins or any other stuff that's attractive to
> him.
> The consequence of this behaviour is that he throws up aproximately once a
> week. Then, together with his food and water, a piece of plastic or paper or
> any other not-digestable thing comes out again. Well, I'm glad that it does
> come out. But it's stressful anyway. For him, too, of course, no one likes
> being sick.
> We saw the vet, so I am sure Taylor has no serious problems in his stomach.
> The only reason for throwing up seem to be the things that he picks up. I
> really do my best to monitor him but when he's sniffing around on a meadow
> and suddenly grabs and swallows something, what can I do?
>
> I would be really interested in how you manage this problem--labradors are
> greedy creatures, so probably I'm not the only one who deals with it.
>
> What kind of training could I do to avoid this?
> Any ideas are greatly appreciated!
>
> thanks and greetings from Germany
> Lisa
>
>
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