[nagdu] Picking Up Toys was RE: Figuring out what I need in a dog

Tue Mar 4 08:49:52 UTC 2014

Hi Nicole,
This definitely isn't as difficult as you might think. If your dog is
already familiar with the "give" or "drop it" cue, dropping toys in a
box isn't a stretch. And if your dog is anything like mine when a box
comes to the house, nosing at it and sticking their head in it and
such, your dog will definitely be eager to play this game.
First, if your dog is weary of the box, associate treats with the box.
Click and treat your dog for sniffing or pawing at the box. Or simply
toss treats into the box, and wait for your dog to go after them.
Assuming your dog is curious about the box, let's move on.
After your dog has a toy in mouth, point to the box or snap over it to
get your dog to bring the toy over to the box. Once she's over the
box, cue "drop it." When she does, click and treat.
Do this several times. And when your dog has this behavior down, start
cuing "drop it, clean up," then click and treat for the behavior.
After several  times, simply start cuing "clean up" to associate this
cue with dropping toys in the box.
After your dog reliably performs on cue, gradually increase your
distance from the box, and cue her to "clean up." When she reliably
carries one toy to the box and drops it in, have a fiesta! This just
means giving several consecutive treats and lots of praise. Repeat
this several times, minus the fiesta, just treat after each
performance of the behavior.
After your dog can do the previous step reliably, slowly increase the
criteria. So only reward after she drops 2 toys in the box, then 3
once her 2-toy drop is reliable, then 4 toys, and so on.
I've trained the Golden Guy to do this, but he will not do it with
certain toys. For whatever reason, certain squeaker toys are
apparently above being put in a box. So try it with different toys.
Most importantly, make this a game. This will take several days, but
it is fun and exciting. If at any time your dog becomes uninterested,
just end the session and pick it up again the next day.

On 3/3/14, Darla Rogers <djrogers0628 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Yeah, and I have a retired and a working guide to pick up after. <grin>
> & Huck who says it's Roxy's fault
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nicole Torcolini
> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014 10:48 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: [nagdu] Picking Up Toys was RE: Figuring out what I need in a dog
>
> Oh, can you please share how you train a dog to put toys away? I have a
> basket for Lexia's toys. They start in the basket, but, once they are out,
> they never get back in. Okay, they do, but I'm the one who has to put them
> back. Lexia just kind of decides that she is done playing and leaves them
> lying  around. Sometimes, it is because she needs to go out after playing,
> so that is obviously more important than picking up the toys, but, other
> times, she just lies down again.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014 7:39 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Figuring out what I need in a dog
>
> Oooh! Get a golden!
> Let me start off by saying a few things, then I'll rewrite your needs in a
> way that flows well.
> First, all of these dogs are going to be friendly, they should be anyhow.
> Whether a dog greets people or not is up to you. You will be the one to
> manage your dog and teach it self-control.
> Second, most dogs, especially these ones, are trainable to small tasks.
> I've
> trained out of control shelter dogs to pick up toys and put them in a waste
> basket, and those dogs are far from guide dog material for one reason or
> another. You can train a dog to do anything, you just have to have patience
> and persistence, and be able to gauge your dog.
> Lastly, here is one way you could express what you need in a dog:
> I need a dog that walks slowly, is energetic with an off switch, and has
> low
> distractibility. I would like a dog that does not have a strong food drive.
> Also, I need a dog that is comfortable with university, city and country
> travel.
> Hth.
> --
> Raven
>
> On 3/3/14, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> As it gets closer to time to relinquish my current guide dog, Faye,
>> back to the school, I am thinking about what kind of dog I need and
>> want. Maybe you guys can help me figure out what to ask for.
>> *I need a dog that doesn't get bored walking slow, but also doesn't
>> get distracted at these slow speeds.
>> *I need a dog that is trainable (to other small tasks, like standing
>> still to help me stand up off the floor), but isn't overly food-driven
>> *I need a dog that's soft enough to give me emotional support, but
>> tough enough to handle city and university walking *I need a friendly
>> dog, but one that isn't going to great everyone s/he comes across.
>> *I need a  dog that will take city or country walks all in stride,
>> particularly going off-trail hiking.
>> *I need a dog with lots of energy for working around a university, but
>> not so much energy that I can't relax on the weekend.
>> Maybe I've just described what I need myself, but I don't know how to
>> take that and write it in a way that makes real sense to instructors
>> and the school. Any advice?
>> Thank you all for your support and help so far. I don't know what I'd
>> do without this group.
>> Yours,
>> Jewel
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
> Raven
>
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-- 
Raven