[NAGDU] bringing toys back

[Julie Johnson]

Both of my dogs bring their toys back.  I didn't teach this formally though. 
For me formal teaching is things like sit or to stop at curbs etc.  When I 
teach something like that I expect the dog will do the behavior every time 
as they are supposed to.  Bringing toys back is a very casual thing and if 
they don't do it, the consequence is that I stop playing.  Sometimes that's 
what they choose and it's okay with me.

Here's what I do.  First I try to figure out what kinds of toys each dog 
likes best and how they like to play with it.  Monty likes squeaky toys and 
he likes to experiment with making them make different noises.  He also 
likes fetch and tug.  He will chew, but it's not his main way of playing. 
Jetta likes rubbery toys to tug and chew.  She also likes her nylabones, but 
I never play with her with those.  She will fetch, but it's not her main way 
of playing.

So with that I mix up playing to keep the dog engaged.  Jetta prefers tug to 
fetching, so I might play tug with her for a few seconds.  Then I 'll have 
her give me the toy.  I toss it and she'll get it so we can play fetch 
again.  Tug is the reward for fetching and she'll happily bring it to me so 
we can play tug again.

Monty enjoys fetch by itself.  He'll usually bring the toy back so I can 
throw it again.  To keep him engaged I use his preferred squeaky toys. 
Sometimes I'll squeak the toy in between tosses, which he likes.  I also 
keep a couple of toys put away specifically for games of fetch outdoors. 
Because the toys are special he is very excited to play with them.

If your going for exercise, Jetta loves this silly game of running up and 
down the stairs.  I stand at the bottom of the stairs and tell her "go" in a 
super enthusiastic voice.  I'll take a step forward and point up the stairs. 
She runs up and stands at the top.  Then I tell her come and she runs to me. 
I praise her for the nice recall.  Then I send her running up the stairs 
again.  I have no idea why she loves this game so much, but she does.  It's 
nice when the weather is bad and we haven't gone on a long walk to get her 
some good exercise.

Good luck!
Julie
On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com
http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
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-----Original Message----- 
From: Anne Naber via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2017 1:52 PM
To: nagdu
Cc: Anne Naber
Subject: [NAGDU] bringing toys back

Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone has taught their dog to bring toys back?  If
so, how did you do it?
I like to throw toys for my dog, so she gets some good running in, but
she doesn't always bring them back.  I'm totally blind, so hunting
around for it is kind of time consuming/difficult.
Thanks,
Anne

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