Help?!

[JaniceQ]

I came here for some suggestions and opionins on my situation. We have a beautiful four year old Golden Retriever that is the love of my life, however she has a few problems that I would like to get solved.

We do not have a yard however we live right on a park that she can run around in, she LOVES her tennis ball but is way to possesive over it. If a dog chased her ball or tried to steal it there would be a bit of a fight (not a serious fight, it doesnt last long, and its mostly snarling ect. but it is still very alarming). So obviously the solution is to not throw the ball, well that certainly solves alot but even when there is another dog in the park with a ball the same problem happens. She seems to think that every yellow tennis ball in the world is hers! We can not stop going to the park, that is not fair to her. Sometimes she is tolerent and I have time to get her on a leash and leave but usually I don't have enough time to get to her.

She can sometimes be protective over my daughter and when she is on walks with her and another dog comes up there typically will be a bit of snarling.

Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[LeahMM]

I would suggest obedience training. They teach the "leave it" command which is a must for dogs to know.

You take a treat and put it on the ground, tell your dog to leave it. Then quickly pick up the treat and reward your dog with another treat, not the one you picked up. Repeat that making the leave it intervals longer and eventually your dog will get the idea. Good luck.

[JaniceQ]

Originally posted by LeahMM
I would suggest obedience training. They teach the "leave it" command which is a must for dogs to know.

You take a treat and put it on the ground, tell your dog to leave it. Then quickly pick up the treat and reward your dog with another treat, not the one you picked up. Repeat that making the leave it intervals longer and eventually your dog will get the idea. Good luck.

She knows the leave it command and we have been through training classes before.

When there is another dog around and a tennis ball involved the leave it command doesn't work what so eever. I wish it did though

[lizbud]

Originally posted by JaniceQ
She knows the leave it command and we have been through training classes before.

When there is another dog around and a tennis ball involved the leave it command doesn't work what so eever. I wish it did though

If your dog does not respond EVERY time to a command, then
she doesn't "know" the command. More training & practice is
needed.

[LeahMM]

lizbud is correct. Your dog should obey leave it no matter what the situation is. Keep working with your dog. Training does not cease when classes are done. You have to work with what you learned on a daily basis or it will just go away, poof!

[JaniceQ]

Originally posted by lizbud
If your dog does not respond EVERY time to a command, then
she doesn't "know" the command. More training & practice is
needed.

I am no dog trainer but I think she knows it very well. She can balance treats on her nose when I say leave it, ect. When she is trying to "protect" her ball you could yell any of her commands and there would be no response, regardless if she knows it. How can I train her to listen in those situations? When I train leave it in the house she could do it all with her eyes closed and it seems like the stuff I do to help her with "leave it" doesn't even challenge her any more!

[LeahMM]

Have you tried leave it with her ball? Instead of treats, try doing it with a tennis ball using the same techique as the treats. Might just work.

[JaniceQ]

Originally posted by LeahMM
Have you tried leave it with her ball? Instead of treats, try doing it with a tennis ball using the same techique as the treats. Might just work.

We've covered that to. I tell her to leave it (and she listens) when she is carrying the ball in the house ect (because she ends up breaking something )

I am going to try practicing it more with her though.

We rarely use the ball with her now but when another dog in the park has brought one she doesn't necesarily have the ball she just thinks its hers. She will start snarling when she sees the dog with the ball, How do I scold her in a situation like that?

[JaniceQ]

Any more suggestions?

[Dixieland Dancer]

I agree... your dog does not know the "leave it" command thoroughly enough to be trusted in a distracted environment. Balancing a treat on her nose and telling her to leave it is more a trick than knowing to leave it.

Until your dog can do things in a distracted environment, they do not fully understand the command you are giving them. I would back up and start at step one with the "leave it" obedience command. Once you feel she "knows it" in the house then take it outside around noisy situations and distracted environments.

As an example, when I am proofing my dogs before an obedience competition, I take them to dog stores and work attention with them while people are trying to pet them and everything else. Anyone who has gone to a dog store knows the distractions they present. If my dog doesn't pass the test there, then I know they are not ready for the ring. Use your imagination in getting your Golden girl to understand your commands.

I would not discourage her love of tennis balls over this. I would simply make sure she knows when you say 'leave it', she is not to go after it. The tennis ball, since she loves it so much, is probably your best motivator in training her. Use it too your advantage. Most people use food as rewards for training but for my Dusty (a 4 year old Golden boy) his obsession with Frisbee's is my motivator in training him. Your's can be the tennis ball, once you get past this hurdle. If you work diligently for 15 minutes a day for several weeks on the "leave it" command, I think you will realize she still had some learning to do!

[ginagt]

My trainer told me that when a dog truly knows something, such as leave it, it is a reaction no thinking involved on the dogs part. Do you clicker train? Instead of avoiding the ball situation what about training her to come to you when you see the start of the situation? To train this it will take some time, first you have to teach her to turn her head when you call her name, so if you clicker training you have a friend distracting your dog (when starting out the distraction is just the person, no treats, toys etc) the only 2 rules for the distraction person is don't use the dogs name and don't say come. You are very close maybe a foot or so away from the distraction person and the dog. YOu say "dogs name, come" as soon as the dog looks click, back away from the distraction person and give a treat. If the dog does not look given them a few seconds and have the distraction person stand up and ignore the dog, when the dog looks at you click, move back and treat. Do this a ton of times in 5 minutes then stop and train again later. When your dog gets really good at this distance up the space between you and the distraction. And do that for a while, then up the distraction to something wonderful. The point of this exercise is to teach your dog what do when you say leave it. If you say "leave it" " Fido come" she leaves the ball, other dog whatever knowing she is supposed to turn her head and come to you. This is a lot of information, let me know if you have any questions.
Start out easy so the dog will suceed. Still go to park, but maybe a different one with less dogs and balls? School yard when school is not in session? Good luck and keep us posted.