Heart the Piranha
As you all know my sweet girl will begin her therapy classes at the end of August. I have tried and tried to get her to gently take a treat, but it just hasn't happened!!! Here is the scenario:::: Heart sits, I say, EASY!!! She grabs the treat and I hold on for dear lilfe and say NO!!!....EASY!!!!...After about 3 times she does take it without taking my fingers!!! OR... Heart sits, I say EASY!!! She tries to grab the treat and I pop her nose...she melts to the ground cowering...I offer the treat again...she flinches, cowers and walks away...((NOTHING is worth THAT!!!!   )
It seems that after a few times, she is OK..but she never starts out that way..it's always gnashing teeth and clamping down quickly the first time.. WHAT the heck am I doing wrong...because we ALL know it's never the pups fault!!!!!!! 
Any other suggestions???? I will try anything!!!!! Thanks in advance!!!! |
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Hmmm, there seemed to be quite a bit of obsessing as to whether she would get into the program. 
Now we are obsessing about taking treats during training?
This deserves multiple eye rolls. Seriously, you know that your tension goes right down the end of the leash - SO STOP OBSESSING. What I would suggest, given her sensitive nature, is to pack your bag with lots of treats and lots of band aids. No one, not even Jo, is going to notice that over the course of a few weeks you have fewer and fewer fingers. YOU are the only one who is going to be giving her treats. Part of your training as a handler is to refuse treats from all others because you don't know where they come from. For now just enjoy this time you have been dreaming about for two years and focus on the program training.Then when she graduates you can work on a "gentle" mouth. |
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Well...I guess you WOULD know about OBESSING!!!!! :wink:  
ok...ok...OK~~~~~ I don't want the first thing when, in my FIRST class, for Heart to take off a finger of the class trainer!!! NOT a good sign..ya know????? |
| Val - Silly question - but can she see the treat? Winston was grabbing the treat during training until I pulled the hair out of his eyes. Now he is very gentle. |
| One big thing commonly overlooked......
Offer the treat down low, below the level of her muzzle. Many times the dogs are lunging UP at the treat, and that gets the behavior you are seeing. Hope that is the case - good luck. |
| Steph....Heart always has her hair UP.....LOL....Her hair is so thick, that if is down, she is TOTALLY blind......
Dawn...Good thought!!!!! I will try tonight..I always have the treat above her nose... |
| Yep right at their nose and with your hand closed until they are nice about it - now that said I do notice mine will snap up treats when they are nervous or excited while when they are relaxed they are very gentle. |
sheepieshake wrote: Steph....Heart always has her hair UP.....LOL....Her hair is so thick, that if is down, she is TOTALLY blind......
Dawn...Good thought!!!!! I will try tonight..I always have the treat above her nose... That is what I thought - - - Dawn has a good idea --- I have also found that a flat hand when giving the treat is good. Winston has better aim if my hand is flat. |
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Thanks Steph...another great suggestion!!!!!! I just knew I could count on your guys!!!! |
| We hold treats flat in the palm of the hand, below the dog nose level. There's no way to grab it with teeth that way. They have to look down, and snarfle it up. Just that extra second helps, and they can't get their mouth around your whole hand if it's flat.
This technique has saved many fingers and reduced our Bandaid budget signficantly. (I also agree that an eyeball trim/ponyholder may be helpful.) Hudson was a horrible treat taker, and a trainer slapped him HARD from under his chin when he did and yelled "gently." He squealed and backed away fast. I teared up and then told her off. We left and NEVER returned. I am still mad. But...he is the gentlest critter in the world for taking food now. I'm not advocating this technique. I was having success flat palmed with him and find the slap inexcusable. She was the one who didn't heed my advice to do it in the palm, and deserved the slap herself. But, as usual, I digress... |
| Val, Tiggy does the crocodile imitation with treats too!! Yeow, and our obedience instructor tries not to say too much and looks the other way.
As others have mentioned its worse when Tiggy is excited, problem is Tiggy is ALWAYS excited about treats. I taught Tiggy "wait". And that is helping. You may not have time before this weekend but I think it only took us about a week. Now that I think about how I trained her, it also means that the treats are lower down but I am going to try holding them even lower. I would hold a treat (not a real favorite type) in front of Tiggy's nose gradually getting closer and as she went to take it, I would pull it back and say loudly WAIT. Yes you get very quick at snatching the treat away.
I taught our dalmo this too and I can balance food on his nose and he wont take it till I say OK, or until Tiggy the piggy rushes up and he panics and gets in first. I dont know that I'll ever get there with Tiggy. She wasnt allowed to have the treat till I said OK. Now even it I dont say wait she still hesitates just for a second before she takes it. Then if she's really excited she snatches  BUT that second of hesitation means I get the treat closer to her face and I can arrange it on a flat hand so my fingers are less likely to get snapped.
Last Christmas the nails on my right hand looked awful. They had white spots all through them where jaws teeth had connected and bruised the nail bed. Now they're only half as bad.  |
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