# Stop The Obession



## JackB03 (May 12, 2011)

Hey everyone!

I finally got my 2 1/2 year old GSD and she is amazing. Already knows how to speak on command, jump and catch frisbees and jumps and retrieves balls. Theres one problem..... 

This is all she wants to do. All day long she looks for balls or toys to fetch and play. How can we get her to stop doing this. We bring her inside of our home and instead of her wanting to lay down by us or come cuddle, she looks for toys to get us to throw it. When we hide the toys, she circles around the living room and walks around the house. 

I understand this is a good training dog, but she doesnt know how to sit or stay or anything when we have a ball around. What can we do about this?

Thanks,
Jack


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## JustMeLeslie (Sep 15, 2010)

JackB03 said:


> Hey everyone!
> 
> I finally got my 2 1/2 year old GSD and she is amazing. Already knows how to speak on command, jump and catch frisbees and jumps and retrieves balls. Theres one problem.....
> 
> ...


You should make her earn the ball. She doesn't get the ball thrown until she sits or does whichever command you want. It's called NILIF(nothing in life is free). I'm sure someone more experienced can explain it better to you than I can.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

More exercise so she's too tired to keep looking for her ball.


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## JackB03 (May 12, 2011)

More exercise? I probably do this with her 6 hours a day. Yet she's ready for more. I dont think more exercise is the answer.

Jack


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Yes, more exercise. You need to be doing more long distance endurance type exercise like jogging.


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## JackB03 (May 12, 2011)

I'll try that. I thought she might need a trainer to teach us how to control it.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Here is a book that can help: CHILL OUT FIDO! - HOW TO CALM YOUR DOG

There is no reason you should spend every waking minute catering to your dog and her desire to constantly play. I would work on teaching impulse control around toys, ignore her when she pesters you to keep playing once you're done (and I mean COMPLETELY ignore - don't talk to her, or even look at her, she's the invisible dog), and teach her how to relax and calm herself by rewarding that kind of behavior. The book has exercises and step by step exercises that show you exactly how to do this. Behavior that is reinforced will continue, so you need to stop reinforcing what you DON'T want and start reinforcing what you DO want.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

I don't think the dog needs more physical exercise, she needs mental stimulation and training..reread Cassidy's Mom's post. 

In the meantime check out this page it has some good suggestions for mentally stimulating and tiring out your dog. (towards the bottom of the article) 

Mental Entertainment for Dogs


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Whiteshepherds said:


> I don't think the dog needs more physical exercise, she needs mental stimulation and training.


Exactly. I know that when I work my dogs' brains hard they're just as tired if not more so, than when I work them hard physically. 

Keefer crashes in the back seat the whole way home after his Scent Detection class, and there's very little physical activity involved. But he's thinking and learning how to use his nose!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

OP's other thread

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/158647-new-2-year-old-gsd.html


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

Zoe likes to play fetch obsessively as well which is awesome when using fetch as an OB tool. Use her interests as your secret weapon to teach sit, stay, and down- she'll get it fast and be worn out learning new commands and running for the ball. In the house when your sick of fetch have your kids hide her balls and toys where she can get them and teach her the find command. Then she can find her favorite toys while you praise her from a sitting position!!!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

A high drive dog is a high energy dog and no amount of mental work is going to tire them out. I hear this from time to time and it's just absurd. This dog definitely needs more exercise and should be in training for some sport too.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

A dog that needs more than 6 hours of physical exercise a day is not suited for a pet home. Nobody is saying that you shouldn't exercise your dog physically, but how many people have 6+ hours a day to do that? Should none of them own dogs? Neither is anyone saying that mental exercise should completely replace physical exercise. But if you're giving your dog plenty of physical exercise and it's just not enough to calm them down, then yes - working their brain can definitely help too. And some dogs DO need to learn how to calm down and relax, and they can be taught to do so, just like any other behavior.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Doesn't a sport tire them out mentally? If this dog has that much energy, she should be in a sport anyways. Making a dog think does 'quiet' their mind. How often do you hear "the dog needs a job"? That is mental stimulation.

I really find it hard to believe that the 6 hours of catch is constant. Perhaps she needs more strenuous exercise over a shorter period of time? Swimming would be good now that the weather is warmer. I'm sure just walking isn't going to do it. I can take Jax for a three mile walk and it only warms her muscles up. But an hour of training will have her crashed in the back seat from both the mental and physical exercise.


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## JackB03 (May 12, 2011)

I dont play with her 6 hours constantly. Its broken up. Usually 2 or 3 hours at a time, which includes a mile and half walk. She is always looking for a ball or something to play catch with. I will try the jogging thing for a good while and see what happens. I just figured she was getting good exercise with her running and running catching the ball. 

Do yall think a trainer will help with this? She doesnt have the basic commands down yet. When I have the ball in my hand and try to teach her how to sit, shes so excited about the ball, she doesnt grasp the sitting part.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

My dog could walk all day and not even notice; jogging is what you need to be doing. If your dog is this high drive, you should have a trainer so you can learn how to handle her energy and learn how to train her. Right now your dog is just bouncing off the walls with no direction and excessive energy.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Why did the previous owner give the dog up? Maybe she was too much for him. If she is on a high fat and high protein food then she has to burn all that off. You may want to reduce both in order to reduce her need to keep moving.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

PaddyD - how will decreasing her food reduce her need to move? Other than starving her so she doesn't have the energy? A high protein/fat diet will not cause excess energy. High carb diet would but not high protein. Her excessive energy is driving her need for a higher calorie diet, not the other way around.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> PaddyD - how will decreasing her food reduce her need to move? Other than starving her so she doesn't have the energy? A high protein/fat diet will not cause excess energy. High carb diet would but not high protein. Her excessive energy is driving her need for a higher calorie diet, not the other way around.


Sorry, I didn't know you were a nutrition expert. I will ignore all my reading on the subject and listen only to you.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Or, instead of answering my question in an intelligent manner, you can be a jerk...good call...that was way more educational.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

I have a lab like your GSD....he is 8 and just now STARTING to chill out. Keep exercising, playing fetch, and teaching her OB- she'll probably always have an insatiable appetite for play and be a high maintenance dog- some are just like that.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

It's a lot more fun being a jerk.
Fat is the main source of energy - one gram of fat supplies 2.4 times the energy of one gram of protein or carbohydrates. As a less well known fact, fat also serves as a metabolic source of water, so a hard working dog is less likely to get dehydrated when fed a diet higher in fat.


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## JackB03 (May 12, 2011)

Thanks ZoeysMom. She starts OB training Thursday. Its an in-home training and the trainer will work with whatever issues we are having. Getting my dog to learn when play time is over will be on the list. 

Thanks for everyone else's advice on the food she eats. But im a little confused.
Should I feed her HIGH protein / LOW fat ....OR....LOW protein / HIGH fat?

-Jack


P.S. The previous owner had to get rid of all of his GSD due to health issues.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

My dog loves to play ball all day too. Good thing I have kids that like to play with him so it's not just me.
Whatever you do, don't reduce his food just to make him less energetic.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

JackB03 said:


> When I have the ball in my hand and try to teach her how to sit, shes so excited about the ball, she doesnt grasp the sitting part.


That is an excellent place to start. Make sitting a prerequisite for throwing the ball. Don't give her any commands, don't do anything. Just stand there and wait for her to stop bouncing around and eventually she'll sit. It may take awhile, just wait her out, however long that takes. When she does, mark it ("yes!") and immediately throw the ball for her. Sitting "makes" you throw the ball, and the more motivated she is for the toy, the faster she'll pick this up. If she just won't sit even after 10 or 15 minutes, lower the criteria and mark and reward an interim step first, and then work up to waiting for the sit as she starts to figure it out. 

I agree that a mile and a half walk is not really exercise. I don't walk mine every day, but when I do it's at least 3 miles, and up to 7 miles. But every walk is a training walk - I practice automatic sits when I stop, I'll do sits and downs out of motion (dog stops, I keep going), I do some hand targeting to the "touch" command, I do short recalls (just go to the end of the leash), I call the dog back and forth between a front position and heel, I do lots of right and left about turns, I mark and reward being in heel position and for making eye contact, if I have an area with a good line of sight and there's nobody coming (this is on a path at a regional park, no cars) I'll drop the leash and work on heeling off leash, longer recalls, doing spins or weaving between my legs....

This actually DOES tire out my working line girl. She also has a great off switch around the house, which is partly genetic, and probably also due to the fact that I expect my dogs to chill out and entertain themselves. Dogs are adaptable and I've never had any trouble with a dog, no matter how drivey, to adapt to the lifestyle I'm willing and able to provide for them.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

I am honestly shocked so many people debated HOW to control the dog instead of recommending to a trainer and even when the OP kept asking if a trainer would help the suggestions just kept coming. Yes a trainer (a good one) will help quite a bit plus tons of work from you. Make sure your trainer isn't just a basic OB trainer but one that has some experiance with a high drive working dog. BTW very glad to hear you got a trainer keep us updated on progress.

Pretty much all the advice is right IMO more physical work but make it have a purpose. If I go out and give Jinx a great hike with tons of other stuff going on she is dead tired afterwards however she will run full speed playing fetch and will go for hours with no end in site because her drive doesn't let her stop if theres something to chase shes going for it until I physically remove her and make her stop. Also with increasing structured physical work you have to work that mind big time when you incorporate a ton of other senses into the stimulation you will get a tired dog. A nice long hike with tons of new sights and smells. Learn how to track and teach the dog to track working that nose and brain together wipes them out pretty quick. Like Cassidy's mom said while walking mix in a ton of OB and it works great. Some of my favorite things are to hide treats in my pockets and take Jinx for an off leash hike in the woods. Let her run around smelling things then happily tell her to come when she runs back there is an unexpected goody. Do this alot during the walk. Wait til she gets a distance from me tell her wait when she stops and looks at me have her sit and stay until I catch up to her praise her and then release her. 

When you combine tons of structured physical and mental work you have a great worn out dog. Definitely work on impulse control also.. if you go to youtube and search it's yer choice (yes "yer" not "your") its a great little video for impulse control.


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## JackB03 (May 12, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. The trainer has 30 years experience and had some GSD's herself. I will let everyone know the process. Went for a 4 mile jog last night, and tried to do different things to make her thing. She went to sleep real well last night lol.

Thanks again!


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Elaine said:


> Yes, more exercise. You need to be doing more long distance endurance type exercise like jogging.


Swimming is better. Get an r/c boat or a rugby ball and make her swim for it


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## Kris10 (Aug 26, 2010)

Ride Your Bike & Walk Your Dog | Bike Tow Leash

In _addition_ to getting a trainer and the other great advice in this thread, I thought I would suggest this to you. There are several types of attachments out there to choose from, not just this one...

This is a good way to exercise your dog. I walk Max too, but bike ride with him occasionally to give him a chance to trot at the pace he chooses and this tires him out much more in less time.


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## JackB03 (May 12, 2011)

Thanks for the advice! I will try that pretty soon. I hope the trainer helps out today. I will keep everyone posted!


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