# The ball drive work is finally coming together!



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Nikon is the first dog I've had to train with a ball, my other two have very little interest in balls or toys (unless playing with another dog). I was such a klutz at first, getting bit a lot, many times it felt like my hand was crushed and I'd have to stop for a day or two. He's nailed me all over, including my face. Just in the past week it's really starting to come together, using the game for obedience. He's also almost got the "aus" which is very hard on the ball since he is so obsessed with it, and has figured out to bring the ball right in to me if I throw it as the reward (at first he would grab it and try to run off). That makes things flow a lot better. With the ball I've sped up his sits and downs, fixed the front sit so he's in real close looking at my face, and now have started the heeling. Besides SchH we're doing a CGC obedience class at the club in town and yesterday I took the ball along (usually I use food for this class). He worked so well for the ball, 1/3 of the way through the class my trainer said she had to stop and think of ways to make it harder for us! His heeling was great and the ball really helped with his focus on me. In this class we are mainly working on being able to ignore other dogs (we've got all the other CGC exercises down), and by the end of class Nikon was lying butt-to-butt with my trainer's little white fluffy dog (very tempting for Nikon). He also never barked at the other dog in the class, when usually they both throw a bit of a fit before we start. At the end, they asked where to get a ball like Nikon's so I gave them my other one since I'm ordering more.

I'm just so glad it's finally coming together b/c it looks so easy when other people do it but I was such a klutz at first, hopelessly frustrated. On Friday our SchH trainer let a few of us work his SchH3 GSD (very well trained, clean dog that will work for anyone as long as he knows you mean it), just to get a feel for how it works once the dog is farther along, outing better, etc.

This probably sounds dumb, but I really think using the ball to train a ball-driven dog is like learning to ice skate or ride a bike. Once you've got it, you've got it but at first it seems impossible! But after seeing the results, I'm a believer now!


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Yaay Nikon and Lies! As young as he is, you are doing fine. I think you two are a great team and his focus on you will take you far!
Hopefully the place will have the balls you want in stock!!


----------



## GSDTrain (Apr 21, 2008)

Awesome!


----------



## rperry (Jan 18, 2009)

<span style='font-size: 11pt'><span style='font-family: Century Gothic'>Yay Lies! I thought Nikon's ob work looked great on Friday night.







</span></span>


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Thanks! We are taking pointers from you and Schumi for sure! You all make it look so easy...


----------



## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

Was Nikon a ball driven pup to begin with or did you have to work to get him interested in a ball?

My 9 month old pup likes tug toys but I have always wished he was more of a ball dog. For one thing, balls are easier to carry. And I think it's just looks so much cooler (to me at least)!


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

Had to work at it. He's always loved Cuz balls, and he would chase down a ball I threw, but really getting him revved up for one toy and using it for obedience was something we had to work at, actually much harder than teaching the skills like sit, platz, hier, etc. Now that he's got it, it's much easier to transfer the drive to various toys. For example, for dock diving he needs a floating toy so we've got him obsessed with floating kongs and Kong Wubba.


----------



## george1990 (Nov 24, 2008)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

I was wondering if you could tell me how you did that or if you could direct me to a website I could read up on. I'm very interested, esp after seeing your results. Thanks!


----------



## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

Lies,

Thanks. I have been thinking about switching to a ball for Obie's drive work but everytime I try he would just kind of go through the motion with the ball and wait for me to give in and bring out the tug or his puppy bite rag.

I have been thinking about just switching cold turkey but I am afraid I am going to end up killing whatever prey drive he has (he is already a medium drive dog at best so I'm always treading carefully when it comes to play)


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

We had that problem as well. Many times Nikon would prefer one toy over another and if he saw that one he would refuse to pay attention to the others. I've stopped tugging with Nikon at home, mainly because he was progressing in bitework at training so there was nothing to be gained by me doing rags and tugs at home, and we wanted to transfer to the ball for obedience. Once I stopped taking out tugs and rags, he eventually transferred to the ball. Ironically, now we want to transfer back to the tug, mainly to help teach the "aus" because the ball just fits so nicely in his mouth and he will NOT give it up! Also he is now biting a sleeve so the bitework = sleeve and the trainer said I could start using tugs in obedience again, especially at times when he is just so revved for the ball he's almost out of control. Lately what I've had to do is do some fetch with the ball first to get some of the energy out, and then use it for obedience. I just tugged with Nikon again last night for the first time in a few months.

If the tug works for you, I don't think there's anything wrong with using that instead of a ball. A lot of people just use tugs. For me it was a matter of having lots of options but chosing to just do things how the trainer does it because it's easier for me to learn when we're all on the same page. Some people will only use food, or tug, or ball. Now that Nikon will work for any of the three I just use the trainer's method even if there are plenty of equally effective methods.


----------



## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

How did you get him to become obsessed with a specific toy? I'd like to teach my dog, if possible, to be toy crazy!


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

Tie the dog to a tree, whip the toy around. Take the toy away before the dog is bored or tired. Voila! If the dog has some prey drive, it should work. Also make sure you take the toy away, don't let the dog have it unless he's playing with *you* and always stop the games with him still wanting more.


----------



## bergwanderkennels (Mar 26, 2009)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

I have not used a ball to train with either. I always use tug toys. Well for 1 my boxer I think has too much lips and they get in the way with a ball. GSD I just taught her with tugs.


----------



## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

Lies,

Wow, those are amazing pictures! Nikon doesn't have a professional photographer following him around on a daily basis, does he?


----------



## oranges81 (May 9, 2008)

*Re: The ball drive work is finally coming together*

YAY Nikon! I use a tug toy for Maze since she could care less about balls in general..And there are too many ball obsessed dogs in class. Lol. I'm using a stuffed Flea for Sandy. Should be fun.


----------

