# Dog slow to release toy while playing (any advice?)



## jayd215 (Dec 23, 2010)

i work with my GSD for 15 minutes to an hour every day, reinforcing old commands and teaching new ones. i use throwing her ball or squeaky toy to motivate for most commands. she's very receptive to training and very obedient.

with one exception: she's a little slow (but not terribly so) to drop her toys (meaning drop them on the ground) -- she'll start to drop them but want to chew on them first for about 15-20 seconds before she drops. she has never not dropped, nor has she run off to another place to be alone with the toy. also -- and this is what i'm more worried about -- sometimes when i ask her to give her toy (meaning let me take it out of her mouth) she'll clamp down on it and refuse to give. she narrows her eyes when she does this, which i dislike. last night she growled at me briefly when i tried to take the toy from her. 

she doesn't show any other resource guarding behaviors. when she's laying on the floor with a toy by her, you can always pick it up. also, sometimes when i'm watching tv on the couch i'll play with her a little by asking her to bring her toy and then give it to me to throw. in this situation, she always gives immediately. the behavior is limited to sessions where i'm standing up and purposefully training her.

things i'm doing to train her: 1) for the past week or so i've been holding up a piece of kibble before doing the 'give' command, having her sit and then give. she will consistently give it for kibble (last night was the first time in a while i had her give without having kibble in my hand first). i'm planning to do the 'give' command before pulling out the kibble, so that she learns that giving right without having the treat initially is the behavior that gets rewarded. 2) we play with two toys when we train; i put them out of her reach when she's doing commands, and when i throw a toy, that's the one she's asked to retrieve, even if she's more excited about the other one at the moment (and she's doing better all the time with chasing the one i choose to throw). 3) i rotate her toys, so that one of the two toys she values the most is always out of rotation and only comes out for training. i usually leave her one of them to play with when she's home alone so she doesn't get bored.

my questions are, am i doing the right things? is there something else i should be trying? is this really resource guarding, since it's specific to training sessions, or is there something else triggering it?


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I have the same problem but I think it is just because I was lackadaisical about training GIVE or Drop It. I know it's not resource guarding because she isn't upset if I take it away.
It's just that she has it and is enjoying it now and would rather not part with it.
I will watch this thread with interest.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

:bump:


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## kidkhmer (Jul 14, 2010)

I think LEAVE IT was probably the 5th thing I taught Karma after sit,come,down and stay. I did it with hot dogs on the paws. Now she is 7 months olf and even my 2 year old daughter can give her the command and she will let go of whatever she has in her mouth 90% first time.

Maybe go back to that one ? I don't want to teach you how to suck eggs but just put a reward in front of them when they are in the down position goeve them a LEAVE IT command and be ready to cover it up with your hand if they make the slightest move towards it. Eventually ( probably pretty quickly ! ) you can put the treat on their paw....or both paws and they will leave it !

http://thephnompen.asia/2010/09/01/leave-it/


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

PaddyD said:


> I have the same problem but I think it is just because I was lackadaisical about training GIVE or Drop It. I know it's not resource guarding because she isn't upset if I take it away.
> It's just that she has it and is enjoying it now and would rather not part with it.
> I will watch this thread with interest.


Me too. I slacked on that and I still struggle a bit with it.


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## DonP (Apr 13, 2009)

Maybe try the two ball trick?


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

Both of my dogs will drop a toy if I have another one ready to throw for them, however in training they are reluctant to give it up. It is something we are working on, and Nadia is better than Zisso when we are actually AT training. At home, it is a totally different story. Nadia Never wants to give me the toy at home, no matter if I give her the out command or not. Zisso just wants to plop his wubba on my lap, or drop it at my feet until I reach for it. They both make me giggle and frustrate me all in one move  Love them to pieces regardless.....


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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

Why do you not correct her for not outting?


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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

Allow me to explain what is going on here. The difference in her outing behavior between your "formal training time" and your informal "tv fetch time" is simple, it is what YOU do with the toy. 
When you are training you make obedience and reward her with the toy, she has worked hard for that toy. Then you take it from her, put it away and make her work to get it back. Of course she is hesitant to out. 
Whereas during tv time she is very happy to out as she knows she will get it right back, and she does not have to work for it. 

Here is what I would do during your next OB session:
Make some obedience and reward, tug with her a bit, then command out and correct her. Immediately reengage her with the toy, tug a little bit, then out and correct, and again play. Again out. Now make some more obedience (just a little) and reward and play again. And again make out and again immediately play after the out. Repeat this process a few times and she will out quickly and happily. It is important that even after she knows this that every once in awhile you immediatley play again with the toy after the out.


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## Pattycakes (Sep 8, 2010)

My dog was very slow with the drop it command as well. And with time she got much better. I started off using 2 balls to play fetch with and when she brought me the other ball...I would say drop it and get ready to throw the ball I already had. She learned pretty quick that if she dropped the ball she had...I would throw the ball I had. 

Playing tug of war with her inside...I would say drop it when we were done and then give her a treat. She picked that up pretty fast too.


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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

DonP said:


> Maybe try the two ball trick?


That is exactly the problem with "two ball", it is a 'trick'. The dog learns nothing from "two ball". It is OK for young dogs, but there must come a time when you teach the dog.
Also, the advice that people typically give involves bribing the dog. This is an incorrect way of thinking, you must not bribe the dog for the behavior. Rather, the dog must give the behavior THEN he is rewarded for it. This may not seem like much of a difference, but, to the dog, this is a huge difference.


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## jayd215 (Dec 23, 2010)

thanks everyone for the ideas! i will give them a shot.

i do work her a bit hard sometimes between throws. i'll work on breaking tougher, longer tricks up with easier, shorter ones and see if that has an impact, too.


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