Wolfie is Eating His Doggie Bed

I think that my dog, Wolfie, has probably eaten his weight in doggie beds!  He never does it in front of me, but he just chomps on it at night or when I am away.  I dont want to take his bed away from him.  What would he sleep on?

In my early days of dog training, I wrestled with this question time and time again.  I came up with some interesting answers and scenarios I asked my clients to try.  The results were hit and miss...

Several years ago, I had one of those "Oh my gosh" moments about dogs eating their dog beds when we werent around to let them know it was wrong.  The first thing to remember is that dogs dont need a nice fluffy bed to lie on to fall asleep.  Look outside.  Wolfie is sleeping on the cement patio or on the rocks under the tree.  They love to sleep on the cool tile during the hot days of summer.  So, our first "truism"  is that we dont need to give Wolfie a bed.

Next, we have to understand that dogs build behaviors through repetition and direction.  If we are allowing them do destroy their fluffy beds because we cant catch them, we are instilling the behavior of "lets tear up fluffy things" with our dogs.  The next thing we know, it isnt the $35 dog bed that we find torn up, it is the $400 upholstered and fluffy family room chair that now has stuffing all over the carpet.

So, what do we do?  The answer is really simple.  I know that we "humans" dont like simple answers, but here goes...

Take the dog bed away and let Wolfie sleep on the ground.  We know that he is fine with the ground, so we are not going to give him back aches.  Also, we have removed that repetitive destructive behavior.  This will keep him from escalating that unwanted behavior to destroying more expensive things. Wolfie is still fine and we have saved a ton of money.  Win win for all!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Teaching Wolfie Fetch

I thought all dogs loved to play fetch.  I throw the ball or a Frisbee for Wolfie and he just looks at me like I have two heads.  I yell "Wolfie fetch!  Wolfie fetch!" and he just lays at my feet.  Do I have a stupid dog?

No, Wolfie isnt stupid.  What you have to understand is that "Fetch" is a learned behavior just like Sit, Stay, Come, etc.  You also must understand that some dogs just might not like to play "Fetch".

Lets assume that Wolfie would like to play fetch.  Just like teaching our kids to play baseball or basketball, we have to teach Wolfie how to play "Fetch".  You first have to understand that there are two pieces to "Fetch".  The first piece is for Wolfie to run and pick up an object that you throw and the second piece is for Wolfie to return it to you.  Lets first work on these two actions and see how Wolfie does.

Get the Object:
Take some object or toy that Wolfie likes.  Pick it up and wave it around in front of him.  Say things like "Wheres the toy?  Get it, Get it Get it!!!  Oh boy!  Oh Boy!  Fetch! Fetch!" in a very excited, animated way while you are waving the toy.  Now throw it a few feet away from you and see if he goes after it.  If he does not, go over to the toy in a very animated manner, stoop or lean over the toy, and point to it.  Say things like "Get the toy!  Wheres the toy!" in an excited manner.  

If Wolfie still doesnt run and pick it up.  You should get down on the ground, pick it up and play with it until Wolfie comes over.  Shake it and let Wolfie grab it.  As soon as he grabs it, let go and say "Good boy".

If Wolfie still needs come coaxing, replace the toy with a goodie or chew bone.  After he will run after that, replace it with a toy that you have coated with a slight "goodie smell".  (Rub a little gravy or raw meat on the toy.)  Slowly decrease the amount of the "goodie smell".

After Wolfie is going after the toy, increase the distance until Wolfie is running across the room or yard to get the toy.  Wolfie now can "get the object".  Now it is time to have him bring it to you.

Bring it Back:
Bringing the object back is essentially the come command with something in Wolfies mouth.  For this, you need to attach a training lead to Wolfies collar.  Throw the object and have Wolfie get it.  

Now, give Wolfie a command like "Fetch".  If he doesnt come back to you, give him a little tug on the training lead while you kneel down low.  If he still doesnt come to you, give him another little tug.  He should now come to you.

If Wolfie still doesnt return to you (some doggies are a little suborn), decrease the length you are throwing the toy.  

Repeat the process until Wolfie will return the toy to you without your needing to tug on the training lead.  Detach the training lead and repeat the process, having Wolfie get the toy and bring it back to you.

Wolfie now knows basic "Fetch".  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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