How do I teach my dog this trick?
@crochetmehappy (143)
United States
October 14, 2007 12:12pm CST
Or is it even possible? We have a year old dachshund. I've been trying to teach our dog how to catch a treat when you throw it toward him but he just doesn't seem to get it. He just looks at me with this look of intense concentration and waits until it falls to the floor. He finds them by either hearing where it fell, seeing it or sniffing it out.
He can shake, do high 5's, sit, lay down, dance and we're working on rolling over. He loves when we throw the treats for him but I was wondering if there is something that I can do to help him catch it mid air?
Thanks :-)
4 responses
@maybebaby (1230)
• Canada
14 Oct 07
First of all you need a treat that he will do anything to get. Then you do what you've been doing with a slight change. Have him sit and give the command to "Catch" then throw the treat. The trick is, if he doesn't catch it, he doesn't get it. Take the treat back and start over again. If he gets the treat then he's being rewarded for not catching it and that isn't what you want. It didn't take my dog long to learn because she really wanted the treat. Good luck.
@crochetmehappy (143)
• United States
14 Oct 07
Oh thank you! I knew I was doing something wrong. I have a dog biscuit that he loves. I'm going to try it now! I didn't even think that I was rewarding him for not catching it.
@crochetmehappy (143)
• United States
14 Oct 07
We've been trying for 20 minutes now. He just lets it bounce off his nose. He's not going to chase it anymore but he just doesn't seem to get it that we want him to catch it. He won't even look at the treat even though I know he wants it. He's looking at me right now with a very confused look on his face. :-( Maybe he just can't do it?
@outbid (1)
• Chile
14 Oct 07
here is how I have done it with my dogs, get his favorite snack, stand in front of him and show it to him, as you get his attention put it at his reach where he can smell it off your hand, he can try to grab it also, don´t let him get it, just taste it, every time he opens his mouth to grab it you move your hand up as if you are throwing it up in the air, do this a few times, as he opens his mouth, this will make a reaction on him to open his mouth every time you throw it in the air, after a few times of simulating, you let the snack on the ir just in front of him, make it very easy to catch, with time he will be an expert in catching things on the air, if he fails to catch don´t let him have the treat, if the dog is slow learning you can try also doing this quite more easy for him, as soon as he opens his mouth you throw the thing inside his mouth, he will get used to it, do it the first way and you will have the dog doing it for sure, be patient you are working with one of the slowest learning dogs :-D
@chexingsen (29)
• China
15 Oct 07
Maybe you can let your dog watch some films in which some trained dog are a good example.I am not sure if it works.you can have a try.
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