# Linda's Seminar



## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

Tomorrow is the big day! I've been waiting to FINALLY see her after two years and I bet she hasn't changed much! Should be a fun filled two days and hopefully I can learn some new tricks and just have fun training the dog. I have nothing packed but I guess that's the procrastinator in me :

I'll give you guys a report back after the weekend is over with. At least this seminar isn't such a far drive where I can commute back and forth. =]


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Have fun! I keep trying to talk someone in my area to bring her down for a third time!


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

So I suppose I should post about how our weekend went? LOL!

Well yesterday was a dry day because of the fact I know a lot of her techniques used and a lot of the others don't really. But it was SO GOOD to get a refresher, and I might have forgotten a few things.

Today we went over problems that some people have with their dogs. I had addressed her about the issue we've been having lately...and during one of the 'on the floor' sessions Maddie was being herself and not wanting to play with me. (that's the MAIN issue, she has no interest in the toy unless I throw it...tugging just isn't up her ally anymore...?) She told me I needed to bring myself into the picture and up my criteria as far as not letting her disengage when training...(she tends to look elsewhere and not be interested, so the games she has are created to get the dog to want to be with you). I think I learned from this weekend that I'm the one being dull as a post and need to get more excited about all of it. I just wish I could get her back to playing with me...I'm not sure if it's the toys I have or what is up her butt. LOL! I'm going to be ordering some new toys and really focusing on what she told me this weekend. But I'm still pretty miffed about getting her to play. What toys are really great?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

If she used to be a hearty tugger and now isn't, I'd consider a potential physical issue. Maybe something is tweaked in her neck and hurts when she tugs. Maybe there's a tooth bothering her - not all the time, but when she tugs.

If she likes chasing a toy, put your toy on a 6' rope. Toss it out (holding the end of the 6' rope) and when she chases it and grabs it, see if you can put a little light tug pressure at the other end (6' away). If she spits it out, waggle it like a prey object so she'll chase it and then try light tugging again. If she tugs that way then, over time, gradually work your way up the rope until your hand is back on the toy.


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

Do you think this could deal with a thyroid problem? 

Good idea! I will try that tomorrow! =]


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

MaddieMagoo said:


> Do you think this could deal with a thyroid problem?
> 
> Good idea! I will try that tomorrow! =]


Overall lethargy might make me think thyroid. If she's animated and eager to retrieve and do agility, and just doesn't want to tug or heel, it seems less likely.

Did she used to be a great tugger?


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I have seen so many problems caused by thyroid I would never rule anythng out. Conner developed a fear of me throwing his dimbbell. This was after he had earned a UDX!

An interesting thing I learned is dogs from Flips lines tend to be crazy about tennis balls on a thin rope. I heard that several months ago but just tried one with Flip a couple of weeks ago and OMG I just thought he liked to play before. I think he would walk over hot coals to get his ball on a rope. My other dogs dont care for it so much though. Each has their own type of toy they enjoy most.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Oh, another thing to try... build value into the toy. Keep it somewhere she can't access... like on top of the fridge or in a drawer. Three times a day, go to where it is (assuming she'll follow you in that room b/c too much prompting), take it out, make a big fuss about it yourself. "Ohhhhhhhh! What do I haaaaaave? Play with it yourself... wiggle it around, "accidentally" drop it and then swoop it right up like it's a million dollar bill. All w/o letting her have it even if she seems interested. And if not, that's okay too. Then put it away. Repeat often.


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

I have this long fleece braided tug that she used to grab for immediately when I took it out..now she just sniffs it and is like "Ehh...whatever."

I think if she has a toy that will get her to tug on she'll maybe work better for me...she just didn't seem motivated to do anything unless she had something that she did like. She used to tug quite a bit...I'd say on a scale from 1-10 she was about a 5 or a 6. In the middle..not a huge tugger but just enough to get her motivated. And now...it's like a 2.


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

I think Stephanie is right about her tugging problem. Just did a little 5 minute session with her trying to get her to play with me...and well..it was a disaster at first. Found a new toy that she likes and she'd mouth it...but wouldn't take hold of it and actually tug on it. Looks like I'll be taking her to the vet for a tooth problem after all!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Get her thyroid checked. Full panel, not just the traditional in-house T4. Vet can check in her mouth and look for any issues - or even better, if it's time to get her teeth cleaned, they can do a more thorough exam that way.


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## JDandBigAm (Aug 25, 2008)

Jonah wasn't a big tugger either and would in fact turn his back on me. I started pinching him in the butt when he would turn his back on me and that seems to have solved attitude. I use a nylon type frisbee that is small and can be folded up and stuffed under my arm or hidden in my hand. Jonah loves play time now and only gets his training tug toys when we train. I have a training bag that when is opened Jonah is very animated and sticks his nose in the bag.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Hey, I know I keep asking this ... but get some video of you attempting to get her to play tug. Stick your camera on the tripod at home and shoot a few mins.


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## Augie's Mom (Sep 28, 2007)

One of Augie's favorite things to tug are those chuck-it flying squirrel toys. It's like a frisbee and tug toy in one.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Oooh I am jealous--Linda Koutsky right?


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## dobedvm (Nov 19, 2009)

Something else to consider - I don't consider a dog that's a 5-6 on a scale of 1-10 a "good tugger" - I consider that mediocre at best. So- I would really love to see a video, like another poster said, of you playing with her and how you tug with her. While it very well could be a physical issue, it could be that this dog may NOT be a tugging sort of dog, and you didn't let her win enough to make this a game she WANTED to keep playing because she didn't see the point. 

I've got working line bred dobermans and some rescue dobes that on a scale of 1-10, would put at 12+ on tugging, so if they refuse to pick up a tug then something is wrong. My one female tugged through losing all her puppy teeth (never stopped, not once - she lost teeth IN her tug!) and my current pup is hesitant with some tugs now at 5 months old with me and chooses softer ones sometimes, but still tugs no matter what even though she is heavily teething - she will still latch on to the point of growling. My male once spent 45 minutes on a sleeve that we couldn't get him to let go of. For my dogs, tugging is a way of life... but not all dogs are that way, and its ok - a fourth dobe in my house is a softer dog and to this day has only 1-2 toys he will play with outside of the house and even then its mostly just he chases when I throw it, and he wants to play tug for one or two short tugs and then he HAS to win it - only very rarely can I really tug on it and as soon as he wins it, I have to get it back from him and quickly put it away - its joy in training is that it RARELY comes out and he RARELY gets to have it. When he sees it he LIGHTS UP. 

So yes, I'd really like to see how you play with your golden. Not every dog is going to play, and trying to get every dog to play will be frustrating for both handler and dog. But watching how an owner plays with a dog can be very revealing, so showing a video may help someone give valuable input.

Also - there are other ways to play besides tug, and there are a variety of things to tug ON - 
my schutzhund bred females fave toy to tug on is actually not a tug toy at all, but a cheapo frisbee that I got free at my animal clinic - its rubber and its as cheap as they come - and she cannot catch a frisbee for her life. but she LOVES this neon yellow frisbee and I have a box of 100. she loves to chew on rubber and its an obsession - and this frisbee is rubber, soft, and flies and better yet the other dogs in the house do NOT like it - so its all hers. she goes crazy for them and they are soft enough that she can dig her teeth into them and really tug. her other favorite is actually a felted wool ring. in agility i use a 2 handled riot stick type tug to catch her because she's moving at such speed and i need to hold on for dear life 

my male will tug on anything at all. tugs, leashes, but his preference is balls on ropes. his go out toy is a gappay ball on a rope, and he lives and dies for this (used to be a tennis ball, but changed to gappay ball because tennis balls were too easy to see). any ball on any rope and he would lay down his life. 
my soft male prefers a planet dog rubber toy that i strung onto a fleece tug. thats his holy tug. 

the aussie has a clean run sheepskin tug that makes her life light up. 
and my young female is still picking her favorite. 
so in fact, none of these are traditional tugs - i let the dogs choose what works best for them - i have regular tugs. in fact, my training bag has one of everything. i have jute, fleece, rubber, leather, you name it, riot sticks, rings, frisbees, and i have backups for all of them. my dogs would work for any of them - but as a handler i need to know what turns my dogs on and i need to be able to push that button. and for my dogs - its not a regular tug that takes them "to that level".


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

Sorry I haven't replied at all guys, was out of town yesterday and got home late...then got up for work this morning! Ugh!

Anyways...it's a very crappy day out today and has been raining. Sooo, I will get home tomorrow after work and shoot a video just of us playing...maybe it'll be 2 minutes long but it'll get the point across. =] I guess just finding out what she likes to tug can get her to light up, we may have solved this situation in the end haha!


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