# Hooray, she finally got it!!!



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I'm a softy and didn't want to do a forced dumbbell training so have been trying to get creative... for months. Sipsy knows the command, gives you a death stare and slowly takes the dumbbell and holds it to receive her meals. Absolutely no enthusiasm and I'm really good at incentive training.
After taking the dumbbell for her supper, strictly because she HAD to I set the dumbbell on the table and went into the other room like every other night.
Few minutes later Sipsy comes into the room with tail wagging, she brought me the dumbbell. I ran and got a tiny training biscuit.... tossed the dumbbell across the room and gave the command and off she went. When she dropped at my feet I just set there until she picked it up for me to take it.
Well this was the beginning of the game, I loaded up with the tiny biscuits and did this for about 10 minutes. SHE FINALLY CAVED! This has to be the most bizarre training method I have ever had to do but you know, whatever works :laugh:
Sipsy is soooo smart but really, really stubborn. She likes things to be her idea. This is a really big thing, jumps going up tomorrow... she already knows jumps and we can finally put the retrieve with the jumps. I'm so excited maybe the rest of the training will go easier and we can finally work together. We will play the game tomorrow and slowly make it more formal. YEAH!!


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

That's great! Winx has always been good with her dumbbell but here recently, she has decided it's a toy. So guess who will be getting some force fetch lessons.

I actually have a picture of her retrieving a tiny dumbbell when she was about 3 months old.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

How funny! That's pretty much exactly how Molly did it! We were having a really difficult time with the dumbbell. One day I had it set down on a low TV stand and she randomly brought it to me. I was so excited -- I think all the commotion I caused was what finally made it click for her. This was years ago and will still bring me the dumbbell whenever it is accessible -- I have to put it away to make her stop.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

After taking a couple of Bridget Carlsen seminars I could never go back to forced anything. I loved watching her dogs WANT to work. Everything was a game, it's just a matter of controlling the game. This is the 1st time I've ever been met with resistance... but just kept at it. I like happy, hard working dogs that problem solve. The idea of them complying because they don't want the pain just doesn't work for me. And this was tough for me to change, I've been doing the prong collar jerk type training for 30 yrs. If you have the patience, this is a lot more fun.


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