# Fun and Challenging Dumbbell Exercise



## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

I don't train obedience... But I am curious, what was your process Evil Trainer? 

I have done something similar for weave poles. They don't have anything to pick up, but they do need to step through lots of toys... I just added more and more slowly...


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

muwahhh haaahaaa! 

_I need to find parents of young children that are willing to let me throw dumb bells in and amongst their little ones!_


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

That's a great idea Steph! Except the fact that I bet this *only* works when your dog can RETRIEVE the dumbbell...lol..we're still in the beginning stages yet..or middle stages...but she had a bad past with it so we have to slowly work our way up the ladder!


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Sounds like a better way to proof scent articles. Besides the obvious distraction of the toys, what's the point of this? What does it teach the dog?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

sammydog said:


> I don't train obedience... But I am curious, what was your process Evil Trainer?
> 
> I have done something similar for weave poles. They don't have anything to pick up, but they do need to step through lots of toys... I just added more and more slowly...


Oh yeah... I need to do it with weave poles, too. Good reminder - thanks!

For the dumbbell, I fist let him watch me set the DB in the pile, which only had 2 toys. I shortened the distance to vitrually nothing. He went for the ball the first couple times, got a NRW and we tried again. Clicked as soon as he had the DB in his mouth. Did a handful at a short distance in one spot, then moved the pile, added 2 more toys and kept at a sort distance. I ended on 4 toys in the pile. I'll work up systematically to where we're out at the park, in a ring set up and it's a whole pile of toys, which I'll already have out when we start training, so the pile will be a distraction for all the other exercises, too!

What's your process for toys-in-weaves?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

K9-Design said:


> Sounds like a better way to proof scent articles. Besides the obvious distraction of the toys, what's the point of this? What does it teach the dog?


Yeah, the friends I train with do it with articles in the advanced training stage.

It's just about proofing the distraction. Not sure the dog really learns anything else other than "take it" or whatever your dumbbell cue is means to take it no matter what else is going on or what else is out there.

I also want to proof for someone else *throwing* a toy into the pile just as I send him to take it. Way harder to leave something that was just in flight!

Yes, we're way over-training... but we're keepin' it FUN and he's happy to do the work!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

what command do you use to tell him that it's the dumbbell you want him to get?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

hotel4dogs said:


> what command do you use to tell him that it's the dumbbell you want him to get?


Cue for ROF is take it. Cue for ROH is over. Did that specifically so if a dumbbell throw went wild and the dumbbell went over by the jump on a ROF throw, the cue "take it" would remind him to skip the jump and vice versa. I proof that idea with purposeful wild throws.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

thanks, just curious. I use "take it" pretty generically, so I think if I sent him to a pile of stuff saying "take it" he'd not know which to take. Unless, of course, I tossed the dumbbell and then said "take it", because anything in motion always supercedes anything stationary. But I use "take it" along with a mark for gloves, TV remotes, cell phones, garbage on the floor, etc. so I think if I just laid the dumbbell on the pile and told him "take it" he might be understandably confused.
One thing I've been doing to proof the dumbbell with Tito is to set him up for a recall, then lay the dumbbell between us about halfway. I give him either the command "take it" or simply "come", or if I'm feeling really evil, I throw a drop into the recall. If there's no "take it", he's to come straight, ignoring the dumbbell. If I just say "take it", it's a ROF from the recall position (sheesh did that make ANY sense?). Then I start putting the dumbbell pretty far off the direct line between me and him, and sometimes give the "take it" command and other times just "come". 
I think it proofs the dog to know he's got to get that dumbbell no matter what the situation "looks" like. Also, that way if the bonehead is distracted during the throw, he knows that when he hears that "take it" he'd best go looking for something to bring back to me.




FlyingQuizini said:


> Cue for ROF is take it. Cue for ROH is over. Did that specifically so if a dumbbell throw went wild and the dumbbell went over by the jump on a ROF throw, the cue "take it" would remind him to skip the jump and vice versa. I proof that idea with purposeful wild throws.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Yeah, anything I hand him he'll take - but even though I'm saying take it, I suspect the salient cue to him is the presentation of the item. My expectation is that, if the dumbbell is present and I say take it (or "over" if I'm cueing this in relation to the ROH) then his job is to "take" the dumbbell and nothing else. I definitely have some cues that are context-specific! I use the same cue for an agility jump, broad jump and working trial scale jump -- and his behavior is supposed to be different for all three: agility = jump and keep moving, broad = jump and come to front and scale = jump, lie down, wait for next cue to jump back over. Scientifically sloppy training, but thank doG that dogs are more forgiving than, say, chickens!


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom (Jul 16, 2008)

I am jealous! It has taken me 6 weeks to get Casey to hold the dumbell of 10 seconds, as I refuse to "ear pinch" him. Maybe in another year I'll get to where you are!


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## bizzy (Mar 30, 2007)

I have left mine with the DB in the mouth and then had her do a DOR with it. She dose puppy pushups so she knows how to down with it but I will have to try your way 4dogs. I've been an evil momma and did the toy thing too.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Mighty Casey's Mom said:


> I am jealous! It has taken me 6 weeks to get Casey to hold the dumbell of 10 seconds, as I refuse to "ear pinch" him. Maybe in another year I'll get to where you are!


I didn't ear pinch either and it's taken a looooooooong time to get the DB to a place where I'm happy with it. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll get there!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

bizzy said:


> I have left mine with the DB in the mouth and then had her do a DOR with it. She dose puppy pushups so she knows how to down with it but I will have to try your way 4dogs. I've been an evil momma and did the toy thing too.


Cute! We heel with the DB and work fronts from heel pos. and going to heel from a front while holding the DB as well. I've also done sit/down/stand and the spin trick. Oh, I did roll-over once, but that was pretty evil! :uhoh:


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## bizzy (Mar 30, 2007)

Roll over is deffintly evil


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

FlyingQuizini said:


> What's your process for toys-in-weaves?


Very similar, just start by having a few toys on the ground nearby the weaves. With success slowly move them closer and add more toys. The end result is stepping around the toys as they are weaving. I have also heard, although I did not go this far in addition to stepping through weaves have someone start to toss toys around the dog as they are weaving. Now that is hard!


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