# Your Fave Obedience Exercise?



## gabbys mom (Apr 23, 2008)

Hmm, that's a good question. 

I really, really love retrieve exercises. Gloves, ROH, ROF, etc- they all get her going. 

Go outs and directed jumping are also really fun to do with her- she just thinks they are a crack up.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

gabbys mom said:


> Hmm, that's a good question.
> 
> I really, really love retrieve exercises. Gloves, ROH, ROF, etc- they all get her going.
> 
> Go outs and directed jumping are also really fun to do with her- she just thinks they are a crack up.


Oohhhhh... go outs! Yeah, those are fun! So far, the Open retrieve exercises have been my least favorite - only b/c it's been a looooooooog hard road to teach Quiz to maintain a nice tight hold on the dumbbell! I'm such a perfectionist and have set out to train for no mouthing. It's been *really* hard for him but I suppose a great exercise in patience for me! 

-S


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Liberty's favorite are the Retrieve on Flat and Retrieve Over High...DUMBBELL-DUMBBELL-DUMBBELL...no, she is not particularly fast and she does roll the dumbell around at least once when she sits, but she LOVES to strut back with her prize - tail high and wagging, feet prancing....She looks left and right at the people on the sides of the ring. It is like you can read her mind, "That's right - I picked it up! Isnt it beautiful? You know you want it, but it is mine and I gonna give it to my Mum and she is gonna think it is great too!" - Just too funny....


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

I'd have to say teaching heeling is FUN! I love it when they figure to look up at you and I love watching (or drooling over as our mentor would say!  ) at the dogs who prance heel. It's soooo kewl! 
Go outs are fun as well...its cute when they figure it out! 

Right now the dumbbell is a road block for us. Not much desire to get it...but I *try* to make it fun, but I have to force retrieve with her, she had a BAD expirience so now we just gotta have her go and get the dang thing and keep taking it out of my hand...not sure how long this will take, god knows how long we'll even get into the ring!

It's stressing me out...the whole dumbbell thing, need it for 4-H at the beginning of August...at least have something where she'll trot out and get it and bring it back the right way and a nice front...that's all I ask for...then speed and more desire to come for AKC. Any suggestions guys? Thanks!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

LibertyME said:


> Liberty's favorite are the Retrieve on Flat and Retrieve Over High...DUMBBELL-DUMBBELL-DUMBBELL...no, she is not particularly fast and she does roll the dumbell around at least once when she sits, but she LOVES to strut back with her prize - tail high and wagging, feet prancing....She looks left and right at the people on the sides of the ring. It is like you can read her mind, "That's right - I picked it up! Isnt it beautiful? You know you want it, but it is mine and I gonna give it to my Mum and she is gonna think it is great too!" - Just too funny....



OMG - how cute is that? I LOVE your Liberty Thought Bubble!


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Mine is "Honey, Rub My Back"


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

paula bedard said:


> Mine is "Honey, Rub My Back"


Ahahahahahahahahahaha!


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## moverking (Feb 26, 2007)

I'm nowhere (and I mean nowhere) near you guy's expertise level, but in our second obedience course, we played Dog Tic-Tac-Toe:
A 9 block square was taped off on the floor, and slips of paper with sit-stay, down-stay, stand, etc were placed in a hat. Two teams drew a slip turn by turn and had to take our pups to the square and do what the slip said and then walk away from our dog and maintain the command. Whew, hard one! But fun!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I love heeling off leash because they both look so proud and happy prancing beside me!

I also loved the long down stay when Selka finally did it!

Quiz, My DH was so eager to teach Selka (as a pup) the drop on recall that Selka started doing it on every recall like it was hard wired in! That was NOT fun to unteach! DH learned his lesson though!


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## bizzy (Mar 30, 2007)

I don't know that I have a favorite exersize but I love the feeling when everything is clicking and its like the two of you are totally in sync. It dosen't matter the exersize when that happens.
Right now while its still giving us trouble I love the sight of her holding her DB. She not a golden she is a mix and she practicly spit the DB across the room when I first started teaching her so to see her sitting front with it right now is pertty special.


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

Right now I love practising finishes. Casey has an awesome "swing" finish! Still working on straight fronts though, even with spitting weiners.


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## Gwen (Aug 9, 2007)

I must say that we enjoy the "Figure 8" as the dog must really watch you. It looks soooo nice when it's done with a very attentive dog.

I also enjoy the drop on recall with Nyg. His drop is immediate & sharp. Now Oliver, his drop is slow (you'd swear that you could hear the bones creaking), and he makes a big deal out of it - not a pretty sight.

Nyg is my boy who WANTS to please as opposed to Oliver who does it WHEN he wants to!!!! & he'll take his sweet time doing it.

Just like kids!


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## Soda (Feb 23, 2008)

I have to chime in here. I can honestly say there are none I dislike but my favorites are the exercises with distance. I think it says so much about the training process when a dog ignores distractions and reacts promptly to the handler's commands. Recalls, drops, signals, directed jumping, directed retrieves, retrieves in general, articles....so much fun!


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Jersey and I are currently having a lot of fun learning the gloves and directed jumping. I think if we can just get through Open (we'll be going back to open classes in a couple weeks, we took a little hiatus to learn some beginning utility things for a change of pace) we may really hit our stride in the big time of Utility. I can hope anyway... LOL!

Caryn, I had exactly the same problem with Jersey when I started with the dumbbell. My dog with all the retriving drive in the world for tennis balls and bumpers had absolutely no interest in that silly plastic thing. I thought I had done everything possible to make it fun and was starting to get a bit flustered. Turns out it was the silliest thing that turned everything around. My instructor suggested I hold it out in front of him saying "get it get it get it" while turning in circles (making it a little game of chase... what dog can resist that)... after 1 or 2 spins I'd let him get it and then throw a party. Eventually in the process of spinning I'd give it a little toss and he'd dart to get it. That turned into longer fun retrieves (always starting off with one or 2 "get it" games... infact I'll still do it every now and again to get him up and ready), where I didn't worry about fronts/finishes or any of that. Once he began to be excited just at the site of the dumbbell I neatened everything up and switched to our real command "Take it." Quick warning though... Jersey being an exuberant young boy wound up being a little over zealous and was sloppy about kicking it across the floor... so I eventually had to really slow things down, put the DB up against a wall, and request a quicker, cleaner pickup (I had great luck using a clicker to reinforce that), but Maddie's a bit more mature so you may not have to worry about that. Wow, that wound up being much longer than I meant it to be, but hope it helps! Good luck!!

Julie and Jersey


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Another thing that can help pique interest in the dumbbell is to put it on a string and let the dog chase it that way. When the dog takes hold of it, you get a mild game of tug going with it - putting just enough pressure on the string that the dog wants to tighten the hold in order to keep the dumbbell.


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

FlyingQuizini said:


> Another thing that can help pique interest in the dumbbell is to put it on a string and let the dog chase it that way. When the dog takes hold of it, you get a mild game of tug going with it - putting just enough pressure on the string that the dog wants to tighten the hold in order to keep the dumbbell.


Good idea, thanks! Might help me with Diesel.


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## Goldendogx2 (Sep 2, 2007)

*Favorite Obedience Exercise*

Unless it can be "Exercised Finished" where you can breathe again  mine would be Directed Jumping. Bo LOVES it! He gets so excited, he gets to run and jump.


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## goldengirls550 (Jun 12, 2008)

I love Love LOVE heeling of any kind!!! I am so lucky and so blessed to have a golden that heels like a dream. My girl Layla "prances" and is so bouncy. She's alot of fun to watch I've been told and her movement is so smooth. I am so happy that we have good heeling as we plan to go as far as we can!


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