Post by willow on Mar 26, 2006 11:38:04 GMT -5
Whew! I'm glad we finally got that straight....Now about this "closet Koehler thing".... JK That is too funny!
Seriously, I don't want to give the impression that I don't "reward" my dogs or that I don't play with them etc. I do, but I don't reward as a means to build prey drive so they will work better for me. Again, maybe we are talking about the same thing, but I feel playing with my dogs after a training session or just when I feel like it is bonding with them so that they will want to work harder for me, if that makes sense.
One "game" both Duane and I loved to play with Kara was "keep away"....and I know most trainer's say you should never, ever chase your dog, because this teaches them to run from you when ever they don't want to do something, but after we got done with the game, we always, said, "o.k. that's enough" and called her to us and patted her, and we never had a problem.
To me that is the most important thing. You are the one who decides when your dog gets to do every thing and you decide when it's over. When we play, I decide when we will play and when we are done playing. When I call my dogs over for loving, I then say, "That's enough" and they go lie down.
From observing so many owner's/dogs today, it is usually the dogs who tell the owner when they want to play and when they want to be loved and you end up with frustrated dogs who seem to "need" more and more exercise/attention. They do not know how to relax and I liken it to parents who always entertain their children and their children are always complaining that they are "bored" and want to be entertained! They do not know how to go and play quietly by themselves.
On that note...I am going to go take Buddy for a nice long run. It is a gloriously warm, sunny day and he wants to go chase some rabbits.
Seriously, I don't want to give the impression that I don't "reward" my dogs or that I don't play with them etc. I do, but I don't reward as a means to build prey drive so they will work better for me. Again, maybe we are talking about the same thing, but I feel playing with my dogs after a training session or just when I feel like it is bonding with them so that they will want to work harder for me, if that makes sense.
One "game" both Duane and I loved to play with Kara was "keep away"....and I know most trainer's say you should never, ever chase your dog, because this teaches them to run from you when ever they don't want to do something, but after we got done with the game, we always, said, "o.k. that's enough" and called her to us and patted her, and we never had a problem.
To me that is the most important thing. You are the one who decides when your dog gets to do every thing and you decide when it's over. When we play, I decide when we will play and when we are done playing. When I call my dogs over for loving, I then say, "That's enough" and they go lie down.
From observing so many owner's/dogs today, it is usually the dogs who tell the owner when they want to play and when they want to be loved and you end up with frustrated dogs who seem to "need" more and more exercise/attention. They do not know how to relax and I liken it to parents who always entertain their children and their children are always complaining that they are "bored" and want to be entertained! They do not know how to go and play quietly by themselves.
On that note...I am going to go take Buddy for a nice long run. It is a gloriously warm, sunny day and he wants to go chase some rabbits.