Teach Your Dog to Hold an Object
Holding an object without chewing on it is a trick or skill that is very useful for your dog to know. This ability is especially useful if your dog is an obedience dog, hunting dog, retrieving dog or a service dog. But this behaviour is difficult to instill in a dog, especially dogs that don't enjoy having things in their mouths. In this article, a clicker is needed, and some patience.
Steps
- Have your dog stand or sit in front of you. You should not start the training with a dog training dummy; instead, hold back on using the dummy until the dog is able to hold another object without chewing on it. Examples of appropriate objects to start training with are a glove or a rolled-up newspaper.
- Hold the object in front of the dog's muzzle.
- Click when the dog is nosing the object.
- Click when the dog is intent on butting the object or eventually licking the object.
- Click when the dog is opening her mouth over the object.
- When the dog is opening her mouth over the object, move the object a bit away from the dog. Teach Your Dog to Take Your Socks Off if the dog embraces or eventually follows and grabs the object anew.
- Click when the dog is grabbing the object and holding it firmly for about a half a second to 1 second. At the same time, hold the object at the end. Be careful not to click when the dog is spitting the object out.
- This is the most difficult step. This time you'll let the dog hold the object for 2 to 4 seconds. It's important to click at exactly the right time.
- When the dog can hold the object for around 4 seconds, the worst is over. Increase the time bit by bit until the dog is holding the Tricks with Objects for 10 seconds. Never put the object into the dog's mouth; the dog should grab it by itself.
- Time to let the dog grab the object from the ground! There shouldn't be any problems with this step. If the dog finds it difficult, you can continue giving the object to the dog from your hand, but move your hand gradually closer to the ground every time.
- Teach your dog not to drop the object before you tell her to. The command you use when you want your dog to drop the object can be "drop" or anything else you like. You should be able to reach down, put your hand under the object, grab or pull the object and wave with your arm under the object, and the dog should not drop the object.
- Reach down carefully. If the dog is still holding the object, click!
- Move your Strengthen Your Nondominant Hand 20 centimetres (8 inches) in front of the dog's face. Click if she's still holding the object.
- Reach down even more. Move your hand even closer to the object. If the dog spits it out, get up without clicking. Make it a little easier next time. Keep on doing this kind of action until you can offer her "anything". The dog is not supposed to drop the object before you say it's okay to do so.
- Teach your dog to hold the object during movement. Move backwards. When the dog follows you, introduce the object. Then the dog should grab the object and hold it while following you one or two metres (3 to 6 feet) before you click.
- Increase the distance gradually until the dog can follow you for approximately 10 seconds with the object in her mouth.
- Teach your dog to hold different objects. This ability is important. When you introduce a new object to the dog, you can start by quickly following the steps of this article. You can teach your dog to hold (almost) everything – a cellphone, your keys, the leash, a book, etc.
Things You'll Need
- A dog
- A clicker
- Dog treats
- Different objects for the dog to hold
