flux Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi all, Riley is my 6 month old Golden Retriever X Border Collie. He is very food driven! I've noticed that when we give him a form of puzzle toy to eat from he will play with the toy, persevere with determination and successfully extract tasty treat or meal - but then keep going. For example, at this very moment he is chewing and licking at the puzzle toy long since (maybe 10-15mins?) the peanut butter was licked out and he is now starting to get white foam around his mouth. When this first happened (with a Kong with chicken necks stuffed in it, no it wasn't a black one) I kinda noticed he was "still at it" and went to see if I had made the kong a little too difficult for him, but no he was just chewing away at the lip of the kong. I took it away from him, worried that he'd either succeed and manage to eat a piece of kong, and/or harm his mouth. Now though I wonder if it's better for him to experience the discomfort (dry mouth, achy gums - no food reward anymore) so he learns by himself to call it quits? Especially now he is a bit older/smarter and certainly more robust (his new teeth are in). I am concerned however that he isn't "Thinking" anymore, because of such a high food drive/focus and won't actually learn anything - well not at least without more serious consequences perhaps to get through to him. Has anyone else had this kind of experience with a food driven pup or adult dog? Would love some words of advice. Faye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 you need to start taking him to obedience school. He has a lot of drive which is turning into obsession, he sounds like all too good a candidate for OCD. Give him more then just one toy, rotate, do a few short training sessions a day with him and start taking him to an obedience class, preferably something that will lead you into agility as well. YOu have a working breed his brain needs to be worked before he becomes obsessive. And no he wont call it quits. He has found a self rewarding behaviour and in fact the older they get usually the more the drive matures and mostly heightens. He sounds really underutilised mentally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Flux- nekhbet raised an interesting point. What does Riley do during his day ?Does he enjoy digging? Does he have a sand pit? Does he enjoy chasing a soccerball around the yard? How often do you practice your obedience training ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flux Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Not nearly enough! They get left for most the day most days, days when one of us is around (I work part-time in terrible shift hours, OH full time) they tend to sleep as it's currently so hot. We are working on two walks each day (morning and evening), but I have been thinking to myself lately that this seems pretty under-stimulating (and its a work in progress, this isn't happening everyday). We try to razz it up with bike rides / walks where a frisbee gets thrown / normal on lead walks. We hardly do any training with them now, after coming back from work, making dinner and walking it's not high on the list. I did not join the dots that this was bordom. It makes a lot of sense. The backyard is large and has rotated toys and areas where they dig (lol not originally designated, more resigned) but I can see all these things as just objects unless there's some sort of interaction. My parents joined up to their local flyball club, this has put me off dog clubs a bit. But this evidence is all too compelling. I was thinking about getting Riley into tracking - does it have to be obidience or would any extra-curricular activity do? Any other tips on keeping them entertained? Never wanted to have bored dogs, very happy to make an effort. Thanks for your replies! Faye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Why not try some clicker training? Even 5 minutes a day will help. I do at least 2 sessions of 5 minutes a day with my girl which helps her settle. Mix up the more traditional obedience moves (sit, drop, stand, stay, heel) with tricks (shake, walk backwards, spin, nose touch, beg, play dead... possibilities are endless). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 wuffles has a point too. Troll through Youtube and google there are heaps of 'trick training' things to do with your dog. It only take a bit a day but 10 minutes of hard brain work will wipe the floor with a half hour walking. Tracking and scent detection you can do at home, you can even do what I call TV Tricks, small things you can do while sitting in front of the TV. Look up Nina Ottoson toys as well they're fabulous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 If you live anywhere Quenbeyan you could give this a go. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=214310 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flux Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Thank you everyone, I just read out your replies to OH and we are just about to fill out the local dog's club membership form. We never wanted bored dogs! So hopefully this will get our butts moving, and practising more things at home soon. Thanks for the wake up call!! Thank you to ofor all the hints and tips, I'm going to give tracking a whirl and will def check out little trainers to do at home Faye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Thank you everyone, I just read out your replies to OH and we are just about to fill out the local dog's club membership form. We never wanted bored dogs! So hopefully this will get our butts moving, and practising more things at home soon. Thanks for the wake up call!! Thank you to ofor all the hints and tips, I'm going to give tracking a whirl and will def check out little trainers to do at home Faye BDOC or the one in Narrabundah? If BDOC, you'll see a bunch of other DOLers there ;) We all start back this week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flux Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) ACTCDC! The narrabundah one! Oh wow, yes we will be there on Thurs (well, one of us will, Riley gets the chop on Thurs so one will stay behind to watch him.) I've got a slight British accent and in future weeks will have the fat-headed glutton black dog, OH will have the glorious rough collie I'm Faye BTW Edit - Oh wait you said Belconnen one lol. ah well I'm in weston creek area Edited February 1, 2011 by flux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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