Wanting to play chase

[frostoff]

How do I stop my 8th month old Springer wanting to play chase with every little item he has in his mouth when he comes in the house?

[rhosyn]

Pick your battles. If you don't have time to coerce him to you then ignore him so you're not compounding the behaviour further. If you do then coax him to you - you may need to make yourself small and unthreatening (or far more exciting, depending on the dog!) and make a humungous fuss of him when he does eventually come to you whilst resisting all urges to throttle him Do you have kids? There is a reason I've asked... What's he like outside? What is he running around with in the house? Stuff he knows he isn't allowed?

[frostoff]

No kids!
It has got to the stage where I am telling him to sit, (which he normally does without a problem) but when he has a mouthful, he will lay down and try to scarper as I get close, until i eventually get to him and tell him to sit again and then drag him back to where we began and remove the said article.

[trekmoor]

Sit down and let the pup come to you provided the article is not dangerous or maybe something particularly valuable.

Wullie

[Hepe]

You begin training your dog and have several things going at once. Yes yes i know peeps, i keep repeating myself with this! Make your training more difficult! You can start with having something to exchange with, the items should be of equal value to the dog, or possibly what you hold to give in exchange should be of slightly higher value but then the game ends after the first swap. Basicly, you begin with having a continuation going, as soon as he brings the first item in you provide some new fun with another item - you teach him that as soon as he brings the first item in something else happens. However, my suggestion is that you go see a gun dog trainer - instead of struggling on your own you'll have someone helping you out, saving tears and time.

Helene

ps: You are NOT alone! My cocker Scylla tried to hide everything at first and even though i was prepared and have trained other dogs, it did make me feel rather useless at first.

[rhosyn]

You begin training your dog and have several things going at once. Yes yes i know peeps, i keep repeating myself with this! Make your training more difficult! You can start with having something to exchange with, the items should be of equal value to the dog, or possibly what you hold to give in exchange should be of slightly higher value but then the game ends after the first swap. Basicly, you begin with having a continuation going, as soon as he brings the first item in you provide some new fun with another item - you teach him that as soon as he brings the first item in something else happens. However, my suggestion is that you go see a gun dog trainer - instead of struggling on your own you'll have someone helping you out, saving tears and time.

Helene

ps: You are NOT alone! My cocker Scylla tried to hide everything at first and even though i was prepared and have trained other dogs, it did make me feel rather useless at first.

Hepe, with the utmost respect (I am sooo novice at this) would this encourage the pup to spit out what he has in his mouth early in other situations? I'm not challenging you, I genuinely would like to know x But I defo secnd the lessons

[pontbeck]

The exchange of retrieve for another desirable item is a very much tried and tested method rhosyn

Bill

[Nonehpets]

No kids!
It has got to the stage where I am telling him to sit, (which he normally does without a problem) but when he has a mouthful, he will lay down and try to scarper as I get close, until i eventually get to him and tell him to sit again and then drag him back to where we began and remove the said article.

So don't go through this pantomime ... you are feeding the troll and he gets a kick out of it! You are also 'poisoning' the sit command so he will stop doing that even with an empty mouth.

What is he bringing in that is so imperative for you to take off him? In the immediate term

• If he is collecting things you value - go out and move everything you value out of his reach for now
• If he is collecting things you think are dangerous then teach him a "leave" command - so there is no stand off
• If he is collecting things that are neither valuable nor dangerous ignore him until he gets bored with them - providing you don't feed the troll he will get bored very quickly - in fact quicker than you can say "do not feed the troll"

Then knowing that he is safe - start working hard at the bond and the confidence he has in you when he retrieves items to you.

Cathy

[frostoff]

Thanks Guy's.
Firstly he will bring in anything form a leaf to a slug, pebble or worm , sometimes they are so small that you do not even know he has anything until he is half-way across the kitchen.
If i stop him before he enters he will do the same outside. I tried sitting there with a treat but he just lays there.
He has been to training lessons but he only does this at home.
But it seems like a catch 22 do I chase him and drag him back or just ignore him??
I can take anything from him that is not a problem and if he has nothing to hide he is as good as gold (if not loopy).

[Rascal]

If a big bloke chased you, what would you do?

Rascal