Playing with our dog is not only beneficial for him because he exercises, has fun and strengthens the bond with us, but it is also very beneficial for us because we release dopanime, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good, happy.
However when we play with our dog and he does not let go of the ball or the toy, we can start to feel a little frustrated since the game ends up becoming a tug of war that ends up making us despair.
So teaching a dog to drop the ball or any other toy must be a priority so that we can both enjoy the game. From Dogsis we are going to explain how to do it in a very, very simple way.
Index of contents
- 1 Why doesn’t my dog drop the ball or toy?
- 2 What should I do to get my dog to release the ball?
Why doesn’t my dog drop the ball or toy?
The first question we must ask ourselves is why do we want him to release the ball? Obviously, to be able to throw it back and enjoy watching how it goes in its search and returns it to us.
However, many dogs do not see it that way, they catch the ball and the game is to see how their human is not able to take it away. For them it is still a game, only it is different from what the human thinks.
All dogs love to play tug-of-war, especially if it is with a rope or similar toy. We throw them a little and let them have a little, we even make them rage a little with good intention to motivate them even more.
But the dogs do not know how to identify when the game consists of a push and pull, in a run behind me to see if you catch me and take the ball from me or in a strip that I do not intend to let go of … therefore, for all that, we must teach a dog to let go of things.
What should I do to get my dog to release the ball?
We are going to achieve it with a super simple exercise, you will see how in just one day you can teach a dog to drop the ball or its toys when you ask and enjoy the game with you. We will make you understand how it should really be played.
We will take one of those balls that have a rope at one end, we can find them easily and they are very practical to play with the dog. We will go to a quiet area, like the park and with the dog on a leash, we will give him the ball to bite.
Then we will say “loose” and how to imagine, the dog will ignore us. So simply and without releasing the rope of the ball, that is, the dog biting the ball and we holding the rope of the ball, we will use the other hand to hold it by the collar.
The idea is to immobilize the dog, it is not necessary to sit or lay it down, simply hold it by the collar with your hand so that it cannot move or escape. Don’t do a tug-of-war with the ball string, just keep it taut and say “Let go.”
When the dog sees that the game is no longer fun because he can no longer run or tug-of-war, or even move, he will drop the ball. At that time we must congratulate him a lot and give him the ball again.
We will let it bite for a few seconds or minutes and we will repeat the exercise, always with the dog tied to the leash, so that we can hold it by the collar when necessary (if not released to order).
Do not lose patience, do not be angry and above all do not scold the dog. Just do this exercise repeatedly and your dog will quickly understand the rules of the game. So that when you learn how to release it correctly, you can already release the strap and pull it away so that it returns with it, release it and throw it again.
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