Pets
Teaching "Give"
When a puppy is in possession of an item that he considers valuable, he might view the presence and/or approach of someone as threatening. To ensure its safe-keeping, he may challenge your approach and guard his treasured possession with a show of teeth, a snarl, and/or a menacing growl. It is unlikely that your puppy has exhibited any of these behaviors as of yet, but unless taught and conditioned differently, he may, as an adolescent or adult dog. Therefore, it is very important to teach your puppy to both share, and release objects from his mouth upon request.- Sharing: To teach your puppy to share, hold his bone or chew toy while he is chewing on the other end. Include all family members by simply passing the bone from one person to the next, allowing everyone to get involved. This exercise teaches the puppy that your presence and involvement is an asset, instead of a threat, since your hands and fingers can hold things so nicely for him while he chews. You can also smear a little peanut butter or other yummy substance on the bone while he is chewing on it and then return it to your puppy. Approach him while he is diving into his Kong, take it away and put something yummy into it. Another way to make your presence an asset is to take the Kong away while he is attempting to get the stuffed items out, pull something out for him and give it to him. He will think you are a wonderful assistant when he becomes frustrated and can't get that last morsel of treat from the center. Don't be surprised if he begins to drop the Kong in your lap looking for help. Again, your presence brings about good things.
Choose a word such as "give" to be the word that you use whenever you want your puppy to relinquish something. To teach him what this word means, approach him while he has a ball or toy in his mouth. Present a yummy treat at nose level (make sure that the treat you are offering is more appealing to your dog than his toy or ball). Your dog should release the object to take the treat. When he does so, immediately praise him, give the treat and return his toy. After a little practice, if you feel your dog is starting to drop the toy reliably, begin telling him to "give" as you offer the treat, so he will associate this word with the behavior of releasing the toy.
Once your dog reliably responds to the cue of "give", ask him to do so without a visible treat. As soon as he complies, reward him with lots of verbal praise and an immediate treat from your pocket. Progress slowly to random food rewards along with your praise, and ultimately to verbal praise alone and the return of the toy. Even at this level of progress, an occasional "surprise" food reward will encourage continued success. This helps to maintain your dog's compliant attitude toward relinquishing something, in "hopes" of getting a special reward.
When introducing the game of "tug," tease your dog with the toy and tell him to "take it". Encourage his interaction and interest by verbally praising him. Once the dog has it in his mouth and begins to tug on it, praise him. Stop tugging and ask your dog to "give" the object. If he continues to tug, just remain calm and still and wait for him to give it up. Once he does, praise and reward him with a treat for his compliance. If he is really pent-up, show him the treat to help him release the toy. Then ask him to "take it" again. Keep working on this until your dog is quickly releasing the toy upon request. Starting the game of tug again can turn into the reward.
Attempting to pull an item out of the mouth of your puppy when he is holding it is counterproductive. This will elicit an opposition reflex and his jaw will clamp the object with more force. Your behavior is then inviting a game of tug when you don't want that to happen. Don't confuse the pup. Train for a clean "give" behavior on cue.
Also, never turn this into a chase game. If he has something you need to get from him, do not run over to him or shout from a distance "give"! He will certainly feel threatened and run, thus causing a chase game, one he will love and remember for life. Instead, calmly approach him and ask him to "give" and replace it with a fun game of fetch, a
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PETsMART Accredited Training Instructors, in addition to their previous experience, receive a minimum of 120 hours of training in a curriculum which includes: Canine Behavior, Learning Theory ("How Dogs Learn"), Problem-Solving, Classroom Management, Equipment, Handling Skills and more. Where possible, hands-on training is completed in partnership with local shelters, using shelter dogs to demonstrate training methods, behavior assessment and handling skills. This enables us to accredit our instructors while contributing to the community, as we help to make these dogs even more adoptable.
Suzanne Hetts Ph.D. is certified as an applied animal behaviorist and co-owner of Animal Behavior Associates, Inc., in Denver, CO.
Terry Ryan is the well-known author of training books such as The Toolbox for Remodeling Your Problem Dog and The Bark Stops Here.
Pia Silvani is the Director of Pet Training and Behavior at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J.
Mary Lee Nitschke, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Linfield College, an Animal Behavior Therapist and the Director of Training for Animal School in Portland, OR.
Trish King is the Director of the Animal Behavior and Training Department at the Marin Humane Society in Marin County, CA.
Pamela J. Reid, Ph.D. is a certified applied animal behaviorist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, where she teaches veterinary students courses in Applied Ethology and the Principles of Learning.
Information and advice contained on this site is for your consideration only. Please consult your veterinarian for specific advice concerning the care and treatment of your pet.
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