# Question about Reward Enthusiasm



## Kevin Rowland (Jun 29, 2013)

My Mal (1 year old) has always loved the tug as a reward but recently my kids drug up a semi flat basketball that she is now obsessed with. As soon as she comes outside she is looking for it (I started putting it away).
She seems a bit unenthusiastic now when I use the tug as a reward. If I have the flat basketball in my hands she will do whatever I ask and quickly. Of course its a bit hard to carry around a basketball for a reward..not to mention she is so intense she stares at it and not at me.
She is doing great in her bite work progression...she just seems really unenthusiastic in using anything but the flat basketball for a reward in obedience. I'm guessing part of the fun is she gets to chase the ball....but when I try and use a small ball I don't see the intensity. Has anyone had this issue or something similar before?


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

Wrap the tug in cut-to-size pattern from the basketball. Problem solved.  That, or never, ever let her see another basketball. Find two more toys and decide which one she likes best, then use that one.


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Sounds like she is a bit OCD to me. My female would do the same thing for a Jolly ball and a eGGe I had to put them away so that she never saw them again.


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## Kevin Rowland (Jun 29, 2013)

Thanks guys. I'm going to get rid the ball. Wrapping the tug in the ball material is also a good idea. I may give that a shot. Thanks again for the input.


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## Matt Vandart (Nov 28, 2012)

I would keep the ball and use it for recall training only


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Matt Vandart said:


> I would keep the ball and use it for recall training only


Matt always has such good advise.

Along the same lines: I would wrap a small ball with some of the skin of the treasured basketball. This would then be the reinforcement toy I would use training the send out. We always had one special high value reward toy/ball/bumper to hang from the send out stick when teaching this exercise, and this was all that particular toy/ball/bumper was ever used for. 

http://www.hallmarkk9.com/gappaymetalsend-away.aspx


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## Kevin Rowland (Jun 29, 2013)

Great ideas. Thank you all. She did better today but after training she went looking for that ball. Ill see what I can do with the ball skin and post back about how it goes.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Matt Vandart (Nov 28, 2012)

susan tuck said:


> Matt always has such good advise.
> 
> Along the same lines: I would wrap a small ball with some of the skin of the treasured basketball. This would then be the reinforcement toy I would use training the send out. We always had one special high value reward toy/ball/bumper to hang from the send out stick when teaching this exercise, and this was all that particular toy/ball/bumper was ever used for.
> 
> http://www.hallmarkk9.com/gappaymetalsend-away.aspx


Yay me \\/


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## Matthew Grubb (Nov 16, 2007)

Kevin... How did the basket ball come into the picture in the first place? I know you said your kids drug up the basked ball. Does the dog have "regular toys" in addition to "work toys"?


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## Terrasita Cuffie (Jun 8, 2008)

What the dog sees as reward. I might try to build an association between the ball and tug. But would buy a baby basketball, deflate, put a rope through it and wallah!!

T


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

what difference does it make? You are using it to mark behavior right? Once the behavior is conditioned it doesn't matter what you used to get there. 

Id use the basketball to teach control and reward with it sitting off to the side and not out of my hand. Kill two birds with one stone. This method also allows you to get more duration under control from the dog. Best of luck


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## Kevin Rowland (Jun 29, 2013)

Matthew Grubb said:


> Kevin... How did the basket ball come into the picture in the first place? I know you said your kids drug up the basked ball. Does the dog have "regular toys" in addition to "work toys"?


No she doesn't. The only toys she has are her "working" toys. That ball was one the kids were playing with and it got left in the yard by accident.


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

Kevin an interesting story from here at our "complex" (as one of the locals calls it lol) ... I had a young DS bitch a few years ago that loved nothing more than the garden hose sprayer she would go berserko for that thing. She loved nothing more than to bite the water and chase it around the kennel or yard... I saw a golden opportunity to teach her control using the water. BAM! 2 10 min sessions and control is starting to take shape.. 3 days I can call her off in drive, shut her down verbally without equipment etc etc... the moral of the story is it doesnt matter what you use to manipulate the dog ... as long as the value is high and you have decent timing and understanding it will happen quickly for you. Id wring that basketball out for all its worth.... again best of luck!


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I can't understand this. Whatever I want to animate my dog with, is what I have in my hands. Very often I have nothing in my Hands. I tease my dog to Play with ME.


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## Kevin Rowland (Jun 29, 2013)

Brian Anderson said:


> Kevin an interesting story from here at our "complex" (as one of the locals calls it lol) ... I had a young DS bitch a few years ago that loved nothing more than the garden hose sprayer she would go berserko for that thing. She loved nothing more than to bite the water and chase it around the kennel or yard... I saw a golden opportunity to teach her control using the water. BAM! 2 10 min sessions and control is starting to take shape.. 3 days I can call her off in drive, shut her down verbally without equipment etc etc... the moral of the story is it doesnt matter what you use to manipulate the dog ... as long as the value is high and you have decent timing and understanding it will happen quickly for you. Id wring that basketball out for all its worth.... again best of luck!


That's actually what we decided on this weekend. I took her to my trainer and we agreed to use it for all its worth and so far its working great. Thanks for your help and input..this site has a lot of great people.


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

Kevin Rowland said:


> That's actually what we decided on this weekend. I took her to my trainer and we agreed to use it for all its worth and so far its working great. Thanks for your help and input..this site has a lot of great people.


there are some kick ass trainers here my friend .. let us know if we can help you ...


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