Don't know if you heard the pistol shot

[lizblackdog]

We had something of a milestone today. Spike has always been very reluctant to surrender a ball - usually I just leash him up while he still has it, and count on him dropping it while we walk home from the park, which nearly always happens because it's not really THAT interesting for him to walk around carrying it once he knows I won't throw it any more.

For reasons I don't feel like going into, today's walk ended with Spike in the house on the dog couch still holding his ball like grim death, and me needing to get it away from him before he destroyed it (he's destroyed one this week already that I can't afford to replace, and we lost one of the rubber rings the week before. I'm starting to be very grateful there are always plastic bottles lying around outside. I'm not actually kidding.)

So I stood there offering treats and asking him nicely to let me pick the ball up, and eventually he actually did. He put it down and he let me pick it up, knowing full well that I was picking it up with the intention of taking it away.

There were a couple of false starts, and I took a collie headbutt to the nose during the discussion but HE DID IT. He got so much cheese for that.

I love my shark boy. Also, my nose hurts.

Comments

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

He's a good boy, he really is. He so didn't want to give up that ball.

[gwenhyffar.livejournal.com]

Does he not do trades by the way? That's how we get The Vicar to give up his bones.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

He will, but the ONLY thing he wants badly enough to trade a ball for easily is a bigger ball. He'll choose ball over ANY treat no matter how good. Trading works fine for bones, or things he's picked up on the street that i don't want him to eat.

[gwenhyffar.livejournal.com]

Bowling ball! No way he's going to destroy that! Just make sure to fill the finger holes in with some filler so that he can't get his teeth in there, and you have the mother of all trades for him! :D