I have a 2 y/o lab/collie mix that has been very easy to train so far. One thing that I am stumped on is get it/give it. I can tell him to get an object and he will bring it back to me. I can tell him to 'drop it' and he will - no problem. He learned those with only positive verbal reinforcement as opposed to treats.
However, if I tell him 'give it' for a toy, he's flaky...maybe he'll drop it, maybe he'll put it in my hand, maybe he'll just flat out ignore me. So I tried moving to the exchange for treat method as I've seen described everywhere. The problem is, the second he realizes there are treats involved, he won't do anything. He drops the toy immediately and stares at me. If I tell him to get the toy again, he'll pick it up and drop it immediately.
I've tried hiding the fact that I have treats. I get them when he's not around and keep them in my pocket. But as soon as he sees it when I go to do the exchange, he's back to staring at me with that happy face!
What are your suggestions? This has got to be a common problem. Thanks
However, if I tell him 'give it' for a toy, he's flaky...maybe he'll drop it, maybe he'll put it in my hand, maybe he'll just flat out ignore me. So I tried moving to the exchange for treat method as I've seen described everywhere. The problem is, the second he realizes there are treats involved, he won't do anything. He drops the toy immediately and stares at me. If I tell him to get the toy again, he'll pick it up and drop it immediately.
I've tried hiding the fact that I have treats. I get them when he's not around and keep them in my pocket. But as soon as he sees it when I go to do the exchange, he's back to staring at me with that happy face!
What are your suggestions? This has got to be a common problem. Thanks