"Play" drive! and house manners

[guatemama07]

It has been a looooonggg time since I've raised a puppy...

We're doing pretty well with our boy, who is almost 6 months old. However, I am having an issue that I am trying to figure out how to train/handle.

Harley absolutely LOVES to play (of course! He's a puppy!) We do a lot of ball chasing outside. The thing is, he wants to bring this game inside. He will bring me his Kong, a bone he's been gnawing on, a slobbery toy, anything he can find when I am sitting down in the living room (I work from home so we're together all day.)

He puts the toy on my lap and looks at me with that intense GSD look. I just hand it back to him, trying to indicate I am not playing at the moment and not tossing it for him. But he won't take no for an answer (at the moment - trying to fix that!) He gets more and more insistent and keeps handing me the toy and he is now putting his huge paws up on me (pawing at me insistently.)

I tell him "OFF" but obviously I am not teaching him what I need to. Suggestions? (We are finishing our first beginner obedience class, in which he has learned sit, down, a short stay, shake, and beginning work on loose leash walking, come when called, leave it and drop it.)

[SueDoNimm]

My 2 year old will do the same thing. Handing the toy back to him may not be exactly what he's looking for, but it's still playing with him. I think if you really want him to stop, you should probably ignore him, take the toy and put it away, or just get up and walk away for a minute or so. It may take a few times, but he will get the message that giving you the toy isn't doing him any good.

I'm bad to hand the toy back to my dog because the look on his face is hard to resist.


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[wink-_-wink]

I was looking for answers to this rather than repost the same question so I will just bump your thread up! Hero will basically try to shove his toys at you to throw. If you grab for it he yanks away like HAHAHA TO SLOW! or he will toss the ball up in your lap. He too doesn't want to take no for an answer and will paw at me or even try to climb on me. I am working with NO and OFF but he isn't getting the hint. I have tried taking away the toys but he just gets a different one. I have tried ignoring him and he just paws more. we are bringing it up to the trainer tomorrow but always good to get other opinions!

[sjackson310]

My guy has been coming to me and dropping the ball on me (he's 2 and it all started because I got this "amazing" ball at Tractor Supply that he cannot resist and now he loves fetch with everything) and what I do is I do not look at him while he's nudging me with the toy, then when he drops it on me, I grab it (without looking at him or seeming fun) and place it under my leg or something and totally ignore him. Now mind you, I am sitting on a sectional and not a chair so he can't easily get to the toy. He tends to wander off and find something to do by himself at that point.

[Lilie]

[QUOTE=wink-_-wink;2762313] He too doesn't want to take no for an answer and will paw at me or even try to climb on me. I am working with NO and OFF but he isn't getting the hint. QUOTE]

I would seperate the commands. Don't use 'no' & 'off' when requesting the same behavior. As you suggested, all you're doing is "hinting" to your dog what you want.

Teach your dog to 'Off' by teaching it to 'On'. Reward for 'On' ...reward for 'Off'. Use anything you can (that you'd allow your dog to jump up on) during your training. Make it super fun. Laugh! YES! Let your dog know that play time is training time.

Wait till your dog is solid on the 'On' and 'Off' command before you utilize it while playing other games and expect the correct behavior.

Of course, you don't have to use ON/OFF - you can use which ever words you wish, you just have to remain consistent.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by sjackson310

My guy has been coming to me and dropping the ball on me (he's 2 and it all started because I got this "amazing" ball at Tractor Supply that he cannot resist and now he loves fetch with everything) and what I do is I do not look at him while he's nudging me with the toy, then when he drops it on me, I grab it (without looking at him or seeming fun) and place it under my leg or something and totally ignore him. Now mind you, I am sitting on a sectional and not a chair so he can't easily get to the toy. He tends to wander off and find something to do by himself at that point.

This is what I would do. As long as your puppy is getting plenty of interaction and playtime but won't stop pestering you to play at inappropriate times, ignoring him will eventually extinguish the behavior. Right now, you're reinforcing the behavior by giving him attention when he pesters you. I wouldn't not look at him, or talk to him, or give him his toy back when he pushes it at your or drops in it your lap. He's the invisible dog. Once he's given up and gone away, YOU can initiate play.

Halo does bring me her Orbee ball when we're sitting on the couch watching TV in the evening, but she doesn't expect me to throw it for her, she has this game where she gives it to me and I give it back. Yeah, she's weird! We do that a few times, then she goes and lays down on the floor and squishes it for awhile. She'll also bring me bones and she'll stand there while I hold it for her so she can chew it, or I'll take it away and give it back a couple of times before laying down and chewing it on her own. It's not annoying and she doesn't pester me, she just sits in front of me with her ball or bone until I acknowledge her, so I play the game with her. I think it's actually kind of cute.