Any suggestions for a good motivator?

RD

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#1
I'm trying to find what really motivates Ripley, he seems to get more excited over toys, but he doesn't care much for the ones he has..

Are there any toys that your dogs just go crazy for?
 
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#2
My sister's little JRT goes berk over the puzzle ball I sent him. It's one of those that you load with treats and they fall out as it's rolled just right. He likes it so well they've never even had a chance to put treats in it.

You might try rewarding him with supervised play with some sort of mechanical toy. I got my big cat a mechanical rat that moves in random patterns. Ripley might really have a blast with something like that.
 

flyndog

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#3
Rip's Girl said:
he seems to get more excited over toys, but he doesn't care much for the ones he has..
Grace, he gets more excited over toys than ..what..?
I've found that the lure or reward sometimes depends on what you are trying to motivate the dog to do. Dogs think, "What's in it for me?" (except Shelties ;) ) Cozy is perfectly willing to perform basic obedience commands for free, but doesn't like to perform tricks without treats! And her favorite treats now are in my "Party Mix". She never knows which one she's going to get but she likes them all. Keeps her interested.
Kit
 

RD

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#4
More excited over toys than treats.. Sorry 'bout that, hehe.

Ripley gets treats when he's being taught a new command, but I really quickly wean him off of them. ..
 
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#5
The shelties go crazy for a ball, but I can’t bring that to class so I got this stuffed bone (like a stuffed animal) that has a squeaker in it, they love it, it’s almost better then the tennis ball! They don’t really like hard plastic toys. It’s hard to find the right motivator. Take him to the pet store and let him pick out his own toy if that’s what you’re going to motivate him with.
 

flyndog

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#6
Grace, you might try not "weaning" him off of the treats so quickly. In training, sometimes we are ready to move on but our dogs aren't. A behavior needs to be reinforced until it's mastered. I've found that after the dog knows the command and can consistantly and reliably perform it. sometimes giving the treat and sometimes not giving the treat is enough to keep a dog interested. It's a doggy version of a slot machine. He might hit the jackpot so he keeps playing. :)
You could do an experiment. Use the slot machine method with one command and the method you're using now with another command and see if there's a difference in his motivation. BTW, you don't need to use food treats as the reward, you can use whatever he likes.
Kit
 
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#8
The one toy my dogs seem to go nuts for is called The Critter. It is a foam ball that is cover in a fake fur like material and it has a tail with a skweaker in the end. They love it!
 
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#9
well I agree with sheltie pups. Take him to a pet store let him choose the toy... but once he chooses that toy that will be THE TOY. I cant remember where I read this but Ill do my best to re write what I read.

tie the chosen toy up somewhere where the dog cantreach it but is still visible.. anytime the dog would be excited to see u.. maybe getting home from work or getting out of a shower. go grab that toy and make a big deal of playing with it... putting it thru ur legs and across ur shoulders and talkin to it making excited fun noises... but dont let ur dog play with it. do this for multiple days then one day get it out and tease him with it... wiggle it towards him then pull it back put it up again. pretty soon the dog will start trying to get at it even if u arent playing with it. then u can get it out and play with him with it... But only for a little bit. then put it away again.
This way that toy is The Special Toy. the most exciting fun toy he has. but he only gets it when he is training.
I will look more to see where I read all that... hope I helped!
Lindsey
 

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