"bite/pick up" for submissive dogs?

lancerandrara

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#1
I've been trying to teach Lancer "hold" or "bite/tug" related tricks (for.. awhile)! For tug games and leading into a variety of trick-teaching, basically. Rara's already got them down really well. But the way I trained Rara is not working for the giant fluff at all LOL. Basically lick/teeth touch, click, treat... praise/click/treat when holding onto something for a split second, etc.

Lancer's extremely submissive in most situations and pretty much totally refuses to hold onto anything that I'm also holding onto. If I offer him a toy, ball, anything, he will NOT touch it with his teeth unless I put it down haha. 8_8 He will lick it or nudge it with his wet nose. It's funny, because he gets really frustrated too- I guess at the fact that I keep wanting him to grab onto something he refuses to grab? And he gets frustrated when I praise Rara for doing it right, but he won't.... :rofl1: Any loopholes/ideas?

ETA: Forgot to mention, he does know "pick it up" only for ball-shaped things that I am not holding. LOL. It's the taking/holding anything from my hand that the baby isn't doing.
 

Maxy24

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#2
If you tease him/wiggle it around on the floor will he sort of kind of go for it? You may be able to build on that interest and slowly encourage him to use his mouth.
 

Dizzy

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#3
Very very very small increments.

With Fred I started with a look. Then a sniff. So I'd reward for the nose touch to begin with. Then just build it up and up slowly till its in the mouth :) you could cheat a bit by putting something small and lickable on it so he licks it. Just takes time for them to work it out sometimes.
 

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