Well, that was unexpected! There’s always something to challenge us (apart from our Coronavirus Canine Challenge ). Yesterday I did a load of washing with no problems. Daughter no 2 then put her load in, but when the cycle finished the clothes were washed and rinsed but definitely not spun – they were still soaking wet. We put them back and tried again, checking things. Power, tick. Motor, tick. Drum moving…..err, no.
Luckily it was dry and windy, so we drip dried the clothes on the line (although I forgot to wash the line after its winter hibernation and some clothes got rather dirty again, so needed another rinse – oops) then finished them off in the tumble dryer.
I’m trying to see if it’s possible to get a repair, but I suspect not, so I think a new machine is on the cards, though heaven knows when we’ll be able to get one delivered. I wonder what I can use as a scrubbing board in the meantime…
Anyway, today I challenge you to work on teaching (or improving) your dog to play tug.
Our weekend poll this week was all about what toys your dog likes. By far and away the favourite was balls. Gus loves his tennis ball, either thrown, or even better, hidden for him to find, which is a great way to get him sniffing and working his brain on walks.
But for training games, tug is king. It only came in around third on the poll which is a shame. I want to see it higher. Tug is a great training game because it is immediate, it involves you interacting directly with your dog (instead of your dog getting a reward when chasing something away from you), and your dog interacting directly to you, it’s quick to play and most of all , it’s great fun.
More or less any favourite toy can be used for tug – balls can be difficult, but it is possible with a larger ball, however the easiest one is a tug toy you make yourself by plaiting strips from an old t-shirt or t-towel.
I show you how to get your dog interested in the tug toy on today’s video, but here are the key points:
– move the toy in jerky movements along the floor to encourage that prey instinct
– hide it behind your legs and make it peep out
– play with the toy yourself, even play keep away
– praise any interest in the toy
– take it in stages, and most importantly,
– keep the game short and sharp – finish before your dog wants to
Once your dog is tugging well, make sure you let him win a lot of the time. Keep his favourite tug toy in your pocket to produce when he does something great for you. He’ll soon become a tug addict.
Keep training and keep safe,
Carol