So, this is my third dog & DEFINITELY the hardest one to train (so far.) Second male, second goldendoodle, ALL new training issues of course. Different dogs, different personalities I understand.
BUT in regard to the Brain Training games, we worked our way through Preschool & Elementary School, certain games a little harder to conquer than others naturally. Now that he is in 'High School' we have been stuck there for a few weeks. 1st off, he came to me petrified of water (& cars & bikes & several other things as well, but staying on topic) He has gotten better w/the fear of water, but the Bobbing for Apples has been a real tricky endeavor. I started with tennis balls (his cryptonite) & that at least got him over to the pool & eventually playing the game. Less interested when switching to treats however & DEFINITELY did NOT enjoy sticking his muzzle into the water. (Literally to the point where he was trying to DRINK the water in the pool to get to the carrot at the bottom--argh/haha) We finally made progress with this game & think eventually he will succeed slowly but surely with practice.
The Bottle Game however I am at my wit's end. We started with a wider necked bottle, less pieces of kibble, until he understood the concept of the game. Then slowly I added more pieces until we reached 10. Even with smellier (higher valued) treats & me initiating play with him, (giving him treats when he displays appropriate behavior, etc,) he either loses interest, gets frustrated, or both. In addition to the fact that he is a bigger dog & easily crushes the bottle when he picks it up with his mouth (he is not very gentle) & actually enjoys chewing bottles & thus ending the game prematurely.
What can I do to get him to pass this test so we can finally move on to the next level of Brain Games? If he needs a B or C in the Bottle Game before moving on, I'm afraid we are going to be stuck in high school forever! Please help!
Signed, Nutty in N.J. (Noelle-human & Aurelio- crazy canine)
