My dog, Xanth, is seriously the best dog anyone could hope for. His only teensy weensy issue is that he runs off. Xanth thinks it hilarious to run around like crazy and let you chase him. I blame it... a lot... on John. When Xanth was a puppy and he first started it... John chased him. I told him not too and explained how it then becomes a game but like most husbands... John likes to ignore my "wifely" advice. Sooo...
See. Xanth. Run.
In our neighborhood (street really) everyone has a dog and everyone's' dogs tend to run loose. Most of them stay in their yard with only a little wondering. Every time I see this I'm intently jealous because I'd really really like to go outside and enjoy a nice game of fetch or frisbee.
You see...
Xanth is athletic...
and super smart..
and easy to train...
and is, in short, FUN!!!
But if he can only go out on a leash... then we really can't have much fun can we?
Soooo
I've decided I am going to teach my 9 going-on 10 dog to actually stay with me.
And why it's taken me this many years to figure out that all I need is to have a tennis ball in my hand
... I'm not sure.
Because...
Xanth is a tennis ball FREAK!
Trainers call it "ball focused" You could line up 10 females in heat and try to hand him six pounds of steak and he'd ignore it all... IF.. you have a tennis ball. I have always felt slightly guilty about Xanth... like I should have given him to a training facility who train service dogs. Xanth really is the perfect type for it. I've seen enough Animal Planet to know what they look for.
(I actually, at one point, had Xanth trained to search for things using his nose. Of course, I haven't played that game with him in years.... but still.)
I've always known what a ball whore he was. I've also known that using the tennis ball to train him is a great idea... and, in fact, I have used it.
So why haven't I put the two together before now?
Does the fact that until now I've never lived in a neighborhood where dogs-off-leash was acceptable make it any less stupid?
See. Xanth. Run.
In our neighborhood (street really) everyone has a dog and everyone's' dogs tend to run loose. Most of them stay in their yard with only a little wondering. Every time I see this I'm intently jealous because I'd really really like to go outside and enjoy a nice game of fetch or frisbee.
You see...
Xanth is athletic...
and super smart..
and easy to train...
and is, in short, FUN!!!
But if he can only go out on a leash... then we really can't have much fun can we?
Soooo
I've decided I am going to teach my 9 going-on 10 dog to actually stay with me.
And why it's taken me this many years to figure out that all I need is to have a tennis ball in my hand
... I'm not sure.
Because...
Xanth is a tennis ball FREAK!
Trainers call it "ball focused" You could line up 10 females in heat and try to hand him six pounds of steak and he'd ignore it all... IF.. you have a tennis ball. I have always felt slightly guilty about Xanth... like I should have given him to a training facility who train service dogs. Xanth really is the perfect type for it. I've seen enough Animal Planet to know what they look for.
(I actually, at one point, had Xanth trained to search for things using his nose. Of course, I haven't played that game with him in years.... but still.)
I've always known what a ball whore he was. I've also known that using the tennis ball to train him is a great idea... and, in fact, I have used it.
So why haven't I put the two together before now?
Does the fact that until now I've never lived in a neighborhood where dogs-off-leash was acceptable make it any less stupid?
1 comment:
This post brought a smile to my face. I remember Xanth frolicking around as a puppy! :) This is cool that you had an epiphany about how to play with and train him.
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