Greyhound Training Tips- Let’s Play
Play in fun but it also teaches important skills and is a great way to bond with your greyhound
Playing is fun. It also reduces stress , enhances social skills and it is healing. Plus it is a great way to learn some new skills and bond with your dog. So when a new foster greyhound arrives into our care, we play a lot.
All dogs love food games. Our training and games always use food as a reinforcer for the desired behaviour, so fill up a small shoulder bag or bum bag with some yummy food. To learn new games, we start off with really really really yummy food, e.g. roast chicken or sausage, cubed cheese, cooked dog food roll, etc. The pieces should be small, about the size of a pea. We also choose a quiet area with minimal distractions to learn. All games can be played on your walks too but let’s learn them first at home.
Game 1: Find it
This is a super easy game to learn and all you do is take a piece of food, toss it on the ground (not too far away to begin with) and ask your greyhound to ‘find it’. Make sure he/she sees where you throw the food and food with contrasting colour to the floor will help him/her find it too. Wait for your greyhound to turn back and look at you before throwing the next treat.
Game 2: Chase Me
Dogs love chasing! They play chase with each other and your greyhound will love the fact that you also know his/her favourite game. There is just one rule to follow: chasing is only one way! You greyhound will always chase you and you never want your dog to be encouraged to run away from you. It is also not a game for young children to play and if the game leads to nipping or other over excited behaviours, we have to stop.
To start the game, get your dog’s attention by clapping, making a kissing sound, whatever gets the attention. As he/she runs/walks towards you, toss a treat in your direction (through your legs if you like) to keep your dog running in your direction. Then turn and run the other way. You don’t need to run long distances and a couple of metres are fine. This teaches the dog that running to you is fun! It is a great foundation for a fun and reliable recall too.
Game 3: Hide and Seek
This game is exactly as it sounds. You leave the room quickly and hide not too far away. Then call your greyhound and wait. Hopefully he/she will will search for you and find you. When he/she does, give a treat and a cuddle.
Game 4: Touch
Teach your greyhound to touch your hand by holding the palm of your hand near his/her face. Wait for him/her to touch it with his/her nose, then give the treat. Keep your hand still once it is near your greyhound’s face. Do not reward mouthing. As he/she learns this, gradually put your hand in other positions so he/she has to move to touch it. This is the behaviour we want to shape: the dog seeks your outstretched hand—and it is a fun and positive experience!
Game 5: Watch
This game is super handy and all we ask is that our greyhound makes eye contact with us. Take a treat out of your bag and place it under his/her nose and then up to your eyes. Your dog’s nose will follow your hand motion and make eye contact. When he/she does, say ‘watch’ and give the treat. This is a great game to play with dogs who are distracted on walks and don’t know yet how to walk on a loose lead.
Have fun with the games!
Greyhound Training Tip- Freezing on walks
Greyhounds often freeze on walks for no apparent reason and most of us have struggled with four long legs firmly planted in the ground. So what do you do?
Greyhounds often freeze on walks for no apparent reason and most of us have struggled with four long legs firmly planted in the ground. Or maybe your greyhounds just flops to the ground and refuses to keep walking.
Our greyhounds perceive the environment differently than us. Objects, sounds and smells that we are so used to can scare your newly adopted hound to the point that he or she is freezing or otherwise refusing. So what do you do?
We can try to force our greyhound to keep walking by pulling on the leash however, forcing a dog to overcome its fear will take away all control from him and activate the fight/flight system. This could result in a dangerous situation if the dog goes too far over threshold and increase the chances of both dog and you being injured or it may cause the dog to shut down emotionally.
Luring a dog with food or a toy into overcoming its fear can work on occasions. It can also create conflict in the dog as he values the food that you are luring him with and he may push himself too far before realising he is too fearful and want out. Again, this can be dangerous.
Reinforcing exploratory behaviours from point A to point B at the greyhound's own pace activates the seeking system, reduces stress and eventually may over time change his mindset if fearful. The dog can approach and retreat as it chooses and is bridged (clicked) and given something nice with every advance it makes toward point B.