Drop It

In the yard, I throw a frisbee for Harlow. When it comes to toys and treats and fetch and return, I am trying very hard to not encourage pull toy playing. I am doing this not because I think pull toy is a bad idea, I don't think it is. I do this because it's annoying as hell to me to play fetch and play it wrong.

I throw something to you, you bring it back and I throw it again. That's how it's played don't you know!?  Harlow insists on not releasing the item though, so I have been working hard on getting her to understand that if she doesn't drop it, I won't throw it.  She is getting much better. For me the challenge is to not try and grab it from her because it just feels faster than trainer her to bring it and drop it and I just want to get on the the damn game already. The damn game that she doesn't know how to play right.

When we play frisbee in the yard her favoritest thing in the whole wide world is to get the frisbee, come running back and me and swing wide as she passes, making the frisbee juuuuuust out of my reach.

It's so incredibly annoying and I know that if she had thumbs they'd be in her ears and she'd be wiggling her fingers above her head whilst spitting a razzberry at me.

When I remember that, oh yes, it's actually my job to teach the dog how to not be annoying (by training her properly in the art of fetch), she actually improves quickly.  Case in point; the other morning before work I was stretching. I am trying to remember to do this regularly to help my back and because I am old. One of the stretches has me on all fours. While doing this stretch Harlow trotted over to me and gently placed a toy on my back and then patiently waited in anticipation.

We can play fetch in your small office where there's stuff on the table and clothes drying on a rack and basically no where to move, right Mom? We can play fetch here!

I giggled and then wiggled to get to it and throw it. I wondered if her placement was just a silly fluke, but she came right back and did it again.