Saluki training.

[Stephhoney]

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Hi, some of you may remember we have recently got a suluki puppy named honey who is almost 13 weeks old. She had an upset tummy when she came to us but is doing great now. She's pretty much got the toilet training which is fab. Just a few issues which I would love some advice on. She steals our childrens toys or anything left lying around, how do I get her to drop and leave, we are using a clicker but she doesn't seem to picking this up. Also if my children run she chases then and might pull the end of there dresses ect. All this behaviour is normal for puppies I know but would like to learn her to drop or leave ect. Any ideas?

Thank you.

 

[JudyN]

Can I ask how old your children are? A lot of this will depend on them learning to behave appropriately around her - and to put their toys away!

The best way to train 'drop' is to exchange whatever she has for something better (in her eyes) - this could be a treat, or one of her own toys that you then invite a game of tug with. Never try to wrestle one of the children's toys off her, and make sure they never do this - at best, this will only make the game seem more fun so she's more likely to steal their toys, at worst, she might get 'guardy' and growl/snap at them. In a dog's eyes, possession is 10/10ths of the law - if it's in her mouth, it is by definition hers.

I'm a bit rusty on the training techniques now, but a really excellent resource is Kikopup videos on YouTube - there's a list of vids for training 'drop' here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kikopup+drop+it

As for your children running and her chasing them... I'm guessing that your real concern is her grabbing their clothes and risking damaging them or accidentally nipping the child? I'd address this in the same way as puppy biting - when her teeth attach to what they shouldn't (skin or clothes) the fun stops. Your child stops running, doesn't squeal, turns away, ignores the dog, and leaves the garden/room. That's quite a tall order - salukis are programmed to chase, and flappy dresses are as irresistible as a lure to a greyhound - so you'll have to manage play so pup doesn't get overexcited, and of course at times separate her from the children so they can play in peace. I'd also get them to wear less flappy clothes - and old ones you don't mind getting damaged! They could also carry dog toys to tempt her away from their clothes - I'm wondering about something like a flirt pole which will be MUCH more fun than clothes!

 

[Stephhoney]

Thank you for your reply. My children are aged 3 and 7, it's not so so much them leaving toys around it's more when they are playing she will just sneak something. I know chasing is built into her and it's all good fun for her but would like to stop it before she gets too big. I'm ok with clothes getting pulled ect just want to avoid her nipping the children.

Thanks for your advice. I will look into a flirt pole. X

 

[Hemlock]

Make sure you never take things off her - always always give her something better, and teach her to 'swap'. That way she will start to bring things to you instead of running off with them. Practice this at quiet times, not when she is in high excitement having snatched up a toy. If you want details, please ask.

 

[Stephhoney]

Make sure you never take things off her - always always give her something better, and teach her to 'swap'. That way she will start to bring things to you instead of running off with them. Practice this at quiet times, not when she is in high excitement having snatched up a toy. If you want details, please ask.

I have been swapping whatever she's took with one of her toys. Should I say anything like leave or drop?

Thanks for your reply

 

[JoanneF]

There is a difference between leave (don't pick it up) and drop (let go if you have already picked it up).

Of course you can use any word you want, but use two different ones.

You might find this helpful to train ”leave”, very useful when your dog comes across a discarded takeaway or a dead bird etc.

And I like this video for ”drop”

 

[Stephhoney]

There is a difference between leave (don't pick it up) and drop (let go if you have already picked it up).

Of course you can use any word you want, but use two different ones.

You might find this helpful to train ”leave”, very useful when your dog comes across a discarded takeaway or a dead bird etc.

And I like this video for ”drop”

Thank you very much x