Quirky Behavior

Can anyone expalin this behavior. Inside Freckles will bring a tennis ball to you and lay it next to you to throw. He will do this over and over however outside he will never give you the ball but will bring it just out of reach then run off with it. :?:

 

Inside he knows he can't get too rombunctious. OUTside on the other hand, he wants to play CHASE ME!!!

Harley, my grandmothers mini Dashound will do the exact same thing. He'll bring it to you inside, but outside he runs after it, brings it just close enough to fool you into thinking you can get it, then he grabs it and hauls butt. then brings it back, to repeat the whole sequence again.

Usually when I'm over there, he'll pull that trick, and I'll tell him. "Harley, I'm not playing that game. NO ball" and he'll bring it back to me.

 

wylies does the exact same thing - I have taught her to drop, but she reverts a lot

honeybear

 

heehee. What a little bugger. Harley used to do that to. She just LOVES chase. I finally had to put my foot down, and I would just stand there and say "bring it here" until she finally figured out if she wants to play, she had to bring it to me.

For a while, you'd think I was the one that wanted to play fetch, and she was throwing the ball. :wink:

 

Hahaha, I've spent this past week *trying* to get Floob to leave it after he'd dropped it. He does the exact same thing you say, and it really peeves me off some days when I make the efort to bend and pick it up for him to whisk it away, little sod :lol:

Anyway, the ONLY way I've got around it is that I've taught him 'drop it', so when he finally does I say leave it and take a step toward it, then just stand there. He hovers for a second then backs up (and does the typical herding stance) for me to throw it. It's working 70% of the time asof now, so I'm hoping this time next week we'll have it. I feel really stupid just standing there looking at him, but if it works in the end who cares.

 

You know they are probably thinking in that little doggie heads of ours.....

Hey guys, watch this!!!! you know how they tease us....he he he....Then they all laugh at us!

 

Inside, he gives you the ball telling you he wants to play.Outside, he gets what he wants and now wants you to chase him around. thats a great way to convey his wants.

 

Annie does this too, especially when she's getting tired towards the end of a round of fetch... it's like they want you to throw the ball, but at the same time, can't bring themselves to give it up. Annie's gotten much better since I started ddoing the following:

DO NOT chase them down for the ball, or even reach to grab it until they're completely clear. If they take it and drop it a few feet up, turn your back and walk off a few paces, then turn back to them and ingore them. Most dogs that are in it for the chase will either nudge the ball up to your feet or pick it up and put it there once they figure out you are NOT playing the game their way anymore, then wait for them to back off it, and once they're clear, pick it up and throw it. With Annie, it took maybe 5 minutes of barking, whining, toting the ball back and forth in front of me, etc before she finally got so frustrated she grabbed it and brought it to my feet, at which point I praised and chucked it down the yard. Now she'll occasionally test me, and I only have to turn and walk off once most times before she gets her act together again and starts bringing it/giving it back nicely. You can do this if they do anything other than putting the ball where you want it, it doesn't work, so a dog that wants to make you make the ball go is going to keep trying until it figures out what makes you work.