Finnish Lapphund - thanks!!!

[CorvusCorax]

A while ago you were talking about a 'brain training' game for another poster, where you had to get the dog to pass trees in the wood on the same side as you.

I have been doing it over the past few weeks and we have got to the stage where he can go in front and I give him voice or hand signals to tell him which two trees I want him to pass between.

Thanks for suggesting it, it is a really great game and it makes him think.

Now, if you have any games which encourage him not to want to kill the cats and to make him put his willy away, I'm all ears!!!

 

[Benjamin]

I can honestly say that FL is a truely valuble member of HHO!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Oh, it's always so nice to hear that something that works for me, works for somebody else!
Now I have to brush my teeth so they look good when I smile all evening

But I'm so sorry, but my knowledge about male dogs willys isn't that big.


About the cats, are we're talking about you having cats that your dog wants to kill?

Have you taught him a trigger? Such as if you hold your hand a special way, or if you have one of those red laser pointers, the dog must touch your hand or the red dot with his nose to get a treat?
Then when you now the cats are sleeping (not running and tempting his hunting instinct), you point on one cat and say the cats name, and if he really wants the treat he can't touch the cat with anything but his nose. That way he might start to relate to the cats on a different way. Or at least he wont want to kill them any more, just touch them with his nose.

If it's running cats he can't resist, have you tried tying a rag to a line? You place the rag near where you intend to walk, drag the line around a tree and away to something hopefully big enough to hide f. ex. an OH or friend (

AKA as a subsidiary character or assistant) behind it, leave the rag-free end of the line with them.
When you "unsuspectingly" comes walking, your assistant pulls the line, cat (AKA rag) runs away over the ground, and you can train your dog not to run after "cats".


from Sweden.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yes, OUR cats unfortunately, not a big fan but we're out in the wilds, one caught a massive rat last week, so they do have their uses!

The rag on a line is a great idea, he is not a house dog, he only ever sees them running away from him and he has a very strong prey drive (he managed to hand retrieve a seagull on his first day with us...) so will try that!

Thanks again!