# Training for "take it"



## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Minnie, for all of her Great Dane slowness and stubbornness, is a surprisingly smart girl and very food motivated, thus very willing to learn. We have mastered a variety of tricks in a fairly short amount of time -- which people are always stunned by since Danes seem to have the reputation of "slow and stupid" (ex: a woman said to me, "I didn't know Great Danes could sit!"  ).

Anyway, I want to train "take it" so we'll eventually be able to incorporate that into our routine (we do doggy freestyle...poorly :wink: ). I use the clicker and she has gotten the concept of putting it in her mouth, but of course she drops it immediately to get the treat. In the beginning I was fine with this because I just wanted to reinforce her having something in her mouth (she is not a very mouthy or toy motivated dog). Now I'm trying to be more selective with my clicks but she just will NOT hold it longer than a second max. When I hold out on the clicks, I can clearly see she gets very frustrated. I know this is what's needed but she just has no clue what I want. I know that when she does get it, to give her the "jackpot" of treats....but she can't grasp it at all.

I'm afraid that if I give her something that smells yummy to hold she might try to eat it, but her regular ol' stuffie ain't cuttin' it either...

Tips??


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I have always taught drop it with treats after I see they have something in their mouth. I watch to see when they have a toy in their mouth, I say "drop it" as they come into sniff what I have and reinforce by giving the treat when they drop it. 

You can also teach drop it with the game of tug. Dogs naturally go for a tug toy, when they approach say "get it" then play for a while. If/when they drop it say "drop it" and reinforce by going back at the game.


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> I have always taught drop it with treats after I see they have something in their mouth. I watch to see when they have a toy in their mouth, I say "drop it" as they come into sniff what I have and reinforce by giving the treat when they drop it.
> 
> You can also teach drop it with the game of tug. Dogs naturally go for a tug toy, when they approach say "get it" then play for a while. If/when they drop it say "drop it" and reinforce by going back at the game.


Right, but I want to train her to TAKE something. I don't think she was exposed to toys much as a pup, so they are totally foreign to her... and she has only recently started picking them up and playing with them generally from my own coaxing. She is a strange pup. Anyway, we have never really had to work on 'drop it' as she almost always does without a fight. If she so much as sees me going for something, she practically hands it off! :wink: But with that said, the fact that she's not really willing to hold things in her mouth out of her own volition, makes it a bit harder to train her to do so.

I'd eventually like this to translate into cute stuff we could add into a routine -- take a kleenex, take a ball, etc. She is just not a mouthy dog at all.... so "drop it" would be very easy to train. It's just keeping it in there that's the bugger!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

NOt sure if this will help, but I first taught my dog "hold" by putting treats on his paws while he was laying down or on his nose while sitting up, and using "take it" to release him to get the treat. Then the "take it" translated to other things, but I haven't taught him to keep stuff in his mouth. So I'm not sure how that would work with toys.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Ha! I got it switched around! 

I would use the tug method, without treats. The moment she takes it in her mouth reinforce her with a fun game of tug!


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

xellil said:


> NOt sure if this will help, but I first taught my dog "hold" by putting treats on his paws while he was laying down or on his nose while sitting up, and using "take it" to release him to get the treat. Then the "take it" translated to other things, but I haven't taught him to keep stuff in his mouth. So I'm not sure how that would work with toys.


Yeah, I had originally read from Ian Dunbar that you can tell them "take it" when they take treats...which is a good point because then it becomes very natural for them to reach out and grab things with that cue. I just don't want her to try to eat it.  Maybe I will try to differentiate between "take it" and "hold" .....maybe when we are playing tug (very rare that I can entice her into doing this) I can click and treat for a "hold"....


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Ha! I got it switched around!
> 
> I would use the tug method, without treats. The moment she takes it in her mouth reinforce her with a fun game of tug!


Haha I posted just as you did... same wave length I think! That's a good idea... just getting her to tug is difficult. She must have been pretty deprived as a puppy because most toys she just stares at! Well, actually, her favorite "toy" is newspaper....which she loves shredding -- but I don't think I could teach "hold" with that.... she launches into destruction mode the second she sees it. :wink:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

This is actually a really good topic, because none of my dogs do tug or actually like to hold things in their mouths at all. Rocky will come the closest and that is only with certain stuffed toys that he will shake around once or twice and then drop. Shade REFUSES to put anything in his mouth. He's like Minnie, I don't think he ever had toys as a baby.

The treat idea sounds good.....maybe substitute 'take it' for the word 'cookie' or whatever it is you use when you offer a treat. Keep us updated on what you are trying and what seems to work. I'm always curious on what everyone is teaching their dogs. I've really got to start working with my boys some more. You all make me feel like a lazy momma! hwell:


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

chowder said:


> This is actually a really good topic, because none of my dogs do tug or actually like to hold things in their mouths at all. Rocky will come the closest and that is only with certain stuffed toys that he will shake around once or twice and then drop. Shade REFUSES to put anything in his mouth. He's like Minnie, I don't think he ever had toys as a baby.
> 
> The treat idea sounds good.....maybe substitute 'take it' for the word 'cookie' or whatever it is you use when you offer a treat. Keep us updated on what you are trying and what seems to work. I'm always curious on what everyone is teaching their dogs. I've really got to start working with my boys some more. You all make me feel like a lazy momma! hwell:


I have a feeling chows may think they are above all the parlor tricks


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