Winnie

  • Winnie
    Participant

    I have a different question about playing fetch (I hope it is ok to add to this post). Does anyone have any ideas on how to teach a dog to track a thrown ball or frisbee? Winnie is good at retrieval & fetch when she is able to follow the path of the object I throw. For instance, if we visit a baseball diamond & I roll the ball across the infield, she’ll run after the ball & bring it back perfectly. However, if I throw the ball through the air instead of rolling it, she’ll have no idea where the ball went. I don’t know if it has something to do with eyesight (she’s also terrible at catching things I throw to her) or not paying attention or just never being able to pick up the path of the projectile. Any ideas?

    Thanks.

    Winnie
    Participant

    Winnie used to be absolutely terrible about picking up any piece of poop she came across (horse, rabbit, goose, dog). She doesn’t do it as much now, but she still has a tough time resisting goose poop and snacking at the buffet (what I call my parents’ backyard when all of my siblings’ dogs visit at the same time). I’m not sure if the slight improvement is due to finding a better food for her (it took a couple months & a few varieties before finding something that worked) or if it is because I’ve been diligent about not letting her actually eat what she picks up in her mouth during walks or runs (I squeeze the corners of her mouth & shake out anything she picks up…even bring along a pair of medical gloves in my pack to fish out pieces that don’t want to fall out on their own). I do think there is some truth to the idea that some dogs are just more inclined to do it than others: my brother has 2 non-weim mixes on the same diet…1 is a poop eater & the other is not.

    Winnie does the same with mud puddles too. I have a water bottle that I  bring on runs for her. I’ll stop to let her drink from it, and she’ll refuse. Two minutes later, we’ll come across a mud puddle & she’ll try to drink from it…go figure!? If it’s collected from recent rain water, it’s probably fairly safe organism-wise (though sediment can still cause some GI distress)…nevertheless, I try to keep her from drinking it. Non-moving, long-standing water is obviously at a much greater risk of contamination.

    The only real tip I have is avoidance…try to see the temptation coming & attempt to stay away from it. Otherwise, I’m just letting you know that you’re not alone!

    Winnie
    Participant

    He might have some Weim in him. Whatever his makeup, that puppy is 100% adorable!

    Winnie
    Participant

    A snow covered bum enjoying winter in Michigan…

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    Winnie
    Participant

    I love look to the camera at the beginning…”Can I play with this thing?!”

    Winnie
    Participant

    Thanks for the replies.

    There are only two little spots left that you can even really see anymore, so it was no big deal. We’re out trail running and/or hiking nearly everyday & haven’t had a problem except for that outing, so hopefully it was an isolated incident & not a sign of things to come now that the insects have come out of their hibernation here in Michigan.

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