The Treat Toss

I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately.  There's been a lot going on, which I should probably be blogging about, but... well, sorry.  I'll try to do better.

Today Isaac and I were playing the Treat Toss game. 

First let me explain that I've been working with Isaac on "stay" even when there is something he really wants to get to/sniff/eat/whatever.  He has to stay until he is released.  We've been working on that with treats, starting with some he likes but not his favorites, and then advancing to his favorite food in the whole entire world, hotdogs.  I tell him to sit or lie down, then tell him to stay, then put a treat just out of reach.  He has to wait until I say "OK" to get the treat.  When we play that game, he is allowed one mistake.  If he eats the treat once without being told "OK," we continue playing.  If he does it a second time, the game is over.  Isaac loves the game, because it involves getting lots of delicious treats (even if he does have to wait a short time for them), and he's gotten very good at it.  Buckets of drool pour out of his mouth while he waits to be given the OK to get the treat, but he waits.

We've tried to advance to the Treat Toss game a couple times but he couldn't do it.  It involves telling him to sit, telling him to stay, and then tossing a treat right past his nose.  He can't go after the treat until I say "OK."  Apparently tossing the treat is more tempting than just placing it in front of  him.

Well, today he was able to do it.  He didn't take him eyes off the treat and he drooled and drooled and he was absolutely quivering with excitement and effort - but he waiting until I said OK to run to get the treat.  Once time he started to go after it, then caught himself and sat back down, which really impressed me.  To make the game especially rewarding, I've been giving multiple treats when he waits until I say OK.  He gets the treat I tossed, but he gets a couple extras, too.

We haven't tried the Treat Toss game with hotdogs yet.  I'll wait until he's really good at doing it with dog biscuits first.  But I'm really proud of how well he's doing.