Has she killed a bunny?!?

In my continuing quest to motivate Ziggy, I might have done a little online shopping....

Ok, so I may have gone a little crazy with the furry toys – but I’m trying to get Ziggy to play more, and the time he’s most enthusiastic is when he’s chasing squirrels, so I went shopping for (lots of) furry toys.  Here’s the breakdown:

 Furry Squeaker

This was donated by our German Shepherd friend Chance.  It’s too little for her, and Ziggy LOVES it.  It’s a bit small for him, too, so play is closely supervised.  I carry it around in my pocket – or under my arm – when I’m training, and periodically throw it for Z if he’s focusing really well.  Mom drops furry things – how fun is that?!

Furry Bag

This has a Velcro top, and contains low-cal dog treats or dry kibble.  I’m trying to teach Ziggy to pick up the bag and bring it to me – then I’ll open the bag and let him snack on the treats inside.  He now understands that he’s supposed to put it in his mouth, but the retrieve & hold part is still a bit lost on him.

 I’m doing this because I want him to learn to drive to an inanimate object.  This will help with our jump training by allowing him to focus on the jumps (running towards the bag lying on the ground) and not my position.  To give credit where credit is due, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Susan Salo’s jumping video. 

It will also enable me to keep things interesting by throwing something “exciting” that he really, really wants.  With Maggie, I shove this in my pocket and occasionally throw it when she’s going over the broad jump.  This really increases her drive over the jump -- flying furry thing full of treats – yippee!!  So far with Z, I’ll throw it as he’s coming out of the tunnel, etc. to help him drive.

Furry Tug, flat fox toy & bright fleece tug

Right now these are a bit of a “bust.”  Ziggy’s not so interested.  Well, you win some, you lose some.  And who knows, maybe one day he’ll want to tug…

Any suggestions on other “can’t resist” training toys?