Teaching your dog to play football is a lot easier than it looks and can be taught using a few different methods, on a whole though it is either taught through using a lure or by targetting and also with a clicker. Clicker training really is a must for this one and makes it a lot easier.
Luring really means you use food to get your dog to achieve the goal.
Targetting, in a nutshell, means the dog learns that touching another object will earn his reward.
Luring can be done by placing a treat under the ball while your dog is watching you (and make sure it is a large but not too heavy ball) and when your dog noses the ball to move it, click the clicker (the dog must be pre-trained to know what the clicker means) the dog will then know that he has been rewarded for nosing the ball. Eventually you'll take the treat away and click when he moves the ball but give him the treat out of your hand, then you will only click after he's moved the ball a short distance in the direction you want, and just keep building up.
Targetting is a little more compecated and if your dog hasn't done targetting before may require the above method to start with, although if your dog knows what the clicker is and is a willing learner he may be ok. Stand next to the ball with your dog and just wait for him to make any sort of movement towards the ball, when he does, click and give him a treat, then only click when he actually touches the ball, then when he moves the ball, and then when he moves it in the direction he wants.
Goals in their own right are a target and eventually if you use goals you can start in front of the goals and click when your dog pushes the ball in them, then slowly move further back. Neelix at the moment is taught to dribble the ball to me so I stand behind the goals, but we are working on teaching him that the goals are where he needs to aim for. It is a coplecated process for a dog so it will take time. He has all on remembering he has to move the ball never mind in a certain direction.
Paul's Performing Pooches |
Teaching Footy.
Touching The Ball
Scoring Goals
Once you have your dog going for the ball like in the pictures on the left, you can then introduce the goal, as in the pictures on the right. Although we're at the stage where we sometimes train all ours together train, if you are just starting it would be best not to try this.
Start close to the goals and work away, slowly, and put a command to it once your dog is doing it. I personally use a different command for him bringing the ball towards the goals than I do for him actually putting the ball in the back of them. I use the command "dribble" for him coming towards me with the ball, then when he's near the goals I say "score".
Start close to the goals and work away, slowly, and put a command to it once your dog is doing it. I personally use a different command for him bringing the ball towards the goals than I do for him actually putting the ball in the back of them. I use the command "dribble" for him coming towards me with the ball, then when he's near the goals I say "score".
Try It With More Dogz
