Train Your Dog to Retrieve Items By Name (Item Discrimination for Service Dogs)

[@DoggyU]

What item do you wish your dog would retrieve? 🦮 Service Dog 101 Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/service-... 👉🏽 Sign Up For my FREE Dog Training Foundations Mini-Course: www.doggyu.com/ 🎉 JOIN the DOGGY•U Community! (150+ Exclusive Training Videos!) patreon.com/doggyu

[@AdventuresOfSpeckles]

The remote would be nice

[@DoggyU]

​@@AdventuresOfSpeckles Definitely a good one to know!

[@Smokeybluetheraccoon]

Thank you for making this! I've used this as a brain puzzle for my companion dog, and it's so adorable watching him problem solve!

[@DoggyU]

Love that!!

[@Emily-hc9xh]

'Thank you so much for this! I love your videos!' I am making so much progress training my dog to be a therapy dog!

[@DoggyU]

I'm so glad!

[@Jessmeee808]

Thank you so much for this info. I always forget slow is fast, okay I'll take a step back and set my dog up for success and build from there! Thanks for the reminder and steps!

[@DoggyU]

No problem Jess! Slow is always fast, and it also really helps the learner to feel like they're "getting it right" during training!

[@EpsilonAD]

Thank you. Eps has a few different objects to seek, bring, give and a find the phone and sit till I get there. It is a bit heavy for my tiny dog to carry. Your clip about differentiating different objects will come in handy. Thank you and Patrion supporters for making this content and sharing it. 💞🐾

[@Offishal_Lifestyle]

this is so impressive! Can't wait to get on the patreon! just gotta get done with this trip and get my pup out of board and train! then Im on it. Ive also ordered some of your amazon items you sent me!

[@DoggyU]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

[@afronabdo3774]

Thank you for being so very descriptive of what was going on in the video. As a blind viewer, I am very appreciative when content creators do this. I am going to save this video, because I absolutely love the retrieve command. I do have a question about a dog picking up cell phones though. Isn’t that a safety issue?

[@DoggyU]

I'm so glad it was helpful! I try my best to be descriptive so that they're accessible to everyone. Happy Training!

[@afronabdo3774]

@@DoggyU thank you. I made an edit to my comment since your reply. The cellphone. Isn’t it a safety risk for the dog to pick up some thing like that with his/her mouth?

[@DoggyU]

@@afronabdo3774 to the dog, or risk that they will break it? My dogs have soft mouths so it isn't a risk for my personal dogs, but you'd have to know your dog. But, if you are worried about it, I recommend a more substantial phone case or wallet, or a lanyard or grab tab attached to the phone case that's easy for them to grab.

[@afronabdo3774]

@@DoggyU well, they’ll be putting their mouths on the screen either way. That is where the concerns lie for me. Their teeth could hurt the screen, and then what happens when their teeth get in the screen. I guess a lanyard situation would be safer.

[@DoggyU]

@@afronabdo3774 yeah - like I said - my dogs are super gentle, but definitely a risk for some dogs. You can also get the cases that have basically a little circular ring on the back that's made for you to hold, but have them pick it up by that.

[@bouncertheboxerdog7478]

fantastic video -- Thank You

[@DoggyU]

Thank you!

[@cchambersglenn]

This is wonderful. The tips are very helpful. I have a service dog and will work on this tomorrow.😊

[@DoggyU]

Awesome! So glad it was helpful!

[@adventurousdoglover]

What tasks do you typically train for mobility when the dog is on the smaller side? Mostly retrieval work? Great video! 😄

[@DoggyU]

Every disability is different so it really depends what your needs are. Small dogs are definitely more limited in what they can physically do, so retrieval work, closing doors, turning on/off lights (with modified switches) might be a few things that could be helpful depending on your disability.

[@ericsullivan145]

Thank you. Big help.

[@DoggyU]

Thanks Eric!!

[@variamoon4172]

Ok I figured out what I did wrong, I took her too many steps to fast. Thank you!!!!

[@DoggyU]

Any time you run into an issue, it's usually solved by splitting it down smaller for the dog. You got this!

[@camillakruitbosch4016]

I just have a couple questions I've been having issues was training my service dog to be a Hearing aid Service type dog I bought him as a puppy at 10 months old and he is now about to be 3 years old in 2024 in March I would like him to help me and assist me like I said with my hearing and to assist me with picking up items due to my chronic fatigue he is wild and love to ran around everywhere and will not give eye contact I believe he has ADHD 😅 he shows all the classic symptoms of a dog even though he's a German shepherd he is the dog version hyper on endless energy I was told by giving him a jobs that this will help but he will not even stop pulling me or barking will not sit or stay or down for more then 1 minutes

[@FenrirAldebrand]

Bold of you to assume my pup would bring it back 😂😂. Definitely have to work on the whole actually coming *to* me and not "top gun" passing juuuust by me. Though I did find out that with bite inhibition training the day i brought him home, I ended up teaching my Belgian Malinois pup to have a soft mouth! He will catch a snowball in his mouth without crushing it.

[@biscuitbuilder27]

Your doggy said "oh you wanna call for help? Gotta be quicker than that" Meanwhile you're entirely immobile 😂

[@earth2wendy]

Laura, the item choice error around 8:15-it looked like you still “paid” with a reinforcement, even tho the choice was incorrect. Did I see that right? You just made a mental note of the error, and made the next rep easier. If it had happened repeatedly, you’d have gone back a step. I’d have (erroneously?) not rewarded that rep, and kept training. If it happened again in short succession, I’d back up a step for a few reps, then try again. So in this demo, where you ignore the error and still reward the effort then continue training, making the next rep or two easier-it’s a little bit of a different approach. And I really want to understand it. So your approach is to reward Whip for working hard and just make a quick adjustment in difficulty level, rather than withhold a reinforcer?

[@DoggyU]

Hey Wendy! So, I don't have strong feelings either way on this. However, you'll notice if you turn the volume wayyyy up, I don't actually mark this with a "yes" but instead choose to give her a "find it" cue as I throw the treat because I need time to do a reset. So I'm not actually marking it correct, but instead, just throwing a reset. Is this functionally any different? Maybe not. But, if you have a dog that is more sensitive to failure, rewarding for effort, perhaps with a lower value reinforcer wouldn't be a bad idea either. Because this isn't a pattern, I don't think either option would be incorrect (or honestly make too much of a difference in the training pattern).

[@earth2wendy]

@@DoggyU I love this approach of “no big deal,” as you put it. I was thinking “reset” too. You need one after all. And of course using what works for a particular dog is best. I think this will be helpful with Trip. Thank you so much for taking time to think about and share your perspective on this with me here, where others may benefit too. ♥️

[@mysticalhaunts9221]

Zorya my Service Dog hates doing Retrieval work but sometimes I cant get up to get my meds due to medical episodes how do you suggest i train her to do that?

[@DoggyU]

As always, make sure that the resistance isn't health related - ie. no broken teeth, pain etc. The amount of dogs with broken teeth causing them pain is more than you'd think which can make them reluctant to retrieve. Assuming there is no issue there, retrieve is a complicated behavior. If you're struggling or need to retrain it, check out the retrieve series I mention in the video. You can watch the first 50 minute session absolutely free as a free member of Patreon. You can find it at Patreon.com/DOGGYU

[@kavitadeva]

Hi Laura I figured you were sick of me not being able to navigate your site. Just now you said follow the link in the description below. I did and what came up was a $149 Service Dog 101. Nothing regarding the fetch items. Laura why does this seem to be a pattern? RE: Not finding the over 150 videos of training for a minimal monthly fee. I still am so frustrated. Also what can be done when I tell my pup go get my glasses. He does but he will chew and break the lense out. I was wondering how to get him to have a softer Hold. I don't know if I ever told you that I went to Atlas service dog training, and spoke to Molly who told me she was the owner of Atlas. Well, Laura, it was the worst experience. She gave me a trainer that graduated from her course and the guy would literally make an appointment. It would be 2 and a 1/2 hours away from where I lived and he would not show up. He just didn't even bother to text to me Nor call me until I don't know. Like 4 hours later when I turned around and went home. anyways He would call really many hours later and have some bizarre reason why he didn't show. It happened 3 times with this guy, I couldn't believe it. So I tried to contact Molly However, I was not ever able to reach her again. Do you know if she is still the owner of Atlas service dogs? Thanks

[@DoggyU]

Hi Kavita, I think you may have clicked on the wrong link, as there is a link for the Service Dog 101 course, but further down there's also a link to Patreon. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with a trainer. Molly is still the main contact at Atlas.

[@justinburgan]

Now how do I get my pup to put his toys away?! Love your videos!

[@DoggyU]

So for that I would train retrieve to hand but insert a drop cue with the box just under my hands, and then slowly move the box further and further away from me.

[@spacey.fromcanada]

thank you! also, how would you recommend training item retrieval in general? i have a dog who doesn’t like using his mouth and won’t get his leash even though he knows the command, or grab something i ask him to. how would you say i would train it?

[@DoggyU]

Retrieve is a complicated behavior. If you're struggling or need to retrain it, check out the retrieve series I mention in the video. You can watch the first 50 minute session absolutely free as a free member of Patreon. You can find it at Patreon.com/DOGGYU

[@spacey.fromcanada]

@@DoggyU thanks so much!

[@yiyi4334]

Very useful! 🎉🎉I’ve started to try it! Thank you very much!

[@DoggyU]

You're welcome! Remember that some dogs are slower to fully comprehend verbals, so take it nice and slow and get those reps in! :)

[@yiyi4334]

Thank you! Update: My dog has learned 3 new words/items since I watched your tutorial. Not a service dog tho, just for fun and mental stimulation.

[@DoggyU]

@@yiyi4334 Wahooo!!! That's such wonderful news! If you post videos, be sure to tag us on instagram @doggy.u so I can celebrate your progress with you. Keep up the awesome work!

[@catzcuztomcreationz4959]

How do you teach them the name?? Hes still a puppy and i think im doing something wrong.

[@DoggyU]

Some dogs take quite a long time to make the verbal connection. Having good mechanics are really important on your end. I have a whole deep dive over on Patreon just on mechanics that might be helpful, but it’s likely that if your dog is a puppy, they need lots of very short sessions. It can take weeks for some dogs, sometimes months. Some dogs catch on more quickly than others.

[@DoggyU]

Also make sure they understand and can retrieve very well first. Naming shouldn’t come until their retrieve is solid, reliable and generalized.

[@catzcuztomcreationz4959]

Okie dokie. I'll work harder on the retrieve aspect. I must be doing it backwards.

[@DoggyU]

@@catzcuztomcreationz4959 yep! Definitely retrieve first. If you name something but your dog doesn't know what to do with it, or doesn't have a fluent retrieve, they could easily get frustrated and start ignoring the names of the items or having negative associations with them because they're not sure how to execute what you're asking.

[@JMurphy-nf9kx]

I love your videos, im raining my PSD and used your video about deep pressure... success! Thanks... do you have something about socializing an adult [16mo] dog?

[@DoggyU]

I don't have anything specifically about socializing adult dogs, however, my newer video on the engage disengage game might be a good one to check out if you're having trouble with specific triggers like dogs, people, objects etc. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2aycoF9fJhnaLs

[@michaelgegoski3288]

Thanks for the info. I'm just now training my dog to retrieve, and your ideas will help me train her even better. Love your videos 😊

[@DoggyU]

Thanks so much Michael! Happy Training!

[@User-Jo_Onthego]

Very helpful ❤

[@DoggyU]

Thanks Joanne!

[@Jesswithponies]

How would you train them to take their toys to a toybox? Would it be similar to this or different?

[@DoggyU]

So for that I would train retrieve to hand but insert a drop cue with the box just under my hands, and then slowly move the box further and further away from me. Hope that helps!

[@Jesswithponies]

@@DoggyU thank you!

[@DoggyU]

@@Jesswithponies You're welcome! I'll add that to my (long) list of videos to make some day! :)