“I want to know what all my toys are called!”
Hmm, what about my monkey?
Learning my objects! And verbs come with it too sometimes.
Teaching a dog objects
When you want your dog to bring a ball or his tug of war toy, without going to get it yourself, this is really useful! Also, it keeps their brain active and stimulated.
We talk to our dog using simple terms, just a few words. We incorporate these phrases into our daily conversations when throwing a ball or his monkey. He eventually understands the phrases, such as “touch the ___" and “Bring me the ___”.
Phase 1: Touch the Object
Does your dog know to "touch"? If not, they should learn this first! It will be even easier to learn if they already touch the bell to go potty. Steps:
Have your dog sit in front of you
Hold the first thing you want your dog to learn in your hand (we used monkey, his favorite toy)
Say “touch the monkey!”
Reward when your dog touches the monkey, with its nose or paw
Put a few toys out, and say “touch the monkey"!”
Reward when your dog touches only the monkey - all other objects do not get a reward!
Introduce new objects slowly
Phase 2: Bring the Object
Your dog should be consistent with Phase 1, and also “fetch”. We will continue to use the monkey as an example.
Toss the monkey
Say “Bring me the monkey!” as it goes to fetch the object.
When your dog brings the monkey, reward and praise!
When your dog is beginning to understand you, be creative and add other phrases. Our current command for Brioche is “Find the treat” or “Find the monkey!”.