Why do they continually bat toys under furniture??????

[deonk1]

Ok let me first start by saying, we all know I love Harley, and I love working at home with him...

But he is really starting to frustrate me. It used to just be with balls, he'd be playing with them next to the couch and bat them under the couch and then cry for hours until we'd get it out. He'd even remember right where it was under the couch if we put him to bed and let him out the next day.

Well now he's doing it with all the other toys. I've got this rubbermaid drawer thing under the table we use as a desk in our room, and he's constantly wacking stuff under there, then he gets his head under it and scratches and cries. I'm scared he's gonna hurt himself so I dig the toy out.

How can I break this. I don't wanna kick him out of the room, I like having him here when I work from home, but it's distracting and not good behavior. I know he's doing it for attention, and I've tried ignoring him, but he'll litterally dig at it for days on end every time he's in the room. He is too fixated on his toys.

[Quiverful]

I have an Australian Cattle Dog that did that. She was creating her own little game....LOL We finally stopped playing. Gave her a firm No!, removed the toy and put it away. She didn't get it back for a while. It didn't take her long to realize the game was no longer fun

Good luck!

[deonk1]

I just tried digging the toy out and putting it in my pocket. He jumped on my lap and took it out. *face palm*

You would think as an agility handler and someone who wants to be a dog trainer some day, I'd be able to figure this one out. But no matter what I do, he seems to be winning, and I KNOW he's training me.

I'm attempting the ignore it, once again. but now he's frantically stractching at the thing and moping. I have a feeling we're going through the terrible "I'm too smart for you mom" twos....

[Quiverful]

Put it in a basket on top of the fridge...LOL With 5 human kids and many birds and 4 legged kids, I have learned it can be tough to stay a step ahead! LOL

[LunasMomma]

Maybe you could put something under there so that nothing can go there? Like an old blanket or towels or something?

I can see how that would get old QUICK

[beecee]

My dog ChiChi does this when I'm not paying attention to his requests to play ball. He knows if he cries and sticks his head under the couch that I will eventually give in and get it for him even when I tell him "No way, you lost it too bad"....he just looks at me like..."Ha, you'll get it and you'll get it now *puppy eyes*" and I get it.

Now that I have Jimmy, he fits right under the couch and gets the ball for ChiChi, it's kind of amusing!

[yorkieusa]

Why? To watch you dig it out and, I suppose, to create fun playtime with the pack.

[vhgirl68]

That's what we did, we stuffed blankets or pillows under the furniture he would do this to......and we also would take it out if he did manage to get in under there and say NO and take it away from him. Now, if he goes near the shelf or chair, we just say NO......and most times he will run the other way. It's just their little game but it can be annoying.

[backwardsrain]

Mine does that all the time if he can, so I don't let him have toys that can fit under the furniture unless I am supervising him or we are in a place without furniture. There are plenty of balls, toys, etc. that are too big to fit under the furniture but are still small enough for him to play with.

One time he knocked a toy under the couch. I went to lift the couch so he could get it out. Problem was, he stayed under the couch playing with the toy and wouldn't leave! And the couch was too heavy for me to hold up, so I was screaming for someone to come help me before I dropped the couch on him! That was pretty scary. Now I just use a coat hanger to get it out.

[chattiesmom]

Kendra, you don't know how lucky you are! Harley is one of those super-intelligent Yorkies that has taught you tricks. He is perfecting your fetching skills, or is that hide and seek skills?

Our Chizzie does the same thing. At first we thought that she was just "losing" them under the couch so I bought her a larger ball. When she started stuffing it behind the huge entertainment center and/or under the bedroom dresser I got rid of balls altogether. Then, like your Harley, Chizzie started stuffing her plush toys behind and under anything she could. She would drop the toy in front of what ever and use her nose to push it under or behind and keep working with her nose and feed until she couldn't reach it. She has a special "oof" that starts as a whisper and gets louder until she is a screaming "oof'in manaic until someone retrieves the lost item and then the training session continues with another human retrieval.

[Quiverful]

"Look what I can make that big human do!" LOLOL

[chattiesmom]

Originally Posted by deonk1

I just tried digging the toy out and putting it in my pocket. He jumped on my lap and took it out. *face palm*

You would think as an agility handler and someone who wants to be a dog trainer some day, I'd be able to figure this one out. But no matter what I do, he seems to be winning, and I KNOW he's training me.

I'm attempting the ignore it, once again. but now he's frantically stractching at the thing and moping. I have a feeling we're going through the terrible "I'm too smart for you mom" twos....

You are smarter than you think - you have it figured out and unless you find another way to keep Harley busy, he will continue training you. Unfortunately, it isn't a matter of the terrible "I'm too smart for you mom" twos. Chizzie is 8 years old and has perfect her human training skills. You wouldn't believe how she manipulates any human in her presence.

The only suggestion I can give is to give Harley a job. Exercise him A LOT 'cause if he's like Chizzie he's like the energizer bunny. Try several short training sessions teaching him "thinking skills". We taught our Boo the Boxer how to play the shell game. Using three small baskets I would ler her watch me hide the treat under one basket, and then shuffle them around. She had to sit in front of the baskets and put her foot on the one she thought had the treat - and she only got the treat if she was right. BUT we repeated the game several times in a session to be sure that she got enough treats to stay excited about the game.

That's just one example of really neat things you can teach him. The more you keep Harley busy the less you'll have to be the retriever.

[Namor]

Oh he sure is training you. Deuce would nose a ball and watch it roll under the furniture then try to dig it out and of course cry until someone got it for him. We got him an indoor knitted ball that's too large to roll under the furniture. Tennis balls are for outside play only. He also has some toys that keep him busy where I can hide treats or squeak toys in.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by chattiesmom

It's called Training my Human to Retrieve Kendra, you don't know how lucky you are! Harley is one of those super-intelligent Yorkies that has taught you tricks. He is perfecting your fetching skills, or is that hide and seek skills?.

That's what it is alright! I think they all try it! Don't know why I say "try" -- I need to admit it, my yorkies have trained me pretty well! I have threatened to ensure the next set of living room furniture goes to the floor all the way around so nothing can roll underneath! But what fun would that be? This is how my yorkies keep me in shape. As long as I can still bend and fetch, they figure I am getting my exercise and staying limber.

[jadabug]

You all have described Bogie to a "T". I spend more time in the floor digging his ball out from under furniture than we spend fetching. He also has several hiding places around the house. He used to go stand where he had hidden his ball and whine. Well now he will hide his ball when I am not paying attention and go to one of his hiding spots and whine and the ball isn't there, he has hidden it somewhere else. I will spend literally 10 minutes hunting for it and find it in another room.(where he beats me to it and grabs it and runs) I swear he is just way to smart.