TRIXIE Dog Activity Ball and Treat Strategy Game Instructions

TRIXIE Dog Activity Ball and Treat Strategy Game

General information

1. This game is a joint activity for dog and handler. Do not let your dog play unsupervised.
2. Place the game where your dog can run around it freely to find his optimal position to play.
3. Choose a quiet atmosphere for the training and only train with one dog at a time.
4. Start the training 1 ½ hours after feeding at the earliest. You can also use the normal dry feed instead of treats as an alternative.
5. It is important for your dog to experience success fairly quickly at the start, for he needs to connect something positive with the game to stay motivated. When starting the training, you can praise and reward your dog even for trying. Once your dog has understood that this is a “feeding game”, he will have fun figuring it out.
6. To get your dog interested in the game, fill it with treats in his presence in the beginning. To increase the level of difficulty, you can do this in his absence later.
7. Always begin the game with a start signal (e.g. “Play”) and, after your dog has found all the treats, end it with a break-off signal (e.g. “end”). After your dog has obeyed the break-off signal, reward him with a final treat so that there is always a quiet and positive end to the game.
8. In case your dog does not achieve a subgoal after several tries, help him or repeat a task he knows well and train in smaller steps. Try to motivate him with praise and stroking. There should never be scolding or punishment.
9. Train in short units (max. 10 minutes) and with small goals. Repeated training over the day creates a lot of small successes and prevents excessive demand on your dog.
   Important notice: With this game, there is no “right” or “wrong”. Each dog is an individual and will find his own ways to success. Leave it to your dog to decide if he wants to use his snout or his paws, if he wants to pull the elements towards him or push them away and in which sequence he wants to play the game. These instructions are only a suggestion how to train in an easy and sensible way to succeed with your dog.
   Always consider the following: Do not allow your dog to carry the game away or destroy it (this often is a sign of frustration and/or excessive demand).
   Have lots of fun and success with your dog.

Training

Please carry out all tasks one after the other. Only raise the level of difficulty when your dog can do the last task without problems and he is still attentive to the game. Praise your dog after each successful action.

The training can begin

• Initially, train the dog to retrieve a ball in exchange for a treat from your hand. When this works well, include the Ball & Treat in the training. When your dog has retrieved the ball, place the treats near the treat output. Fill the Ball & Treat reservoir. Show your dog that the ball is to be placed on the entry. Reward your dog every time, already this learning process is a joint training and challenges the dog.
• Once the dog has no problems placing the ball on the Ball & Treat, accept the ball only when it is placed on the Ball & Treat, but continue to reward by hand. When this has also been learned, drop the ball into the entry the moment your dog puts the ball in your hand. The dog then takes the treats that fall out of the Ball & Treat. Reduce this bit by bit and encourage the dog to put the ball into the Ball & Treat herself.
• To increase the level of difficulty, combine the game with impulse control and/or obedience exercises (e.g. sit, down, stay).
• Supervise your pet while playing.

ABOUT COMPANY

• TRIXIE Heimtierbedarf
• lndustriestr. 32
• 24963 Tarp
• GERMANY
• www.trixie.de
• TRIXIE UK Pet Products Ltd., Unit 7, Deer Park Road, Moulton Park, Northampton NN3 6RZ

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