G'day Dolores, Those are good points. My dog Katie came running back to me all excited, with what I thought was a ball in her mouth. But it turned out to be an apple from someone's picnic basket. I stood there, not sure what to do. Take the apple back to the people, her teeth mark in it; throw the apple away; or let her have it now that the deed was done. I let her eat it, feeling that it was not really the best thing to do! Cheers, Gisele gisele@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: Dolores Arste To: vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 12:30 PM Subject: (VICT) Re: Retrieve Good day clicker trainers. I've recently joined this list and have been quietly lurking. I'm a clicker trainer of horses. And, dogs sometimes. I'm an equine student of Alexandra Kurland. And, a friend of Panda and Ann. Notice who I put first in that sentence. <smiles> I joined this list because I've been asked to train a mini-horse as a guide. I've been thrilled at your conversations as I learn how you all handle the various scenarios around having a guide and your continued training is an inspiration. On the subject of the retrieve but not my "stuff", I would recommend an exchange program. What you want, I think, is for the dog to retrieve things that you want him to retrieve and leave other stuff along. And, some of them are not doing the latter. What you want to do is to break this down. Let him retrieve anything as long as he brings it to you. You then exchange it for something. His favorite toy perhaps. What this does is make the dog feel like retrieving is ok. So, say if he brings you your underwear. You'd exchange that for a toy. If he brings you his toy, you'd exchange that for a treat. So, things that you don't want to have him retrieve, get lower value rewards. Things that you do want retrieved get higher value rewards. And, you can even give higher value food rewards for retrieves of special stuff. A piece of kibble for bringing the toy. A piece of hotdog for finding your house keys. A toy for your shoes. I hope this helps. Warmly, Dolores www.zenhorsemanship.com http://theeyesofmona.blogspot.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.7.4/1695 - Release Date: 9/27/2008 1:11 PM