Teeter Troubles

I’m having trouble with my dog liking the See-Saw . He will put to feet on it and push it down but won’t start from the end and go all the way . He was just tapping it with one foot now will but two feet on it . I want to give up on that . Thanks

Don’t give up, no matter what you do!

Your dog needs to build confidence on the teeter – most dogs can’t just start out with it rocking.  Try propping it up between two pause tables, stools, blocks – anything! So that it does not move at all.  Reward your dog for jumping on it, jumping off it, running on it, turning around on it, and anything else you can think of.  The point is to get them comfortable with working on a stable plank.

Use a buja board or a rocker board if you like, to get a head start on your motion work.  If you can’t do that, try working with motion as follows.

Then, shift one of the supports so the teeter ‘rocks’ just ever so slightly (1″-2″ maximum).  Put a piece of duct tape at one end of the teeter and spray cheese or smear peanut butter on it for your dog to lick, and make the drop a little bit bigger. This is called the ‘bang game’, where the dog learns the reward is at the end of the bang. I would give cookies as well as the peanut butter or cheese, and effusive praise.

Work in short sessions, and do not change the drop more than an inch or two each session. Eventually you will work your way to a big drop and can remove the supports completely.  Continue to make the see-saw a very rewarding obstacle, so that your dog won’t lose heart.