Home Economics

I regularly find myself watercoloring, or emailing and feel a bump on my leg. I glance down and the usual words are: "That's not legal tender, that's a dog toy, humans don't want that. And besides, you aren't holding it right, so you wouldn't get anything anyway" It is Brick standing there with a chew hoof in his mouth, hanging on by the edge. 2 minutes later, there's a "click, click, click" and there's Pow, as in the above photo. He's doing it right - he's found a quarter or other change on the floor and is turning it in for something he wants. He clicks it in his mouth then sticks it out and holds it like this, to get my attention. If I'm really absorbed, he'll take it and stick it to my leg, carefully adhering it with spit then pressing with his nose, and he goes looking for more change. He's been doing this trick for a long time. After the stroke his recognition of different coins went a bit wacky, but he does still tend to bring the best first ( quarters, then dimes, then nickels, then pennies).

Brick still is working on his concept of what to bring. Socks are legal tender, especially in winter, so I'll take a sock if he comes, sits and holds the sock until I take it from him. He can't just thrust it at me or toss it on the couch next to me. Containers are also acceptable, other clothing is fine, shoes are fine, paper is fine, pencils, pens and office products are fine. Working dog articles are fine - yesterday I hear this thunking sound and look down ( been ignoring it for several minutes) and there's Brick at my feet, sitting nicely and trying to hold the huge retrieving dumbell and get my attention without dropping it. He was tapping it on the table to get my attention.

Funny thing is - they've generalized this behavior pretty well. They pick up all kinds of things of all kinds of material. They'll hold something given to them and get sent to another person to deliver the item. And they've both come up with the idea of trying to buy hot girls. Both boys have either brought me items and then walked over to the crate containing a bitch in heat, or in Brick's case, just brought the item to the girl in a top crate in an attempt to get her to let down her hair and open the crate for him. That's a really interesting use of the concept to me, because they don't really get trained to trade objects for things other than food - so the trading for girls thing they both came up with on their own.

So it is much better to work on an avid retrieve with rules rather than keep telling the dog no for picking up everything - you could be working on something useful!