How do you let your dog know playtime is over?
Harley Kuhlman
2025-07-15 08:43:04
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: 15
When a dog is this cute, it’s hard to resist his attempts to get you to play – at least, until you’ve had to change your clothes twice before going to work, as he slimed your slacks or muddied your Manolo Blahnik’s with a dirt- and slobber-encrusted ball he wanted you to throw. But you must resist once you’ve given the “All done!” cue. I used her favorite toy – a tennis ball – to teach her that “All done!” meant there was absolutely no point in continuing to ask me to throw the ball. Give your “All done!” cue, and put the toy somewhere your dog can no longer see it – in a cupboard or in a backpack – and ignore any of your dog’s efforts to re-engage with the toy. Notify any other humans in the vicinity to also ignore your dog’s attempts to get them to play. You have to be very assertive with them. Alternatively, you can just leash your dog and move away from the most insistent dog lovers. Generalize your “All done!” cue by using it in other training situations and recreational activities, so that your dog will realize that the cue means the end of whatever he is doing when he hears it. Herding dog trainers commonly use “That’ll do” as a “off switch” cue – and the expression was popularized by the movie “Babe.” You can, of course, use whatever cue you want. But stick with it.
Serena Waelchi
2025-07-15 05:29:35
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: 17
I say That’s enough in a serious, mean voice. That’s enough is my signal to my dog that means I’m done throwing the ball, go lie down. When I say that’s enough there is no negotiation. When you decide to end the playing, calmly say done or that’s enough or whatever phrase you want to use. Once you’ve said your off switch phrase, you have to mean it, truly stop playing, and avoid talking to your dog, petting your dog and looking at your dog unless he lies down or sits beside you. If he does, praise him, if he keeps pestering you, firmly say No, that’s enough. Then, put the toy away if needed and turn away from your dog, walk away or leave the room.
Myrna Rogahn
2025-07-15 04:19:46
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: 8
When your dog is relaxed, start increasing the time they must be settled before you reward them. Gradually build up by a couple of seconds each time over multiple training sessions. If your dog becomes unsettled or gets up, ignore them and wait until they settle again before rewarding them. If they won’t relax and settle, increase the distance from the distraction or make the distraction less interesting. Once your dog has learnt the basic objective of being settled, try training in different locations with more distractions. Try to resist telling your dog what to do during training, the aim is for them to learn for themselves to be calm and to relax.
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