Behavior trick gone wrong
So... I may have made a training boo-boo.
When we get home from work the routine is: check the mail, let the dogs out and then eat. Silvio also has a routine: bang against the door until I let him out, potty outside and beg for food (while we're eating).
When we're eating I noticed Sil tries to get our attention by playing with toys. (Which is unusual because he typically doesn't play with toys.)
So, one day Sil came over to the table, while we were eating, with a toy in his mouth. He had done this a couple times before so I thought I'd try to teach him something. So the next time he came over with the toy (before he dropped it) I said "GIVE", and of course he dropped it because he finally thought he got my attention, and I gave him a treat.
As our dinner went on he learned very quickly that toy in mouth = treat. At first he couldn't figure out what caused me to give him a treat and he kept dropping the toy before I would say anything.
He even retraced his steps (walked away from the table to his bed and back) every time he would make a new attempt for the treat.
Now he is a pro. Every time we sit down to eat he has a toy in his mouth before we even take a bite. He knows not to drop the toy until I say something.
This is the boo-boo. He has no idea what "GIVE" means. He thinks when I say anything is a cue to drop the toy. Plus, I tried to use "GIVE" when there was no food and he had no reaction. So now all we've done is taught him a new (funny) way to beg.
Darn it!
ANGIE BRENNAN, a Sun-Sentinel page designer,
lives with four dogs and one boyfriend. And has a lifetime of animal stories to share.
DIANE LADE, a reporter on the Sun-Sentinel's Help Team, has lived with cats, dogs, reptiles, fish, an iguana, and an armadillo.
CYNDI METZGER, editor of the Sun-Sentinel's Outlook section, is smitten with Bella, her poodle who regularly ignores requests to sit, stay and get off the ivory-colored sofa. 
JOHN TANASYCHUK, a Sun-Sentinel lifestyle writer, has lived with cats as long as he can remember. He and his partner currently share their home with three.
