CLEVELAND — It’s no secret... Roxy our Wags 4 Warriors pup loves her treats. She’s working hard for them, learning and practicing commands every day.
But in order to receive a treat, Roxy is now expected to show some manners before she gobbles them down -- and it’s something all dogs should do, too.
“Her puppy teeth are very sharp," says handler Kayla DeLorenzo. "So she just wants to chomp the treat out of your hands. We are working on 'easy' with her so that she can calm down and relax so that she can just take it gentler. We want her to accept that treat so that way it’s good manners and foundation for the rest of her training.”
DeLorenzo demonstrated the proper way to hold the treat.
“We have the treat on the inside of your hand so that she is not eating our fingers from the inside of your palm.”
Roxy’s puppy excitement took over and she jumped up to try and snatch the treat away.
DeLorenzo quickly pulled the biscuit away and corrected the little Labrador Retriever, having her sit again and make eye contact with her.
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“Easy,” DeLorenzo said while holding the biscuit up and away from Roxy. This time the pup listened, and took the treat gently when it was offered to her.
A few minutes later, they repeated the process, with Roxy taking the biscuit even more gently this time.
DeLorenzo pointed out that you never want a dog to snatch food from surfaces, or if you have small children, to grab it from their hands. Teaching your pet “easy” will make them wait for food and accept it with manners, once it is given to them.
Good girl, Roxy!