A Surreptitious Use of a Treat
She's obviously completely unused to having to jump even the smallest of heights - the tailgate of my car is only 18" off the ground yet she was totally bewildered when I tried getting her to jump in, so I had to pysically pick her up and lift her in. Not something you want to have to do on a regular basis with a 72lb dog, believe me! The day after we got her home she and I were both just pottering around outside, and the rear door of my car was open. Unbeknown to her I spotted her snifffing around the outside of the car and I quietly stood watching. She got round to the back of the car and after a cursory sniff at the interior in she hopped. She poked about inside for 10 seconds or so then quietly jumped out again and wandered off. Next time I tried to get her into the car she once again stood there like a lemon, refusing to make any attempt to jump in. I produced a sliver of cooked sausage from my pocket and wafted it in front of her nose. When she reached out to take it I gently drew my hand back into the car and threw the sausage in. It landed in plain sight, but out of her reach. Without giving it so much as a second thought she casually jumped in and started eating the sausage. Praise from me, and a job well done - it shouldn't take long to get her happily jumping into the car on command. Recommended reading - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success".
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