Breaking Ace’s fixation
Note: This is part three of a three-part series on my dog’s tennis ball obsession. Click these links to read part one, My mutt has a fixation and part two, 10 signs your dog has a fixation.
Just like any addiction, rehabilitation takes a long, long time. In Ace’s tennis ball case, I have two options. I can either continue things the way they are and allow him to obsess over a ball until he ends up hurting himself, or I can begin the long process of correcting his behavior.
Obviously I am going to correct the behavior or I wouldn’t have chosen to do this series. The problem is getting started because I know how difficult it is going to be to follow through.
My goal is to have a dog that can control himself around a ball and play in a healthy way where he never becomes fixated. He will respond to all commands even if he has a ball. He will have the ability to stop playing and leave a ball alone without me hiding it or putting it away. Most of all, he will be able to play and socialize with other dogs as well as accept verbal and physical attention when there is a ball in sight.
Here are some rules I have set for Ace to begin right away:
1. No fetch playing for 30 days (at least).
2. No dog park for 30 days (but we’ll stay away as long as needed). The reason for this is there are balls everywhere and I can’t enforce my new rules if Ace is off leash in a big area surrounded by tennis balls.
3. Ace will begin a more regular, intense exercise program of at least one hour of running or walking at least five days a week.
4. Every day I will have Ace practice calm energy by lying on his side in a submissive position with a ball beside him. He will lie like that until he is totally relaxed and ignoring the ball. Depending on the day, this could take 30 seconds or an hour. He will also have to do this any time he brings me an object expecting me to throw it for him.
Once Ace has shown some improvements, I will move on to some challenges for him:
1. When Ace can manage to ignore a ball while lying down, I will move on to him sitting and then just being loose in a room with a ball, ignoring it.
2. Once Ace can leave a ball alone in a room, I will work on more mental challenges with him such as me throwing a ball while he sits and stays at my side. We will practice heeling by weaving around a yard full of balls with Ace on leash and then off leash.
3. Ace will get to play with a ball himself if he is totally calm. If he is even close to that fixated state of mind, the ball will be put on the ground and he will lie beside it.
4. I hope to return to normal fetch playing, but Ace must remain calm and in control of himself the whole time.
I have no idea how long this whole process will take. Maybe six months, maybe two years. Or maybe I will never be able to correct Ace on my own. It mostly depends on how well I am able to stick to these rules. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d like to hear them. My ideas are influenced by Jon Katz and Cesar Millan, but I don’t know anyone personally who has actually tried to break his or her dog of an obsession.
Click these links to read parts one and two of this series, My mutt has a fixation and 10 signs your dog has a fixation.
Image from flickr.com
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August 7th, 2008 at 9:18 am
It sounds like a really solid plan – I’m interested to hear the result!
August 7th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Ace is so lucky to have an owner approaching this with love and intelligence.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Thanks Apryl and Jan. Wish us luck!
August 8th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I have high hopes for you and Ace to succeed in your goal of correcting this fixation. I will be anxious to hear updates.
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October 12th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I brought a JRT home two weeks ago from a family that didn’t have time for him anymore, and he is stressed and ball-obesessive – I’m going to try this plan. I have put the toys up tonight while he wasn’t looking – wish me luck!
October 12th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Chase, I wish you the best of luck! Please let me know how it goes and if you find anything that works really well!
March 30th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
How did this work out in the end??? We are about to do EXACTLY the same thing with our 1 1/2 year old chocolate lab. Did it work? Can Chase play with the ball peacefully now??
March 30th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Hey Laura. It has helped my dog a lot, but if I don’t stay consistent he will go right back to obsessing. Basically every day is a new day. He has learned to “leave it” when I say so and will respond to commands when a ball is around. Those are big improvements.
If someone else gets a ball out and I let that person play fetch with Ace, he immediately fixates. The only reason he doesn’t get into an obsessive state with me is because I catch it before it happens.
So honestly, no, he doesn’t play with a ball normally but he is able to leave it alone after a few minutes if I tell him. If I don’t tell him, he continues to obsess over it. I never let him play with a ball for very long anymore because of this.
The good thing is he responds to me and even when we go to the dog park now, he will leave the tennis balls alone if I tell him. I just have to be serious about it and follow through.
Hope that helps somewhat. One thing that helps a lot is to actually take a tennis ball on walks and to not allow the dog to look at the ball. While on the walk, Ace has to heel on my left side and focus on moving forward rather than looking at my right hand which has the ball. Creating exercises like this where the dog has to learn limits are important but it takes a long time – many weeks – to see much progress.
Another good challenge is to have the dog lie down with his head up and then put the ball right against his chest between his front legs. Then correct the dog every time he tries to pick it up or look at it. Reward the dog for looking at you instead.
You’ll get creative. Let me know how it goes.
February 6th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I have a dog that my husband and I adopted. He is 20 mos. old and fixates on shodows and has OCD. Exercise makes him more wound up. He is a sweet dog otherwise, but more than we can handle. My husband and I both work and I try to exercise him, but that is hard in itself.
February 6th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
So are you saying you should find the dog a new home? That is not always such a bad decision if it is best for the dog and the humans involved. It’s not fun to have a dog if you are always stressed out. If you are stressed, the dog will be stressed, too.
Still, there are things you can do to make life easier. Obedience classes would be very beneficial for the dog. Teaching him to be calm and to be able to stay for 20 minutes at a time would be one exercise to work on. For extra exercise you could take him to dog daycare or hire someone to come walk or run him while you are at work. You could also do dog agility.