Retrieving a meatball

I once met a papillon that could balance a treat in his nose, on command he threw it up in the air and, here comes the one I was extremely impressed with, did not swallow until given an okay!

I tried to teach one of my American cocker spaniels that once, she was a wreck for a week, mentally after that... This is the utter most controlling thing I've seen a dog be okay with! The second one is sausage retrieving with spaniels.

But today we happened to retrieve a meatball. As we were playing with a toy, and throwing it to check our stop signal, I had a meatball as well in my hand. When Iza was really into the game I threw it, just to check that she stops and goes down. She did not lay down with out a signal, stopping yes, sitting yes, but not laying. So we have to work on that. But I happened to throw the meatball as well. Her solution to do a retrieve when there's a Not Okay object in the area close to the toy is, and has always been, to pretend it doesn't exist. But what happens if I ask her to retrieve the Not Okay object? I had to trie! Well first of all we both have to be close to that obect, second I naturally have an equal tasty meatball to change th Not Okay one with and I had to be okay with a lot of commands, positive talking and a hole or two in the meatball, but she actually did it!

I was afraid she would be a bit low after that, but it took about 15 minutes until she came and asked for a second go on that game. And when she figured it out she was very pleased with herself 😍

That was yesterday and to day we have managed to get a meat ball to travel 1 meter inside her mouth up to 3 times until it is too damaged ;)
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