Playing games with your dog is not only great fun, it/s great training. It/s also a great way to turn a bad behavior into a good one.

For example, let/s look at retrieving, otherwise known as keep away. What you call it depends on who is doing the retrieving!

A typical young dog sees the world as a chew toy.

A typical owner sees a young dog as having a chewing problem.

When your dog picks up an inappropriate item, you have a few choices.

The most common choice is negative attention, "No, bad dog, give me that." This often leads to "keep-away" since your dog quickly learns you are going to "take away."

He runs on four legs and you retrieve with two. The odds are not in your favor.

Another choice is telling your dog to "leave it." If you have done your homework, this will work.

A less intuitive choice is to let him have it, as long he plays by your rules. This is the first step in teaching him to retrieve even your most prized possessions.

If you have a retriever who was born with a ball in his mouth and brings you the newspaper, your job is quite easy. If you have a dog who prefers to disembowel his prize, you have a little more work to do.

Here/s one way to teach your dog to retrieve. Put some interesting food into a small, closed container.

Show it to your dog, open it, and give him a piece. Then close it and throw it a couple feet away. When your dog gets it, praise him. Run over, open it for him and give him a treat.

Repeat. Eventually, your dog will put his mouth around the container. Praise him excitedly, give him several pieces (one at a time) and put it away.

Start again in about a minute.

At some point, your dog will want you to help him open the container. He may pause and look at you or he may start to bring it to you.

Encourage him to come while reaching for the container. If your dog has some minor possession problems or he has mastered keep away, tie a string to the container and pull the container toward you.

Repeat this until your dog is bringing the item back to you. If you like, hold out your hands and don/t open the container until he puts it in your hands.

Once your dog understands the concept of retrieving, start using other items. You may want to rub food on them to make them more exciting.

This time when you get the toy, play tug or immediately throw the toy again as a reward.

If your dog tugs too fiercely or tries to play keep away, pick up a different toy and play with that. If you/re enjoying the other toy, your dog will want to play with it, too.

Be patient and stop each session before your dog wants to stop.

This game is very useful when your dog picks up your expensive shoe. Hold out your hand and make it a game before your dog realizes how much that shoe cost.

Next time you get home from work, sit down, put up your feet, and let your dog retrieve your slippers for you.

* Barbara Burgess owns and operates Happy Tails to You, a dog-training and behavioral counseling center specializing in positive-reinforcement training. She lectures on bite prevention and understanding dog behavior. You can reach her at 938-5600 or Dog Tails@earthlink .net.

Nov. 27, 2004