DOG LOVERS: I have a year to teach my dog to fetch a beer from the fridge!

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shroomzofdoom

shroomzofdoom

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Ok guys, here's the deal... I made a bet while drinking with my buds. He said my dogs are too dumb to learn to fetch a beer from the fridge. We've all seen the beer ad and said that one day we would teach our dog to do this, well my time has come.

boxers.JPG


Allow me to introduce Ike and Bella (Ike-top, Bella bottom). Ike is a purebreed Boxer, Bella is a mixed Rottie/Boxer. They are both about four years old.

I love them both as I would children, but Ike is infinitely more trainable than Bella. Please don't go all Cesar on me, I know any dog can be trained---I also have been around dogs my whole life and know that some take to training quicker than others. I am thinking of training just Ike to do this and making my life easier, but I also know that dogs reinforce each other so training both may make my task easier in the long run. I happen to be of the opinion (as is my wife) that Ike is a bit smarter than Bella.

Anyway, I am looking for ideas and input. Has anyone here ever taught a dog to do this? Or have any ideas on my plan?

I've seen some videos online but all are rather generic. I am looking for folks to pop in and give me some advice or input, and critique the general plan. I'll provide updates periodically. Training starts next week and must be concluded by Super Bowl 2011. I am going out to look for training toys (plastic bottle, rubber thingy, etc) this weekend.

So please share your input, would LOVE to hear some feedback!!!!

Obstacles:
-Two dogs: Train both? Not likely. Train Ike, then train Bella equal times. At end of 1st month asses progress on each.
-My dogs don't know how to open a fridge
-Ike doesn’t like walking on wood floors (fridge is on a wood floor)
-No handle on fridge (Design velcro/rope handle that can be easily removed from fridge)
-My dog is not going to like the feeling of cold glass on his teeth

The tools:
-Treats and lots of them: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/spent-grain-make-your-best-friend-cookies-87097/
-Plastic Coors bottle with rubber dog toy wrapped around neck or perhaps rubber doggie toy shaped like beer bottle.

The steps (rewards and oodles of praise will be delivered for each positive step)

-Teach to fetch plastic beer bottle and associate this with ‘cerveza' command
-Extend fetch behavior onto wood floor
-Attach similar/same rubber to handle to fridge door
-Associate fetching behavior with item from fridge (specialized plastic bottle with rubber wrap)
-Associate fetching behavior with empty glass bottle/rubber
-Associate fetching behavior with full glass bottle/rubber
-Remove rubber and have dog fetch a beer from the fridge on command
 
Just to get the ball rolling: Seems the hardest part would just be how to allow them to open the fridge. You can certainly get them to associate the words with the intended outcome. If you set up your fridge right the door should automatically close without doing anything (just from the weight).

I take my dog for a walk everyday after work and when we return I always say; "Get your Kong" and he runs around to find it (he usually knows exactly where it is) and brings it back. I then fill it with a milk bone or marrow bone treat and he gets to fish it out. The fact that we do this same thing every day and at the same time probably helped him learn the command more quickly. Do you have a certain treat you give them at approx. the same time everyday?
 
Here's a couple of ideas...

Coors bottles are a good idea, but really, who drinks Coors? Try putting zippered bottle koozie's on the bottles for the dogs to be able to grasp them (without hurting their teeth). By differentiating the bottles this way, you can also control which ones they will attempt to bring you.

Role up a hand towel and put it through the fridge handle and then bind the two side together with a large zip strip.

I personally wouldn't associate the item you want fetched with a toy. I would keep your toys (beer) very distinct from their toys.

Good luck with this! I look forward to hearing your progress.

BTW, my dog is too dumb to ever think about something like this...:rolleyes:
 
I would be kinda worried about the plastic bottles. if the dog is excited they could probably bite into those. I know my dogs (which are both about 15#) have bitten into water bottles and created a nice mess of themselves and the floor for me to clean. Also are you at all worried about your dog just opening the fridge and eating stuff once it learns to get it open?

I agree with Spanish that you should make it very routine. Same time of day, same chair or spot on the couch.
 
A zip up bottle koozie will help you with the cold glass issue, and the lack of friction. Also, zip a treat into the bottom of it to associate the beer with reward. When he brings it back remove the treat and give it to him. I tried this with a couple of my golden retrievers that i breed. The only one who would get it, would go and chew it until the koozie was gone. End result, a broken tooth which got infected and had to be removed. Ended my champion stud's show career. good luck, oh and i'm subscribing.
 
The LAST THING I want my dog to be able to do is open the fridge...

That said, I think this would be the hardest part. To make it easier, why not build a device to help them open it. Maybe a plate they can step on, which leverages the fridge open. You can always remove the device when you DON'T want the dogs eating your leftovers...
 
Cattle prod for messing it up.


OH C'MON... it's a JOKE... my SWMBO and I have always had Bernese Mountain Dogs and they've all been like our kids so I'm kidding!

I like the idea of being able to disable the "open the fridge" capability.

how about some sort of rope or something that loops around the door handle and then have a doggy "tug toy"... you know... one of those rope things with a tennis ball attached to the end... and then you could get a carabiner (sp?) to clip the two together when you want the doggie handle functional? To open the door, the dog would just pull on the tennis ball and open the door. When you didn't want them in the fridge, just unclip the tug toy.
 
Cape's idea of a rope is a good idea, that would make it very easy for them to open. A designated "this one" koozie(s) for the bottle(s) you want them to get would also make it easy. Obviously it would be best if you put the beer that you want them to retrieve on the bottom shelf of the fridge in plain site...

I hope this works for you!
 
Wow, thanks for the overwhelming responses!

Let me clarify a few points:

We thought of using the plastic bottle setup specifically as a 'training aid' it will not be available to them at all during normal times. The only time they'll be able to play with the 'beer' is during supervised/training sessions so that they understand that we have work to do. My thought is that I don't want to de-sensitize to the connection. When they see the bottle, I want their eyes to light up and think beer+obedience=cookies!!!!

The idea of using a plastic bottle is that it's light in weight, we want this to be a useful trick so we want to guide them to fetch a beer, eventually without a koozie. We thought of using the stripped rubber handle from a rope toy, wrapped around the neck. But I am not sure if they'll connect the treat in the koozie to something that's theirs. When I train dogs to bring inanimate objects for treats, they always come through. Ever taught your dog to bring you something made of food? Not so effective. It can be done, but not all dogs will bring you treats! I do like the koozie idea as it's readily available and will be quite easy for them to grip.

I do need to have the ability to easily remove the door pull when not in use. I do not have handles on my fridge, they are recessed 'pulls' because I've had dogs pull on the towel that I hung through the handle for a quick meal. It seems that when there's bacon involved, dogs can solve a rubik's cube. We're thinking of a rope handle attached to some velcro or something that can be easily placed/removed with no major modifications to said fridge. I think Cape is on to something here, not using the same handle as what's on the bottle but something different.

Having a nearly 200 pounds of dog with keys to the fridge may not be a good thing in a month from now!

So much great feedback guys, please keep it coming! This is exactly what I need before buying any toys that I an not going to use!
 
When it comes to commands Ive found with my dogs that using a 'one word' command is generally best.

For a quick disconnect on the fridge Id recommend an old leash scrap with some velcro on it and then use double sided tape to attach the other piece of velcro onto the bottom of the door.

Youll have to work at this slowly (good thing you have a year) and keep up the praise. Id avoid working more than 15 minutes at any given time without a break for some playtime so the dogs dont get overwhelmed. Also, if you plan to train them both youll need to separate them from each other so they arent just picking up on ques from one another. I dont even want to think of the number of 'sibling' dogs at our obedience class that wouldnt work because the one not expected to do anything was trying to wedge in to get the treats from the one actually doing the work.
 
I can't even get my dogs to fetch in general...much less bring me something I actually want.

Good Luck!
 
KhellendrosXS said:
When it comes to commands Ive found with my dogs that using a 'one word' command is generally best.

For a quick disconnect on the fridge Id recommend an old leash scrap with some velcro on it and then use double sided tape to attach the other piece of velcro onto the bottom of the door.
Click to expand...

All very valid points. That's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking for the door. I have no idea what I was thinking even trying to train Bella for this and no way I am getting two young Boxers on the same page at the same time. We'll work on them separately and in small doses in conjunction with walking, praise, and rewards.

Hey, if Presley can stare down an elephant, my Boxer can fetch a beer!

806741_1221832217.jpg

presley.jpg


Can't have a multi-word command, and since we say 'beer' a little too often around here, well have to use a different word that he doesn't hear that often---I am thinking 'cerveza' anyone have any others?
 
No offense, but teaching a dog to open the fridge seems like a terrible idea (other than it being cool as hell). If my dog ever figured out how to open the fridge, I'd have no food left, ever...

heck, I stupidly taught my dog to reach up to the shelf when I keep all his tennis balls and bring a ball to me whenever I say "wanna play fetch?". You can guess what has happened...I come home from work and there are 15 tennis balls spread around the house. Had to put the balls in a different place. He still checks the old shelf constantly.
 
This is an awesome project and I think with the right amount of time you'll be very successful. Now your original post didn't really stipulate the dogs need to bring you an individual bottle. I would consider constructing a four pack carrier (similar in style to cardboard ones at the store) and use that as the carrying device. This would probably be less confusing and allow for more specific training. I would move the beer to a dedicated beer fridge, the training project is a perfect excuse to pick one up, so the dog isn't tempted by food in the regular fridge.
 
First having a boxer who is a complete retard I don't think my dog could ever figure out how to open a fridge door with a rope tied to the handle not to mention bringing me a beer. This is the same dog that runs into the glass door at least three times a day at full speed. Also the same dog that thinks she is a lapdog thanks to my wife (70 lbs attempting to sit on your lap is never fun.... unless you have guests over who have small yapper dogs).

Second - A consistent training will always work... but instead of a command word I would use a bell... ring the bell (or a dog training clicker) to get your beer... nothing would beat ringing a bell and your dog arriving with a beer in hand. Train the other boxer to bring you pretzels!
 
Dalarast said:
First having a boxer who is a complete retard I don't think my dog could ever figure out how to open a fridge door with a rope tied to the handle not to mention bringing me a beer. This is the same dog that runs into the glass door at least three times a day at full speed. Also the same dog that thinks she is a lapdog thanks to my wife!
Click to expand...

david_42 said:
I'd start with Bella, as a Rottie/boxer mix should be much smarter than a pure breed boxer.
Click to expand...


Wow. Boxer is 48 on that list. We used to watch Greatest American Dog on CBS and we never, ever thought a Boxer could win. Presley showed them all! No way he should've won, just no way. Ike has above average intellect for any dog, and is by far the smartest Boxer I've ever met. Bella (and the other three Boxers in my family) are just clumsy Marmadukes. At 105 pounds, Bella is also the most dominant dog I've ever worked with. Pushy and rude. no resepct for her Mom; me she obeys. I just CANNOT teach her to speak! No idea why! Though the fact that she's 75% Boxer probably has something to do with it.
 
The only thing dumber than a boxer for this trick would be a cat.

As someone who's owned a fullbred boxer and boxer/pit mix -- I've seen rocks smarter than them dogs.

I wish you great success in this and will follow the thread for progress, but man you have a monumental effort in front of you.

Maybe if you put a couch in the fridge, it would learn to open up the fridge and eat the couch. Probably the best the boxer would be able to do. :p
 
Now you are seriously making me want to teach my dog to fetch me beer... The "smart one", though, is afraid of smooth floors, where the fridge is. The other one is harder to train, but I have a feeling that treats will make it happen. But he is the one who gets in the trash.

Aw, who am I kidding. The wife will never let me teach the dog to get in the fridge. I better teach them with the kegerator. It's an upright fridge anyway, but only has beer in it. (and brewing ingredients.)
 
:off:

I had a boxer growing up. Her name was ginger. I got her as a birthday present at age 7. Man I loved that dog. She was not smart bc she wasn't well trained either. But she rocked
 
Ok so just baselined both dogs. Have to overcome fear of wood floors first and foremost.

20 mins

Bella=no fear of wood floor AT ALL.
Ike=very tenuous, front two feet only. Covered floor with towel and he'll approach fridge and remove cookies. Ike will approach fridge and take cookie from bottom shelf.

Ike was very nervous and agitated with the activity, he may have had a bad floor experience before we rescued him. That he approached the fridge and took cookies with front two feet or with towl should be considered success enough for today. For his efforts he was praised highly and given grain cookies and tummy rubs.


Today's leader-Bella.

Next up. acquire toys and get dogs to differentiate 'cerveza' toy from everything else.
By next week, I would like them to be able to fetch 'cerveza' toy to the exclusion of all others, on command.

beerjunky, our family has four Boxers...something about this breed. What they lack in ability to focus, they more than make up for in love and affection!

jezter, I think you are right...sometimes they do act like cats! Incessant licking, cuddling up on your feet at night, indifference when given commands. Just like a cat, and equally difficult to train!

conpewter and Homercidal, do I smelll a 'my dog will tap a keg in one year' thread?
 
shroomzofdoom said:
Ok so just baselined both dogs. Have to overcome fear of wood floors first and foremost.

20 mins

Bella=no fear of wood floor AT ALL.
Ike=very tenuous, front two feet only. Covered floor with towel and he'll approach fridge and remove cookies. Ike will approach fridge and take cookie from bottom shelf.

Ike was very nervous and agitated with the activity, he may have had a bad floor experience before we rescued him. That he approached the fridge and took cookies with front two feet or with towl should be considered success enough for today. For his efforts he was praised highly and given grain cookies and tummy rubs.


Today's leader-Bella.

Next up. acquire toys and get dogs to differentiate 'cerveza' toy from everything else.
By next week, I would like them to be able to fetch 'cerveza' toy to the exclusion of all others, on command.

beerjunky, our family has four Boxers...something about this breed. What they lack in ability to focus, they more than make up for in love and affection!

jezter, I think you are right...sometimes they do act like cats! Incessant licking, cuddling up on your feet at night, indifference when given commands. Just like a cat, and equally difficult to train!

conpewter and Homercidal, do I smelll a 'my dog will tap a keg in one year' thread?
Click to expand...

Sounds like you got a good plan formed. I'd be happy if the smart one could roll her fat butt over anymore. The dumb one would be nice if he could stay in the yard on command...

Ah well, I should probably teach them some "cool" trick. I could teach the lab to fetch a beer, but then she would want me to throw for her.
 
shrooms,
Does one dog seem to have more desire to please it's master than the other?

I ask because as I looked at that dog intelligence list, I noticed Basenji was way down the list but Border Collie was at the top. I've had a Basenji but right now have a mutt that is VERY Border Collie-ish. The Basenji is a very independant, 'aloof' dog...but the one I had was very intelligent. My current dog has a will-to-please like I've never seen before, he tries super hard to understand and do what is asked. Most well-behaved dog I've ever had ainec. But I really don't think he's any smarter than that Basenji.

If I had to train one I'd obv pick the mutt.
 
Beer is actually one of the easiest scents to train a dog to seek out :)

Soak a cotton swab with beer. Once he obeys the command of "Ike, BEER ME!" and retrieves to cotton swab that is in plain sight, start moving the swab towards the fridge.

How you get the dog to open the fridge is beyond me. Maybe a strap bolted on?

As for the bottles, I'd get some cheep koozies for them so he can grip those and not the glass. Anyways, once you get him to open the door, put the beer cotton swab on the bottles.

I would try this with my basset, but he seems to only be able to reach the turkey on the bottom shelf. Therefore, I went the Tailgate Companion route instead.

EDIT: After reading responses I see that pretty much everything I said has been mentioned.
 
Our dog ( a Border Collie) was a wild beast.
we sent him to a two week training camp while we were on vacation.
(He really liked it - a lot of dogs and lots of training - Border Collies love action)

My point is - the trainer got him into a mode where he is more focused.
He showed how he teaches him a new simple command in under 5 mins ( it was the very useful "lick my left hand" command. A must for every dog owner).
I know border collies are very smart, and maybe the easiest breed to train, but that's not my point...
I think your main goal should be to get them to be able to learn new commands relatively easily. Then, you try teaching them how to bring you a beer...

The thing about dog trainer is that people assume dogs learn tasks in a similar way to humans. They don't. A simple example is that doing it wrong is not as good a learning experience as it is for humans. (that's what the trainer told me, anyway)

What you need is to learn A LOT about dog training - you have more then enough time for that. get some book maybe?
If it isn't cheating, you'd might want to go with you dogs to some sessions with a professional.

That's my opinion. Hope it helps.
 
Ok, first things first. If I win, I get a dinner; all I can eat all I can drink--any place of my choosing. More a gentleman's bet than anything; but now the pride of my dogs is at stake.

Mbasile and ohad thanks for the insights….
I've always been the sort to do things myself. My dogs are pretty obedient, and I find that when I provide sound leadership they'll do anything. (Unless there is a rabbit or squirrel around!!!) I really can't work with a Boxer that hasn't had some exercise. They are just too…Boxer. You really have to walk a Boxer for at least 30 minutes before its mind is even close to being focused. My dogs respond well to assertive leadership, when their mommy is around they get away with a ton of stuff, when I am around they are very well behaved.

I have been reinforcing ‘fetch on command’ and rewarding them for bringing me toys by name. Since I am replete with home brew I’ve not been very motivated to head to the liquor store for a six of ‘BMC and be sure they’re in PLASTIC bottles please’. Ah hell, maybe I can find Miller Lite, that ain’t too bad to make shrimp with.

All I can say is that I am glad that I made the bet for Super Bowl 2011, I’ve done so little in this time. We did have a hefty snowfall this week and I’ve been stapled to my couch while my dogs sleep 22+ hours a day. We’re getting more snow tomorrow, and my snowboard and gear are packed!!!

Hang in there, I’ll post more soon. I haven’t forgotten my commitment I am just too busy being a bad dog owner this week. For now, here are Ike and Bella enjoying the snow.

 
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In the retriever training world (hunting dogs) there's a training technique known as "force fetching". I wouldn't recommend it on a boxer but my Labrador has been through it. He'll pretty much retrieve on command whatever he's capable of picking up and they'll go through any cover and water to retrieve a training bumper or bird. I'd bet I could get my pooch to retrieve a beer out of a fridge in a day... I'd suggest using a dedicated beer fridge though. :cross:
 
Dr Dirt, I'd love to hear more about your techniques and how you went about the training. Please let me know how you did it!

Rockchalk, I've read alot about forced fetching. Boxers work well with positive reinforcement, and seem to develop an independent streak whenever negative reinforcement is used. The only time I use negaitve reinforcement is on critical training. (STOP command, when crossing a street, MOVE command when I am carrying an armload of goods and they are under foot, DOWN command when Bella decides to rear up and kiss people, NO, etc)

I figured I'd clarify the physical layout a bit, etc):

We have an upstairs kitchen (main) and basement kitchen, we do most of our hanging out in the basement where the fridge is mostly beer. I am starting to design the removable strap for the door, but for now I am using a towel for training.

I now have Ike able to walk across the floor to get treats. While still tentative, he will cross the floor more easily now. I am going to moisturize his pads a bit, he has very dry pads which leads to slipping. Bella has no fear of the floor, her pads are also not as rough and seem to give her better traction. I think we identified the source of Ike's floor fears.

They are both readily accepting treats that are placed on the bottom shelf (beer shelf) of the fridge. I next started leaving the door slightly ajar so that they were forced to 'nudge' the door with their noses to swing it wide to get the treat. Bella seems to lead in the nudging exercise. The next step was looping a towel over the door and wrapping a piece of treat in the corner of the towel to encourage the dog to grab, then tug on the towel. In this exercise, the door is left slightly ajar, the dog is forced to give the towel a gentle tug, the door opens and the reward is waiting. I am working on controlling the momentum of the swinging door, right now the movement of the door causes some fear with the dogs. Which we'll overcome by enforcing that if they do the task, they get a treat.


While I never would have thought that training could be done at the same time. Forcing one to sit, while I work with the other is showing them that there are rules to the game we're playing. Even modest success is rewarded with a treat, when they overcome an obstacle they get tons of praise and 'good dog'. Bella was not catching on to the towel idea very well, until she saw Ike complete the task and get praise. She now pulls the towel, but pulls it so hard (like tug of war) that the door swings hard, crashed the wall, etc and scares the crap out of her. Much work to be done.

This week, I AM going to acquire some plastic beer bottles and work on differentiation training. They need to be able to identify a 'cerveza' on command.
 
Ok, so it all starts with baby steps....For this test, I used a t shirt looped over the door and the door was slightly ajar to help him get started. It's important to me that he recognizes the task of door opening with getting rewarded at this stage. Once he has that, we have a foundation on which to build.

As we progress, I'll change out the t shirt for a canvas strap that's velcro'd to the door (removable). Eventually, Ike will be asked to pull the door when sealed/closed. Part of the bet includes the qualification that the door must be closed when complete. I am going to try to adjust my door to close slowly rather than asking him to do it. But I have no doubt that Ike can do anything with the right training and guidance. AND COOKIES!


First Ike had to overcome fear of the Pergo floor in order to complete this task. In the video, you see that he doesn't open the door all the way but knows if he tries to push his way in, he'll lose traction and slip. What does he do? HE KEEPS AT IT. Second attempt successful, and watch how he looks the door back all the way to the wall. Last few times it hit him when it swung closed. He's making such great strides, I am proud of him!!!!!

Bella really won't grab the pull at all and doesn't seem to get the exercise at all. Rather than pushing forward with Ike. I am going to isolate her for training a bit. I am not ready to give up on her yet. But she is clearly not as interested in this as Ike is.

 
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My Doberman, as smart as she is... would not be able to fetch beer.

She is good at drinking it and guarding the brew kettle from interlopers though.
 
Why on earth would you teach your dog how to get in the fridge? That's like teaching your kids how stand on a chair to open the cookie jar?
 
I have a border collie (smartest dogs in the world). Wonder if he could learn to pull a chair up in front of my kegerator and pull a draught for me? Then very carefully bring me a pint without spilling it then run back to the kegerator and put the chair back where he found it. :rockin: I'll start working on this LOL
 

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