Treibball

Jackie is continuing to learn the sport of urban herding, known in Germany as Treibball. The idea is to herd yoga balls into a goal, similar to soccer.

Our homework this week includes:

• Practice "Go out!" then wait behind the ball while the dog stands on the target mat. The dog should wait to hear the "Push!" command before starting to nose the ball.

• Play "Front!" around objects such as a laundry basket or hassock.

• Continually practice increasing distance to the "Go out!" target. Distance is one of the biggest challenges in Treibball, so be sure to gradually increase confidence and distance to the target.

• Keep playing "Go out!"(dog goes to the indicated target), "Come by!" (dog moves clockwise), "Away!" (dog moves anti-clockwise), and "That'll do!" (dog returns to handler).

For "Push!" foundations, use a two-foot, three-inch PVC pipe with fittings on the end. Place a food treat directly under the pipe, and the end fittings allow the pipe to roll over the treat without smushing it so the dog is reinforced for pushing the cylinder out of the way to eat the treat. Fade the food treat as you progress to the command "Push!" with increased distance from the handler. 

Clip of Jackie playing Treibball foundation game "Push!" with a cylinder: