I was having the kids practice how to "claim" an object from a dog. Usually, when a dog is trying to snatch a child's toy, the child's natural instinct is to hold the toy up high, and run from the dog yelling, "No, no, get away!" in a panicky voice. This, of course, is dog for, "See if you can get it!" So I frequently teach kids how to hold a toy close in to their chest, stand still, look the dog right in the eye, and calmly say, "My toy."
Yesterday, the girl and I practiced a few times -- I played the role of the dog, and she practiced claiming her toy from me. When she was ready, we brought in Pupupps, her toy poodle. I took out a chicken treat I knew Pupupps wanted, and gave it to the girl to claim. She did the job beautifully, and in just moments, the dog sat at a respectful distance, even though the treat was sitting right in her lap.
I said, "Good job!" and gave her a high-five. She said, "Thank you! And good acting, Pupupps!"
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