The last couple of days I've been letting Marley out in the yard without a leash. It's been several days since the last rain or watering so there are few, if any, mushrooms coming up. So, if he finds any they will be few & far between (I hope). Funny thing is, he's so used to one of us being on the other end of his leash that he expects me to walk out with him to the appropriate area of the yard when he does his business. I don't have to be right next to him, but I have to get out there.
We also have made progress with fetch. The 2 ways to get the stick back are to use the 2 stick method - he has to drop the one he just brought before I toss the second one - or the "mercenary" method - he has to drop the stick to get the treat. He loves fetch, but he doesn't want to give up the stick.
Sounds like I need to find a way to wean him off the treats so he'll do things because he wants to please us, not just because he's a lab. I saw a dog show where a family was deciding between 3 breeds and the lab breeder told them "they're not the smartest dogs, but they'll do anything for food".
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