Is Your Dog Clueless About Fetching?

It always looks great when you see people playing fetch with their dog. It's easy to believe that every dog is born knowing how to fetch. Some dogs do instinctively fetch and retrieve, but there are plenty of dogs who will look at you like you're nuts when you throw a ball for them and tell them to go fetch it.

If you have a dog who is clueless about fetching it's not hard to teach him what he needs to know. You only need a couple of basic things to get started: a ball, some treats, a ball with an opening so you can place treats inside. That's about it.

You can start by having your dog sitting or standing next to you. You should play with the ball and make it as interesting and fun as possible. Then toss the ball a few feet away and give the "Fetch" command. Whether your dog does anything or not, encourage him to go to the ball. You can even walk him over to the ball if necessary. When he touches the ball in some way give him a treat and praise him. You can repeat this exercise a few times. Make it lots of fun and give your dog lots of praise and treats when he touches the ball. Naturally, you should make a huge fuss if your dog actually picks up the ball or brings it back to you. Remember to just toss the ball a few feet away from you. You don't want to expect too much at the beginning.

If your dog has been touching the ball with his nose or putting his mouth on the ball you're doing well. Now start asking your dog to pick the ball up. Give him his treats when he picks the ball up. He may do this accidentally at first but that's when you should start rewarding him. You can place the ball in his mouth if necessary. Repeat this a few times until your dog is doing it reliably.

Next you can start asking your dog to bring you the ball after you toss it a few feet away. Give him his treats after he brings the ball back to you. Keep repeating. You can gradually toss the ball a little farther after your dog has gotten the hang of things.

You can also teach your dog to fetch by using a ball that has a small opening for you to put treats inside. Many dogs prefer a ball that has a built-in incentive. But be sure that the dog can't get the treats out himself or he won't need to bring the ball back to you. Start out by tossing the ball just a few feet, as before.

Some people prefer to teach the retrieve or fetch by using what is called the "forced retrieve." This means that you basically walk your dog through all of the motions. You toss the ball and walk your dog to the ball. Then you wait for him to pick it up when you will praise and reward him. And so on.

You can also use the "bait and switch" method. This can be a fun approach. With this method you need two balls, or two toys, or two of whatever. You toss the ball for your dog and when he goes to get the ball he may (or may not) bring it back to you. But, you have a second ball! So, you get his attention with the second ball, which makes him bring the first ball back to you. Most dogs will drop the first ball in order for you to throw the second ball. Then you throw the second ball for him, which he goes after. And so on. Retrieving becomes a great game for your dog if he likes going after the ball -- and your arm can hold out. This method works well for dogs that are prone to going after something and not bringing it back. Remember to add in the praise and rewards along with tossing the ball.

So, as you can see, there are several ways to teach your dog to fetch. You can try a few of them to see what works best for your dog or combine a couple. You and your dog should be playing a game of fetch in no time.

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