How To Train Your Dog to Fetch?

Steps To Teaching Your Dog to Fetch

While some Dogs enjoy playing fetch, and for some breeds, such as retrievers, the game comes easily, others may find it strange.

Some Dogs aren't interested in toys or aren't naturally eager to bring objects back after being thrown.

Similarly, some rescue Dogs may have never played with toys as puppies and just don't know what to do with one.

Fetch is a game that most people want to play with their dog, and it may be irritating if you toss a toy and your Dog just sits there staring at you or goes and retrieves the object but does not return it.

Although not every Dog is born with the ability to play fetch, it is a skill that can be taught! You must properly prepare a Dog before training it to fetch.

Not all Dogs are natural fetchers, and teaching Dogs to retrieve reliably on cue entails much more than simply ball training.

To teach Dogs to fetch, you must first provide them with appropriate fetch toys, pique their attention, and devise a training schedule.

Set your dog up for success by breaking up the training sessions into little, manageable chunks.

It is ideal for teaching dogs to retrieve between the ages of eight and twelve weeks, but you must keep their age and talents in mind and adjust the intensity of the training accordingly.

Ball training is very good for dogs since it allows you and your pet to interact and helps to ease anxiety, improve mood, and improve behaviour.

Puppy fetch games can also be a terrific way to de-stress after a hard day at work by cognitively stimulating your dog.

Here is a guide on how to teach your dog to fetch:

Choose A Fetch Toy for Your Dog

Choosing a proper fetch toy for your Dog is certainly the first step in ball training.

Fetch toys come in a wide range of sizes and materials, including rubber, plastic, yarn, and other materials.

Toys should be chosen with your dog's age, size, and skill in mind, and numerous toys should be purchased to provide variety and better establish which type your Dog prefers.

Tennis balls, squeaker balls, bumpers, frisbees, and plushies are popular fetch toys that are generally good selections.

If your Dog has dental issues, you should be cautious about the materials you use and avoid anything too hard.

When first teaching your Dog to fetch, stick to items that are easy to handle.

Make Your Dog Want to Play with The Toy

After you've bought some fetch toys for your dog, you'll need to stimulate its interest in them.

One of the most effective methods to do this is to demonstrate your own curiosity.

When you present the item, act enthusiastic about it, and your Dog will follow suit.

When it comes to plush, rope, or bumper toys, teasing your Dog with the new toy before playing tug-of-war with it and allowing your Dog to examine it after it gets it from you might help increase interest.

At this time, be sure to reward your Dog for engaging with the toy, and if feasible, place food inside the toy.

Teach It How to Hold the Toy

Teaching Dogs to hold the toy in their jaws is a key step in training them to fetch.

Whereas all Dogs naturally hold objects in their mouths, they require training on-demand or for long durations.

Begin by rewarding your Dog for putting the toy in its mouth to train it to hold it.

Extend the time between your Dog keeping the toy in its mouth and you praising it gradually until it can successfully hold the toy in its mouth for a couple of seconds.

Following that, introduce a vocal instruction such as 'hold' and continue to build endurance.

You can use anything from clicks to praise to actual goodies as a reward, and you can even put a treat inside the toy to help with hold training.

You can also start taking your hands away from the toy, then swiftly put them back on before your Dog drops it.

Praise, take the object and treat her.

Maintain your dog's success by working at her pace and gradually increasing the length of time she's asked to hold.

It's far better to do numerous repetitions of short holds than to request a single extended hold.

Encourage Your Dog to Chase the Toy

Place the toy on the ground and encourage your Dog to hold it.

Reward your Dog when he or she does so.

Repeat this process a few times more before putting the item further away (a few inches at a time) and letting your Dog pick it up.

Then, while maintaining the rewards high in value, alternate between throwing and placing the toy at a distance until your Dog responds positively to both and can consistently pick up any toy you throw.

Play with a variety of toys, like balls, frisbees, rope toys, and plushies.

Teach It to Return the Toy

Following hold and chase training, the most difficult aspect is getting your Dog to return the toy to you.

Holding and pursuing a toy appeals to a dog's instincts, so it shouldn't be difficult to teach, but retrieving objects isn't natural for most dogs.

Try the bait-and-switch technique to get your Dog to bring the toy to you.

This entails throwing one toy and then teasing your Dog with the second once he or she has caught and held the first.

Your Dog may return to you while still holding the first toy, but even if it doesn't, you should throw the second one.

Once your dog has the toy in its mouth, call its name and then toss the second toy in the opposite direction of the first.

To recover the second toy, your dog should drop the first toy.

It's your task to run and pick up the first toy while it's chasing the second toy.

Then call it by its name once more, and continue the process.

Once your dog has the ball, you must use this technique to keep it from playing keep-away.

You may also use the "bring it" command to bring something to you.

If your dog tends to drop the toy before returning it completely, this command will come in handy.

Make a mental note of where your dog usually drops the toy and say "bring it" when it gets there.

Then, while waving your arms towards your dog, move backwards away from your dog until it begins to follow you.

When your dog gets to the location where you were originally standing, call "drop it" and return to that location to recover the toy.

Continue to use this strategy, and your dog should be able to get farther and farther before losing the toy.

Train It to Drop It

The bait-and-switch tactic works well for teaching your Dog to drop the first toy after retrieval in anticipation of a second one, but you must teach your Dog a verbal cue for this to be truly effective.

What is the best way to teach a Dog to drop the ball or toy? Place a reward near its nose and tell it to 'drop it.' The Dog will abandon the toy in favour of the treat, and you can then reward it.

Reduce the requirement for a reward gradually by extending the time between the 'drop it's instruction and the treat.

You can accomplish this by holding an empty fist in front of your toy-carrying dog, instructing it to 'drop it,' and then revealing your hand to be empty before giving it a treat from your pocket.

What If My Dog Isn't Interested?

If your Dog refuses to bring the ball or toy all the way back or shows little interest in chasing after it, you can simply bond with it by playing tug-of-war or another game that they enjoy.

Here are some things you may do to pique your dog's interest in learning to fetch:

Experiment With New Fetch Toys

If your Dog isn't interested in chasing the fetch toys you bought for him; it's time to think outside the box.

For Dogs who enjoy tugging, use a ball or toy with a unique feel, or tie the toy to a thread.

Squishy, noisy balls, as well as crinkly toys, are very appealing to dogs, and swinging a plushie-like toy side to side at a moderate speed will stimulate your dog's prey drive.

Make Some Toys Valuable

You can generate interest in the game if you can build interest in the toys.

Make retrieve toys more appealing to your Dog by increasing their value.

You can accomplish this by storing the toy out of sight when not in use.

When you bring such a toy out, make sure to act ecstatic and as though it's a huge deal.

To keep the 'valuable' toy's charm, keep play sessions with it brief.

Throw Shorter Distances

If you can train your Dog to pick up a toy, but it isn't interested in returning it when thrown, try throwing the object from a shorter distance.

Throwing the toy too far away may cause the Dog to misinterpret your meaning.

To counteract this, throw the toy for roughly a foot and make it clear that you want your Dog to chase it by encouraging it with praise and displaying enthusiasm.

Make It a Competition

Making fetch into a competition is another simple method to get your Dog raved about it.

Dogs enjoy friendly competition, and they are more inclined to participate if they witness another Dog or human doing something they enjoy.

To employ this, make your Dog compete with other Dogs or chase after the toy after you throw it, giving the appearance that you truly want to be the first to get to it.

Even the most uninterested Dogs will develop the habit of chasing the retrieve toy if you do it this way.

Make It Enjoyable

The basic fetch game is enjoyable for most dogs, but that doesn't mean you can't mix things up to make it more enjoyable for your dog.

Because the aim of a game is to have fun, feel free to add any extra features you like.

Using a ball with a string connected, concealing rewards within the toy, having your Dog swim to the throne item, and so on are all ways to change fetch.

The finished skill will be a smooth cued retrieval of any toy with a little patience and continuous repetition.

Remember that when you teach your Dog to retrieve, the reward isn't the game itself, and you'll want to keep rewarding the fetching behaviour with goodies.