How to teach a dog to fetch things

If you, as a pet owner, are wondering what kind of cooperative play you can try with your dog, teaching him to fetch things is a terrific way for the two of you to bond and give your dog some exercise.

However, home training and the game of “bring the ball” are not easy for all dogs. You may have already noticed that when you throw a stick at her, she happily runs after it, but is in no hurry to bring it back to you.

Bringing things to the owner, be it a ball, a Frisbee, a stick or a shoe, is not an instinctive behavior for dogs, regardless of their breed (in fact, not even all retrievers do this). Because of this, many animals are simply not interested in returning things to the owner.

“Some dogs like to play catch-up. For such animals, the best part of the game is when a person runs after them to take the ball, ”explains Vetstreet. For them, the reward is to catch the thing, not to bring it back, so they’d rather wait until their owner goes for it himself.

Your pet may not even be interested in running after the object that you threw. Either this is a manifestation of her independent spirit, or she just likes to watch a flying ball. And then she looks at you and seems to want to say: “Well, what other trick will you show?”

The dog looks so cute when he sits next to his ball with a big smile on his face … But just imagine how much more fun it will be for you and your four-legged friend if you teach him to bring you things!

bring things

Animals become attached to their toys, so trying out your pet’s favorite toy is a great way to keep them interested (and keeping them interested). Rubber balls are the best for this – although your dog loves his stuffed rabbit, the ball is much stronger and will not break like a stuffed animal.

Not right away, but once you find a ball that your dog really enjoys, toss it around a bit so he gets used to it and becomes interested. For starters, you can throw the toy over short distances. As soon as she starts running after her and catching her, call her to come back to you and give the ball.

Promotion

First of all, you need to decide what reward the dog will receive if he brings you the ball. The best way to encourage her good behavior are treats for training or pieces of dog food. At first, you can encourage her every time, but gradually, as she begins to understand what’s what, reduce the edible rewards to nothing so that she does not think that the point of the game is to get a treat. Once your dog has learned the correct behavior, you can move on to “smaller rewards” (such as praise and extra praise) instead of food.

Remember to praise him at all stages of training to encourage correct behavior. When she brings the item, do not reach for it immediately, first praise the dog, stroke and treat. As soon as she learns to bring the item herself, expecting you to throw it again, then she has already begun to understand what the essence of this game is. Do not praise her if she does not return the ball – this will not reinforce the behavior you want.

commands

How to teach your dog commands at home? It’s good if your dog already knows basic commands like “sit” and “wait”. Teaching your dog to fetch includes other commands, such as “drop,” which is especially helpful if he doesn’t let the ball out of his mouth when he returns it to you. However, teaching this command in itself can be a task for individual lessons.

At first, you may have to offer your dog something like a treat in exchange for a ball, but over time, he should begin to understand the “drop” command. This can come in handy if, for example, she wants to eat something that she is not allowed to – so that you do not have to climb into her mouth.

Security

Playing fetch the ball with your dog is an ageless classic, but it’s important to keep your dog safe while playing. Make sure your dog is well trained or in a closed area so he doesn’t run away. If you’re playing in a dog park, make sure your pet doesn’t compete with other dogs, otherwise it could lead to a fight over the toy. Finally, always throw the toy away from danger – never throw it on the side of the road or in crowded places. Try not to drop it near water if your dog isn’t a very good swimmer or doesn’t want to go into the water to get the toy.

A little patience and perseverance, and you will teach your pet to bring things – this will be a useful lesson for you and for him. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends and you and your dog can spend countless hours playing this game. But what if your dog just doesn’t like playing fetch ball? There are plenty of other fun games that you and your four-legged friend can play together.

Who knows, maybe all this time it was he who taught you to bring things, and you had no idea.