Tips for Training your Dog to Fetch

Are you fed up with tossing a ball, getting your dog to go get it, then he comes back without it?  Somewhere between you and where the ball landed, he has dropped it?  Another ball lost!  So just what is the great secret to training your dog to fetch?  
To start off, training your dog to fetch should not only be a fun activity, it can also be vital training for certain dogs, eg police dogs have to learn to locate drugs, weapons etc, hunting dogs have to learn to retrieve prey.

Fetching is actually a very natural activity for dogs in the wild, as they must go out, find food, and return it to the rest of their pack.  It should therefore be easy for your dog to learn the ‘fetch’command, yet this is not always the case.

The first thing that you need to do when training a dog to fetch is to get your dog interested in the item you are throwing for him.  If you just throw a ball, without getting his interest first, how can you expect him to want to retrieve it?

The dog needs to get excited – so show him the toy, let him sniff it, and then hide it behind your back. Repeat this a few times, even tease him a little by letting him try and take it from you, then pull it away and hold just out of his reach, but so he can still see it.

Ask your dog if he wants the toy and he should get excited. This is the time to throw the toy and tell him to “get it” or “fetch”, whichever term you prefer.

At the start of this training, he may well go to the toy and play with it in situ, rather than returning it to you. If your dog is ignoring the toy then choose another that is designed to be filled with treats, like the Kong toys.

Once your dog has touched the toy, call him to “come”. Some dogs will automatically bring the toy with them, but others won’t, they will drop the toy somewhere on route. If after several attempts this method is not working then try the following way to teach your dog to fetch.

Put him on a long leash that will allow him to go several feet away from you. Throw the toy and tell him to “fetch”. When he gets the toy, call him back and give the leash a gentle tug and also pull him towards you. If he repeatedly drops the toy, try using the “forced retrieve” method to train your dog to fetch.

Don’t worry, it is not as bad as it sounds. You throw the toy and then walk your dog to it.  You can then encourage him to pick it up. Praise him when he does this, using treats if you like.  Then you need to get your dog to bring the toy back to you, so with the toy in his mouth lead him back to where you started the exercise and reward him for carrying the toy.

Once your dog can obey these steps all the time, you can go back to throwing the toy and asking him to fetch it.  By now he should be understanding the command and what you are asking him to do.

Just remember that while you are training your dog to fetch you need to keep it fun for your dog and he will soon learn how to fetch.