When your dog is constantly keeping her mouth on the toy for a couple of seconds before you click/praise and treat you can begin introducing a verbal cue like “hold.” Build up very slowly, adding just a half-second and then a second before you praise/click and treat.
Sit on the floor with your dog facing you, while holding a toy show it to your dog.The first step to teaching your dog to fetch is to teach hold: Teaching Hold Clicker training can be especially useful to help you communicate with your dog in the early stages of teaching the trick. Treats – For teaching your dog to fetch you want to have a lot of small pieces of high-value treats.Ĭlicker – if you use a clicker to train your dog, have it ready. I’ve even used fun fur pencil pouches filled with smelly treats for teaching fetch to dogs who are especially reluctant to put something in his mouth. If your dog is really not toy motivated especially if he is a rescue dog who didn’t have a lot of exposure to toys as a puppy it can help to find toys that have a velcro compartment to put food in can be very helpful. Some dogs are ball lovers while others prefer plush toys. This will let you get a feel for what kind of toys your dog is going to like. Toys – When teaching a dog to fetch, I like to have an array of toys available. Although fetch doesn’t come naturally to every dog, it is a skill that can be taught! Supplies Needed to Teach Fetch: Fetch is a game that most people want to play with their dog and it can be frustrating if you throw a toy and your dog just sits watching you or goes and gets the toy but doesn’t bring it back.
Similarly, some rescue dogs may not have had experience playing with toys as puppies and just don’t know what to do with a toy. Some dogs don’t have much interest in toys or aren’t naturally inclined to bring toys back after being thrown. While some dogs love to play fetch, and for dogs like retrievers the game comes very naturally, other dogs may find the idea of fetch foreign.