How do you teach a dog to catch?

Question

I have a 7 mo. olf puppy and I am trying to teach her to catch her treats in her mouth. How?

also advice on rolling over?

Answer 1

Toss them so that she can see them coming - and pick them up off the floor if she misses! Don't let her get them unless she catches them, and she'll learn quickly.
Remember to not call this trick anything until she's doing it reliably....otherwise "Catch it!" or whatever you choose to name this will mean "Stare blankly at Mom or Dad while they pitch treats at me."

Answer 2

Start by throwing or dropping the treat into her mouth from a very short distance, like one inch. If you hold a treat over her head, she will probably look up with her mouth open, so you can drop it in. Once she has the idea, start moving farther away, little by little.
Ability to catch depends partly on what kind of mouth and jaws the dog has. I have one dog with very strong jaws, and he will pretty much catch anything you throw to him. This isn't always a good idea. I knew one dog who caught a rock and broke a tooth. My other dog is tiny and has a delicate mouth. He has never wanted to catch anything; he doesn't want to risk getting hurt, and as for treats, he wants to sniff them before picking them up. I am sure I could teach him to catch very small treats, but I haven't really tried. I would have to lock up the other dog to keep him from interfering.