Dog playing fetch?

Question

How can I teach my dog to fetch. He doesn't give the toy back and if I go to him (which isn't even fetch) he runs and starts to play keep away. The keep away game isn't good because then he even runs out of the house thinking we're still playing sometimes.

Answer 1

Treats and toys are what worked for me. Start by only throwing the ball a very short distance....say 5 feet and say "(Insert dog's name here), get it!". As soon as my dog had the ball in her mouth I would squeak one of her toys while holding it behind my back to get her attention. When she looked up, I showed her a treat and kept squeaking her toy so she'd come running. While I fed her the treat, I would scoop up the ball with the hand from behind my back. Eventually she got the idea that just bringing me the ball would earn her a treat and I could do away with the squeaking. At that point I was able to make her hold on to the ball until I had my hand on it (a lot of pointing to the ball and telling her to get it). Then I would give the command to give as I was giving her a treat with the other hand so she learned how let me take things from her mouth. We've practiced enough now that she stands still if I reach for something in her mouth and gives it up when I tell her give.

Answer 2

get about a 30ft rope and hook it to his collar and throw something that the dog will run after.when the dog picks it up tell the dog fetch it up and pull him toward you.as soon as he picks it up tell him fetch it up(or what ever you want your command to be)and pull him back to you.make sure you give him much praise.when he starts coming back on his own keep the rope on him for a couple more days just in case he wants to run away with it every once in a while.i have found it best to do this for about 15 minutes 2 time a day until the dog is trained.as soon as the dog gets tired of it stop so you keep it a game and not a job.before you know it the dog will want to play longer than you do.after he is trained to fetch you will be ready to teach him release.tell him release and pinch his ear.he will naturally open his mouth and drop the ball.if you want to shock your friends teach your dog to blind retrieve.richard a wolters has a book called water dog that will tell you how to train your dog how to do this.i currently have mastiff's and i trained them to retrieve upland birds for me.it shocks everybody to see a 200+lb dog to go fetch a bird.actually one does and the other is a 14week old pup in training.

Answer 3

I think sometimes it's easier or harder depending
on the breed of dog. I have an Australian shepherd
and fetching is his favorite thing to do, and almost
came naturally. Getting him to give me the toy/ball
for me to throw it again, is another story LOL.

I found a website with some tips :
Ready, Set, Fetch
A good way to introduce fetch to your dog is through the two-toy fetch method.
The rest of the info is in the link below. Good Luck!

Answer 4

First teach him the "come" and "drop it" command. After he knows these real well then teach him to retrieve while using a long rope or leash. After a while let go of the rope and after he is coming to you real good take the rope off. He should be fetching for you real good especially if you make it clear that you are the alpha at all times and that he must obey you. It sounds like your dog is controlling you instead of the other way around.

Answer 5

The old trick is to have the ball or rag or whatever you throw on a long string. Throw the item you want him to fetch and then when he has it in his mouth pull the string until you have the doggy and the ball in front of you. Praise him wildly-"Oh, you brought me the ball, give it to me and I'll throw it for you." Then keep throwing it and reeling him in after a while you can remove the string and he may have caught on to the game. Lots of "good doggy", and pats when he brings it back. Hope that helps,

Answer 6

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/xSjHF

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 7

I was having the same problem with my German Shepherd puppy. The trick is to get a couple tennis balls or balls that your dog can handle (don't know your breed). Throw one ball and when he gets it, show him the other ball and coax him to bring the first ball back to you. When he comes to you with the ball in his mouth, tell him to drop it and then throw the other ball. Just keep alternating the balls and he will start bringing one back and dropping it, ready to go get the 2nd ball when you throw it. Give this a try. It worked for me.

Answer 8

it took quite a while for my dog to learn to play fetch. when we 1st started, it was always human walking to the dog and i usually have to have treats with me.

but he, too, runs off to play catch. I learnt not to chase him, took him a while to realise that I won't run after him if he runs off.

when i do manage to get close, i gently try to pry the toy from his teeth telling him, "give me the toy" in a soft gentle voice, and rewarding him with treats when he finally gives in. my dog finally learn to associate giving me his toy with treats and began to run back to me with his toy when i started stayed put.

it was quite a long process as I have a dog with an extremely short attention span, but he is willing to do anything for the sake of food. good luck with yours!

Answer 9

that's really bad that he runs away thinking you are still playing . well i just think you should just keep practicing he should get it i mean my hamsters were mean and i just didnt give up and there are nice now. so, dont ever give up and just take it way if he doesnt give it back. that is kind of weird because usually they give it back.

Answer 10

My dog does the same thing...
it really bugs me. I am gonna put this on my watch list and then I will see what the answers are.

SO THANKS FOR ASKING!
I'm guessing do what bomullock and see if it works.