Teach Your Dog to Fetch for Fun, Friendship and Fitness

The inclination to retrieve is highly prized in dogs and has been encouraged through breeding and training over the course of hundreds of years so that dogs can assist people in a myriad of tasks. Retrieving can be most useful in the work of service dogs who can be taught to fetch objects for individuals with disabilities. But, retrieving can also be of immense benefit to the daily and long term quality of life for pet dogs and their people.

Teaching your dog to fetch is a superb outlet for mental and physical energy and as part of an overall health and well-being program. After all, a dog who gets to fetch toys for at least a few vigorous 3-5 minute sessions a day is less likely to suffer from obesity. But, these play/training sessions can also help to cement the canine/human bond and to develop a more cooperative relationship between the dog and it's people. A dog who is having a blast running to get it's favorite toy, who then brings it back to it's person to offer it back to them on request, and then sits or lies down to say "please" for another toss, is getting numerous opportunities to practice the give and take of a healthy relationship.

Many dogs have a natural desire to chase fast moving things (in this case a ball or toy). Others seem to have an aptitude to bring the toy back to their person with just a bit of prompting. However, most dogs require guidance on how to play the game of fetch. Helping your dog learn the rules of the game ensures that one of the most important benefits of playing fetch will be achieved. That is, both you and your dog will have the most fun.

Before teaching your dog any behavior that includes the potential for rigorous movement, be sure to chat with your veterinarian to confirm this is appropriate for your dog. Once your vet has given you the green light, it's time to start working towards achieving fetching success.

Regardless of your dog's breed, it is advisable to begin with your dog on leash. Even those dogs who have been specifically developed to have a strong desire to fetch are likely to need your guidance to learn the ins and outs of playing within the bounds. Keeping your dog on leash until fetching (i.e. going to get the toy and bringing it back to you to drop it on request) is a reliable behavior provides you with a gentle and effective way to help prevent your dog from learning to simply run and get the toy and then run off with it. Being chased can be loads of fun for some dogs. So, if a dog grabs a toy and plays keep away with it, being chased by a person will serve to reinforce this game of keep away. At this point the game has changed to the person being the one trying to fetch!

I had a lesson about five months ago with a family who had a new Labrador Retriever pup. They insisted there was no need to keep her on leash while playing fetch. Their pup had come from retrieving lines and was, in fact, showing a strong instinct to fetch starting at 9 weeks-old. However, by the time "Lana" was 6 months-old she had moved into her adolescent phase and she had decided that grabbing the toy and running wildly around their apartment or in the enclosed dog park was loads more fun than just bringing it back to people. At this point, they agreed to keep her on leash. Now, a month later, "Lana" is back on the right fetching track. Preventing her from practicing behaviors that compete with fetching means the behaviors they like (running to get the toy, bringing it back, and dropping it on request) are now getting an opportunity to become strongly developed habits.

In addition to the leash, it is advisable to reserve two or three of your dog's favorite toys for fetch time. The laws of supply and demand work as well with dogs and their toys as with people and the things they covet. By taking these special toys out just at fetch time (at least at the beginning of training) you are helping your dog to more easily achieve success.

With your dog on leash, and while holding one of these highly prized toys, stand in front of your dog and wait silently for her to offer you a sit (even if you haven't yet taught your dog to sit on request). Your dog may jump, but will eventually sit. When she does, say "yes!" and toss the toy a few feet away (no farther than the length of the leash). In all likelihood, your dog will run to the toy to pick it up. When this happens, calmly encourage her back to you using your voice and hands. If she starts to run off with the toy, gently use the leash to prevent this. When she gets back to you, reach into your treat/toy pouch (get one that hooks on your hip) and take out another toy to offer her in exchange for the one she brings back. Most dogs are into novel objects, so will likely drop the toy they have to investigate the new one. When she does, pick up the first toy, wait for her to sit again and then toss the toy. Keep these initial sessions very brief (no more than a few minutes). Again, using the concept of supply and demand to end the game leaving your dog wanting more. This will benefit you in upcoming sessions and in the long run.

If your dog is having a tough time with the idea of surrendering a toy back to you once she has retrieved it, set aside time to work on ths part of the fetch game separately. Check out our other posts on how to work on this skill.

Once your dog is reliably fetching indoors (long hallways are ideal spots to begin) you can start to play in larger areas with more distractions (in these situations a longer leash is in order). Be sure to reserve off leash fetching for when you are confident your dog will be able to do so. A good rule of thumb with this, or any behavior, is to only take a step ahead in regards to the difficulty of the task when you are willing to bet $100 your dog will be successful. As with building any learning muscle, loads of repetitions are in order. But, these are surely more fun than the reps you would do at a gym to build your own physical muscles!