Fetch is a dog-owning sport that originated in the Netherlands. It has grown in popularity over the past decade due to its focus on fitness and control.
Fetch is a basic training method that uses a target or mark to help guide your dog. The mark can be a piece of litter, an invisible fence, or another piece of space targeted for your dog.
The mark can be used as self-improvement too: by building your confidence in front of your dog, or as a way to set off fun (or not) games together.
Basic fetching is just moving the target out into the distance where your dog can reach it. If they can not get it, put it far enough that they will have to go back out again!
There are many variations on how to teach fetch to dogs of all sizes and shapes.
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Hold a throwing ball in your hand
When your dog is ready to fetch, make sure she holds the ball in her hand for about a minute before you start playing with it. This allows her time to learn the command and how to hold and throw a ball.
This is called learning the skill on a leisurely basis. When this happens, it is easier for you to teach your dog new tricks.
For example, when you teach your dog theball trick, he needs to be able to pick up the ball and put it down. You need to be able to do this without him taking off with it. By having him hold the ball for a minute before playing, he is more likely to stay confident in this area.
Another trick that helps learn new skills is taking things out of different places. When I taught my dog how to fetch, we would take his paper aerokennel outside whenever we were doing other things like walking or playing with other dogs. This made it more of a skill (outside) than a technique (inside).
Run and throw the ball
Fetch is a great dog training toy. It is similar to a volleyball, but with a ball instead of a volleyball plate. This toy can be played with both indoor and outdoor.
The fetch toy is very popular among dogs in the puppy stage. Since these toys are easy to play with, dogs can make many months of progress on it.
There are two main ways of training a dog to fetch. The first is to teach your dog at the house- off-the-floor fetch. The second is to set up an outdoor fete.
Set the fete ball as close to your dog as possible as possible. Then, run and throw the ball as far as you can away! Doing this several times will get your dog ready for off-the-floor fetching.
Run and throw the rock
Most dogs enjoy fetching if they are taught to do it. A fetching lesson should be simple enough that a dog can learn it in a day or two.
In order for rock fetching to work, your dog must have to experience frustration when trying to fetch. It is best to start off with a short, simple feat such as bringing a rock back onto the floor or up onto the table.
This can be accomplished by letting your dog get ahead of you and throwing the rock as far as possible into the air before he/she catches it. Once he/she does this, you can add more distance and let him/her throw the rock as hard as possible.
Remember, your dog must be able to hold their bladder and pain for this treatment to work.
Encourage your dog to come to you
When your dog is learning to fetch, the first thing you want to do is encourage them to fetch. This means letting them get off the ground, and working at teaching them how to fetch.
The best way to teach a dog to fetch is by offering a good location and then bringing the dog away. Once they are able to retrieve, give a higher value gesture such as a soft toy or an encouraging Bark Basket.
Don’t rush this process or give up before your dog does! This is one of those skills that will make you very proud of your dog when they are ready.
Consider having a next-of-kin-ship event if you learn yourself too soon.
Hold the item close to your body
When your dog is learning to fetch, the best way to teach him to bring an item back is to make it very close to you.
This means having a safe place for your dog to get the hang of fetch. He should be able to bring an item back in a few tries, and you should be able to keep teaching him after that!
Keeping an easy-to-catch toy or item is a good way to start teaching your dog. Once he can get the hang of it, you can add in some more challenging toys or items.
His instinct may be to throw or carry the item, so this may be helpful training him also. Once he can keep this up, he can try bringing something more substantial!
Never force anything onto your dog, even if he seems willing enough. Only take steps toward helping him achieve his goal of fetching.
Drop the item when your dog is close enough
Most dogs find fetch to be a fun, challenging way to get their daily exercise.
If you teach your dog to fetch by following the rule that when you see an item, she has to fetch it herself, you will be wasting your time.
The world-famous dog trainer John Bradshaw (who wrote The Fetch Book) says that most dogs cannot retrieve a item as well as one week in the spring and summer.
If you want your dog to retrieve something more advanced like a ball or shape, then the best way to teach him how to retrieve is by dropping the item and letting him find it himself.
This may sound hard at first, but once you start it, you will see why it works. It takes some time and practice, but eventually your dog will learn how to “find” new things.
Tell your dog to “get it” or “fetch”
A fetching dog needs to be taught how to fetch, so start by teaching your dog a basic fetching command.
Most dogs understand the concept of coming when called, so it is not a difficult skill to teach. The key is determining the right way to teach the fetching command.
There are two ways to teach a dog to fetch. The more common way is to use a pre-targeted model faucet. This model faucet is held down and used as a launching pad for the dog to retrieve its item.
The other way is to use a changing bag, or an old teddy bear, as the fetching target. The changing bag or toy must be small enough for your dog to reach!
When teaching the basic fetched command, make sure you always have an easy target location.
Throw it a short distance at first
If your dog is not yet able to fetch a ball, do not try to make him for example fetch toys or other objects. Instead of making him wait for your command to fetch, we recommend you start with a very small object.
When your dog can pick up an object in the air, we introduce smaller and smaller objects in a container. By letting your dog have access to the container, he will be more comfortable when trying to retrieve the object.
Do not make the container very large or strong because this will cause stress- if your dog loses interest, he will be forced to return it. A good size is around half of your actual hand size.
Once he gets the hang of it, let him go! He can then try other things such as hunting for birds or playing with others dogs at play groups.