I was at my first lesson with a cute couple who had just adopted a three year old Golden Retriever. We headed out to the backyard to do some obedience training and exercise with his dog. At one point, the wife picked up a tennis ball, she excited the dog and he threw the ball. El Dorado looked at the ball, looked at the wife and didn’t budget an inch toward the ball.
The wife, looking at her dog, looked at the ball and went to get the ball. When she came back I told her that everything was backwards, that when she throws the ball the dog is supposed to get it back. We both laughed a lot and started teaching her dog to fetch.
Teaching your dog to fetch is a wonderful activity. A dog that recovers tends to get more exercise than a dog that doesn’t. With a retriever, it’s easy for you to just stand in one spot and throw your dog a ball. Many dogs like to chase the ball and bring it back to the owner. When the dog gets close enough, he begins to play fetch away. You can get your dog to give you the ball by having two tennis balls with you.
Throw the first ball and let your dog chase it. When your dog starts to come towards you, ask him to “let go.” If your dog won’t drop the ball, stop paying attention to your dog and pick up the second ball.
Start having fun with the second ball. Throw it in the air. Act like you’re having a lot of fun with the second ball. Keep doing this until your dog looks at you. If you have done this step correctly, your dog will drop the ball he has and look at the one you have.
As soon as your dog drops his ball, show him the ball you are holding. As soon as your dog focuses on the ball you are holding, throw it away. Repeat the process when your dog returns to you. In a short period of time, you will have your dog on the mend.
Dogs love chasing games. When he has a ball in his mouth and you try to take it away from your dog, your dog will play keep away from the ball. You need to outsmart your dog by using the second ball.
Give it a try.
