Teach Your Dog to Fetch Things

Teach Your Dog to Fetch Things by Jeff Nenadic

Having a pet is wonderful as they can be your great friends and companions, and the best stress busters. They may not behave like us, but they do need attention, love, care, and respect. They need to be disciplined just like kids with patience, love and understanding.

If you want your dog to be well behaved and disciplined, you need to have its attention, to make sure that it understands what you are trying to say/teach. No use trying to tell your dog something if it is out of sight or ear shot, for if it isn't interested, it shall not obey and ignore your words; which means it is okay to ignore (a wrong signal).

Before you start teaching, your dog needs to learn to concentrate on you and what you are saying. A simple way to start is via the game of Fetch which can be played with a stick, ball, or cloth. The benefits of the game is that it is interesting, makes the dog learn to observe, understand and respond to you; plus the exercise, and fun that goes along with it.

Please note that your dog might take time to respond, and learn especially the independent and shy dogs plus those who aren't the type to fetch things. Hence, be patient. You shall need to pamper and shower them with love and attention after every session regardless of whether they did what you wanted or not. Remember they need to be trained just as you teach a kid anything new. Moreover, start training early to get better results.

You can start with some colorful thing (cloth/ball/stick) and grab your dog attention by dangling in front of it. If it responds by trying to lick/catch it, throw it at a short distance away from you. Whatever the dog does (sniffing/picking it up), praise it so that it realizes that it has done something good. If the dog picks it up, teach it to return to you through gestures (clapping/waving hands, calling its name) or anything else you think it shall respond to. Don't expect it to fetch or return at once, as taking interest and learning takes time.

You can increase its interest with colorful items, something that moves as movement generally attracts dogs. Get the dog to notice the object by moving/throwing the object, or just letting the dog feel/touch it. If the dog responses slowly, create interest like making it face a wall, so the object (ball) returns back to him.

As the session progresses, gradually increase the distance between the object to fetch and you. Increase the number of fetches until the dog actually picks it and runs away with it. Here, you need to redirect it back to you through a gentle tuck or nudge of the cord tied to its collar.

Hence, it might be tough in the beginning but it pays in the long run to be patient for once the dog learns to fetch and obey you, teaching new tricks or activities become easier.



About the Author
Written by Jeff Nenadic from My Dog Shop - check for current specials on chew toys online.