Teaching your dog to fetch objects will not be an easy task, but with patience and time you will achieve it. The great advantage is that these pets love to please their master, which will be of great help in this arduous process.
Keep in mind that training cannot be a game, but neither can some force be imposed on the dog; In the education of these canines there are really no strict rules and it is also important to know that all dogs are not the same, so the answers we bring you may or may not work, yes, when you see that something works, do not stop doing it.
Dare to teach a dog to fetch objects knowing the following:
- Dogs like to please and like to please themselves.
- Bringing different objects and playing this is part of a good training program.
- Dogs have an instinct that makes them pick up objects and they also often need some order.
- The dog can take objects that may be asked of them, of course, if they are physically possible.
- As we already mentioned, the earlier the training begins, the better it will be.
Puppy
It will be much easier when you start training your dog, even if it is still a puppy, they respond better to commands and learn more quickly.
The object
You should choose an object that is small enough to fit well in his mouth, but it can’t be too big for him to swallow, that is, you have to find an object of intermediate size that fits well with the size of his mouth. You could use a stick, cut a piece that is approximately 10 to 12 cm and round its ends so that your dog does not get hurt.
Throw of the object
You should start by throwing the object just a few meters away, the dog will go there to analyze it with his mouth; in the same way that humans feel different objects with their fingers, and dogs do it with their mouths. When you see that they already have the object in their mouth, do the same thing you always do to get their attention and that way you will make it reach the target. Point where you are. Undoubtedly, the main objective here is for your pet to reach you along with the object.
The practice
You should practice this exercise several times a day and you will see how soon your canine will be bringing you different objects, even from a long distance; In addition, this practice becomes an excellent exercise for both you and your pet.
What if the above doesn’t work for you?
If the above does not work for you, opt for the following technique, usually dogs have toys of preference, take two of these and what you should do is throw one at him while you have the other in your hand, so while he goes for one you attract it with the other and alternate them; To make this work even better, use a toy that makes noise to get more of his attention.
The trainings
Sessions should be shorter at first, no more than five minutes, or even less with certain breeds; Puppies, like children, have a short attention span. It is extremely important to make this training fun for your dog and not see it as a job that will end up boring him.
It is also important that after you have chosen what routine to practice, you do not change it, because this way you will make this become a behavior that is conditioned, if you start asking your canine to do different things in each shot, what you will achieve is to confuse it.
Progress
It is good that you progress with your dog as quickly as possible, but if you see that it will be necessary to go back at a certain step, do not be discouraged, do it and continue with the training.
Recommendation
It will be ideal for you to start teaching your dog to fetch objects at the same time that he receives some education based on obedience, because in this way you will be controlling him better.
Let him chase what he likes the most, he may prefer the balls or on the contrary the sticks, because what you have to look for is that the canine is interested in the activity, so he, in a certain way, will be bringing you the treasure that he carries in his mouth; you should congratulate him every time he brings you the object, you can forge this training with the following words that express order while he is bringing the object: sitting, still, next, here, and be careful to use the word No, this could cause him to leave the object.
