Varying the Intensity of the Retrieve to the Delight of Your Dog
Keep the game of fetch from growing stale by changing it up once in a while.
You can vary the intensity of the retrieve by using different types of balls and other toys. You can use herding balls, for example, to increase the difficulty of the retrieve. These balls require a lot more thought to return, as your dog must push them with their shoulders or nose.
Training dummies, flying discs and tumbling fetch toys can all liven up the game as well. With even a few of these toys, your dog will delight in the various ways to play fetch with you.
Although it can take a little while to teach your dog to drop the ball at your feet, your efforts will undoubtedly pay off in the long run.
With every activity you teach your dog to complete, your shared understanding and bond deepens. Your ability to clearly communicate with your dog also improves, making the training process more approachable for you both.
My Dog Won’t Bring The Ball All The Way Back – Why?
To learn how to teach a dog to drop a ball at your feet, you must first reflect on the possible cause of the behavior. With the insights you gain here, you can potentially troubleshoot the issue and come up with a great solution.
Dogs are unique individuals with preferences, likes and dislikes all their own, after all. They also tend to have their own agendas and are not usually masters of human language. So, there are usually a lot of reasons why dogs won’t bring the ball all the way back to you during a game of fetch. These reasons include…
Add Extra Motivation
Want to encourage her to give chase even more? Try holding her back after throwing the toy. She’ll naturally tug against you, especially if you offer verbal encouragement while still holding her back. Once you finally let go, she’ll be after the object like a rocket.
14 Signs Your Dog Doesn’t Love You (Even if You Think They Do)
Teaching your dog how to fetch seems like it should be one of those things that’s so simple it requires no real thought or effort. After all, dogs love both playing and pleasing their humans, and fetch involves both of these things — you should just be able to do it, right?
While there are some dogs that just seem to intrinsically understand the game and will automatically chase and retrieve whatever object you use the first time you try, most do not. Either they sit and stare at you, wondering why you would choose to throw away a perfectly good toy, or they chase after the object but don’t “catch” it, or bring it back.