How to Teach a Dog to Fetch

Playing fetch is a great way to exercise your dog and strengthen your bond with him at the same time. Many dogs are naturally good at chasing something that is thrown to them, but they may not always be good at bringing and giving it back. Teaching your dog how to complete the fetching process will help to make the game of fetch more fun for the both of you.

EditSteps

EditTeaching Your Dog to Drop His Toy

Use the “Drop it” command with a treat. Your dog may be good at catching and bringing the toy back to you, but may not know that he needs to drop it. To teach him how to drop his toy, hold a treat in one hand. With your dog sitting or standing in front of you, start shaking his favorite toy in your other hand until he gets excited (eg, wagging his tail). As you’re shaking the toy, give the verbal command “Take it.” After your dog is excited and you’ve given the command, allow him to take the toy from your hand with his mouth.^[1]
- After a few seconds, give him another verbal command– “Drop it”– to drop the toy.^[2]
- Your dog will probably not drop the toy once he has it in his mouth (at least not initially), which is why you’ll need the treat. Hold the treat close to his nose. Once he drops the toy, immediately reward him with the treat.^[3]
Use the “Drop it” command without a treat. Put the treat in your pocket. When he has his toy in his mouth, hold your hand in front of his nose as if you have the treat in your hand and give him the “Drop it” command. When he drops his toy, reward him with the treat.^[4]
- Eventually, your dog should be able to drop his toy with only the verbal command to do so.^[5]
Increase the time that your dog holds his toy in his mouth. Gradually increase the amount of time that he must hold his toy before you give him the “Drop it” command.^[6] The longer he can hold his toy in his mouth, the easier it will be for you to him teach him the next parts of the fetching process. Increase the time by a few seconds each time you practice.
- If he drops the toy before you command him to do so, start again shorten the period of time that he has to hold it.^[7]
- Remember to reward him each time he drops his toy at your command.
- Practice the “Drop it” command each day until your dog is comfortable with it and has mastered it. This part may take longer if he is reluctant to give up his toy once he has it in his mouth. Practice in short intervals (5 to 15 minutes) several times a day.

EditTeaching Your Dog To Bring His Toy Back To You

Play ‘Bait-and-Switch’ with your dog. If you notice that your dog chases after his toy but doesn’t bring it back to you, try playing fetch with two of his favorite toys. To play the ‘bait-and-switch’ game, throw his first toy. When he fetches this toy, call him to get his attention. Once he starts turning to you, throw his second toy in the opposite direction that you threw the first toy. He’ll probably drop the first toy to go chase after the second one.^[8]
- When he’s chasing the second toy, run and get his first toy. Call his name, and repeat the process. Your dog probably sees this as a fun game of chase, but you are teaching him to turn back to you.^[9]
- After doing this a few times, throw your dog’s first toy again. Call his name, but do not throw the second toy yet. When he gets closer to you with the first toy in his mouth, give him the “Drop it” command and show him the second toy. When he drops his first toy, throw the second one. When he chases after the second toy, pick up his first toy and repeat the process.^[10]
- Eventually, your dog will learn will learn to bring his toy back to you after you throw it to him, without the need for the second toy.^[11]
Play ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with your dog. This is another game to teach your dog to give his toy back to you. Attach a leash or rope to his toy and throw the toy. If your dog catches it but doesn’t bring it back, wiggle the leash or rope and start running in the opposite direction. Chances are that your dog will start chasing you with the toy still in his mouth. Give him a treat if he does so.^[12]
- If your dog initially drops the toy and doesn’t chase after it, wiggle the leash or rope a little more and start running away. Eventually, he should try to chase after and catch the toy. Give him a treat when he gets closer to you with the toy. ^[13]
- After a few weeks’ time, your dog will learn that he should bring his toy back to you after you throw it to him.^[14]
Teach your dog to bring his toy closer to you. If your dog tends to drop his toy before bringing it all the way to you, stand in place and say “Bring it” just as he reaches the point where he usually drops it. Wave your arm to gesture that he should follow you, and then start walking away from him. When he starts to follow you and reaches the place where you were originally standing, say “Drop it” and walk back towards him to pick up the toy.^[15]
- It may take a few weeks before your dog understands the “Bring it” command, so be patient with him.^[16]

EditTips

There are many reasons why a dog may not want to fetch or isn’t very good at it. For example, he may have a medical issue such as arthritis that would make running back and forth difficult. He may also perceive the returning and dropping of his toy as punishment, or think that fetching simply isn’t as fun as other activities.^[17]
Keeping your training sessions short will keep both you and your dog from getting tired and/or frustrated with the training process.
Other than treats and verbal praise, you can also reward your dog with extra play time. Every dog is different, so identify what type of reward works best for your dog and use it throughout the training process.^[18]
You can also teach your dog to fetch different types of objects, including the newspaper.^[19]
Be patient. Not all dogs take to fetching readily, and even those who do often need a little help on one of the steps.
Training a dog to fetch takes time. Try to practice several times a day. Be ready to spend several days to a week on each step.

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EditSources and Citations

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