• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Petsium

Pet Care, Pet Training, Pet Food, Pet Health and Everything Pets

  • Home
  • Dogs
  • Cats
  • Guinea Pig
  • Parrot Pet
  • Rabbits
  • Hamster
  • Goldfish
  • Horses

How To Teach A Dog To Fetch in 9 Steps

November 20, 2020 By liv parmel Leave a Comment

To teach a dog to play fetch is not rocket science but it does take a bit of free time and effort on the owner’s end.

Some dogs fetch by instinct while others need a little bit of training, but once they’ve gotten a taste for this interactive, fun game of throwing and retrieving, they will continuously indulge in such prey-carrying-like behavior. Playing fetch provides your furbaby with great mental stimulation and healthy physical exercise while strengthening your bond together. It also helps your dog with learning how to drop an object on cue.

how to train your dog to fetch

Post Navigation

  • How To Teach a Dog To Fetch Step-by-Step
  • Let Your Dog Choose The Fetch Toy
  • Moving The Toy Around
  • Encourage Your Dog To Touch His/her Nose To The Fetch Toy
  • Further Encourage Your Dog To Grab The Toy With His/her Mouth
  • Throw The Fetch Toy But Not Too Far Away
  • Getting Your Dog To Retrieve The Toy
  • Teaching Your Dog To Fetch All The Way
  • If Your Dog Brings The Toy Back, Throw It Again Immediately
  • Throw The Fetch Toy Gradually Farther Away
  • The Bottom Line

How To Teach a Dog To Fetch Step-by-Step

To teach a dog to fetch, you will need one ( or a few) of his/her favorite toys, an incentive such as some treats that you know your dog loves, a clicker ( but not necessarily), and a bit of time and patience on your part. It’s best to teach your dog to fetch outdoors but in an enclosed area such as a fenced-in public space or your backyard, because once let off the leash, you will want to make sure your dog doesn’t get distracted/run away. Alternatively, you can teach your dog to play fetch indoors.

Let Your Dog Choose The Fetch Toy

It’s essential to allow your dog to choose the fetch toy he/she is most interested in, as different dogs like different toys. Some dogs prefer tennis balls, some show more interest in rope toys, some enjoy chew toys or stuffed toys, while others love to play fetch with frisbees, wood sticks, or pine cones. Place a few toys on the ground so that your canine friend can choose the one that he/she finds the most fetching ( pun intended), and then put away the other toys.

Moving The Toy Around

Stimulate your dog’s interest by moving the toy around. Most dogs will instinctually and immediately show interest in any object that moves, so a little bit of movement may be all it takes for your dog to start chasing after the chosen toy. You can toss the toy in the air and then catch it, juggle it, wave it around, or any other movement you can think of to entice your dog into the game of fetch.

Encourage Your Dog To Touch His/her Nose To The Fetch Toy

Once you’ve moved it around for a couple of minutes, it’s time to check his/her interest, so start waving it around at your dog’s level. If he/she touches the fetch toy, you will then immediately click ( or clap if you don’t have a clicker), reward your furbaby with a yummy treat, and don’t forget to praise him/her.

Further Encourage Your Dog To Grab The Toy With His/her Mouth

If your dog touches the toy but doesn’t want to grab it with his/her mouth, be sure to get him/her to do so by tossing it for several more minutes, then holding the toy in one hand and keeping the treat in the other hand. Let your dog touch his/her nose to it again and then place the toy on the ground. If your dog uses his/her mouth to touch it, you should click, reward, and praise him/her. This way, your dog will start associate picking the toy up with a yummy reward.

Throw The Fetch Toy But Not Too Far Away

Once your dog has grabbed the fetch toy with his/her mouth, you can tell that your dog is ready to start playing fetch. Ideally, you should first throw the fetch toy no more than 5 feet away. If he/she heads in the direction of the toy and picks it up using his/her mouth, you will then instantly click or clap, give him/her a treat and lots of praises. This way, your dog will most likely understand that he/she is doing the right thing by picking the toy up every time you throw it and that’s why he/she is getting a delicious treat.

how to teach a dog to retrieve items

Getting Your Dog To Retrieve The Toy

Once your dog has grabbed the toy, you should head in the opposite direction. Getting your dog to retrieve the toy is typically the trickiest part of teaching a dog to fetch. To encourage your dog to bring the fetch toy back to you, you should head or run in the opposite direction as soon as he/she picks it up. Your dog will most likely follow you; be sure to avoid saying “come” or saying his/her name. Keep in mind that your dog should _move towards you_, not vice-versa.

Teaching Your Dog To Fetch All The Way

If your dog drops the toy partway, you should click or clap and continue to run/move in the opposite direction. It’s important to avoid the urge to give him/her a treat or to praise him/her at this point because your dog needs to understand that dropping the toy partway to you is not an option, and he/she will not get a reward if he/she doesn’t bring it all the way back.

If Your Dog Brings The Toy Back, Throw It Again Immediately

It’s best to avoid holding on to the toy for too long after your dog has brought it back to you. While you can still reward your dog with a treat, be sure to do it fast and then throw the fetch toy again, because after all, the goal is to teach your dog to play fetch and love this game, not just the treats he/she gets.

Throw The Fetch Toy Gradually Farther Away

Once you’re confident that you’ve managed to teach a dog to fetch, you can throw the fetch toy farther and farther away. Every time he/she successfully brings the toy back to you, you should click or clap, reward him/her with a treat and heavily praise your canine companion. Optionally, you can say the word “fetch” before throwing the toy and make it even more dynamic by holding your furbaby back for a while after tossing the toy.

The Bottom Line

If in spite of your efforts your dog only chases after the toy but doesn’t bring it back, or your efforts of teaching your dog how to fetch don’t prove fruitful at all, you shouldn’t despair. There are plenty of outdoor activities such as walking and hiking, camping, swimming, scent training, etc. that can be taken into consideration if somehow you can’t teach a dog to fetch. After all, enjoying some quality time together is all that matters.

Filed Under: Dogs

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Catit Senses 2.0 Cat Grass Planter

Catit Senses 2.0 Grass Planter

Categories

  • Cats
  • Dogs
  • Goldfish
  • Guinea Pig
  • Hamster
  • Horses
  • Parrot Pet
  • Rabbits

Recent Posts

  • Dog Body Language
  • Winter Horse Blankets
  • Gifts for Cats and Cat Lovers
  • Burmese Cat Facts
  • Horse Hoof Care – Keep Your Horse’s Hooves Healthy
  • Male Guinea Pig Names
  • Horse Training Voice Commands
  • Cat Lifespan
  • Horse Body Language
  • How to Groom a Horse

Tags

cat foods Cat Safety different types of cats Dog Arthritis Dog Barking Dog Behavior dog potty training dog training Dry Cat Food dwarf rabbits Goldfish Care Grey Parrot Guinea Pig guinea pig feeding guinea pigs need hay Hamster Cage Hamster food hamster pet How to litter train a cat How To Take Care Of A Newborn Kitten Kitten make dog happy Netherland Dwarf Rabbit parrot food Parrot Information Parrot Step Up persian cat colors persian cat personality Persian Cats Pets Rabbit Rabbit for Pet rabbit for pets at home rabbit pet for child Siamese cats Stop Dog Chewing Stop Dog Digging Syrian Hamsters Ticks and Fleas Wet Cat Food

Disclaimer:

This website “PETSIUM” is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from these articles.

The articles provided here is for information and entertainment purposes only. The decision to use, or not to use, any of this information is the sole responsibility of the reader.

Any medical related in any articles is not intended as diagnosis, treatment or prescription. It is not intended to be a medical advice and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with a licensed health care practitioner if you are dealing with a serious medical problem.

Footer

Welcome to PETSium.com

PETSium.com offers information about pets including dogs, cats, fish, birds, rodents and more. The staff of PETSium.com have spent a large amount of time for research about all information of these pets.

To find valuable tips and tricks for dealing with your pet problems please visit the PETSium.com pages they are filled with great information such as health, training, food, care of our pets and much more useful advices.

pets on petsium

PETSium Photos

all you need to know about hamster
Goldfish Care
small dog breads for city living
buying a parrot for pet

Categories

  • Cats
  • Dogs
  • Goldfish
  • Guinea Pig
  • Hamster
  • Horses
  • Parrot Pet
  • Rabbits

Best Tips for Pets on PETSium

  • Dog Body Language
  • Winter Horse Blankets
  • Gifts for Cats and Cat Lovers
  • Burmese Cat Facts
  • Horse Hoof Care – Keep Your Horse’s Hooves Healthy
  • Male Guinea Pig Names
  • Horse Training Voice Commands
  • Cat Lifespan

Affiliate disclosure

PETSium.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to (“PETSium” (amazon.com, or endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com).

Pet Resources

Dog Name Hero

© 2021 Petsium · Privacy Policy