How To Train A Dog Fetch

Introduction

If your dog thinks that fetch is a game where you throw something and then never get it back, you may have some trouble training them to retrieve. However, once your dog has the basic concept of fetching down, teaching them to bring it back to you is actually pretty easy. The key is convincing your dog that coming to you with the toy ends the game and brings a reward. To help you do this, we’ve put together a quick guide on how to train your dog to fetch and bring it back when you call them over!

Grab your dog’s favorite toy

Before you can start training your dog to fetch, you need to pick a toy that is safe for them to chew on. Make sure it’s not something they could choke on or be allergic to. This is especially important if you have an older dog that doesn’t have many teeth left.

If the toy is too small and hard, your dog may not be able to bite down on it well enough during playtime. If the toy is too big and soft, it could end up being a choking hazard instead of a fun game!

Break it into bite-sized pieces.

Now that you’ve decided to teach your dog how to fetch, it’s time to get down to business.

There are several ways of breaking the task down, but I’d recommend breaking it into bite-sized pieces. That is, make sure that whatever you’re giving your dog as his training reward is small enough for him to chew, hold in his mouth and swallow safely.

The smaller the reward item, the quicker your dog will learn how to fetch because he’ll be able to practice more times between breaks and with shorter breaks between each attempt at learning this new behavior.

Throw one piece as far as you can.

You must have a good throw and aim.
You must have a good throw, aim, and catch.
The dog will expect you to keep throwing pieces until the ball is exhausted and will not respond if you do not do so.
Once they realize that you are only throwing one piece at a time, they will start bringing it back immediately after catching it in order to get ready for the next throw instead of running around with it as they did when there were multiple pieces flying through the air at once

When your dog brings the piece back to you, give him a small piece of the treat and praise.

So, the first step is to get your dog excited about fetching. The second step is to get him interested in the toy. To do this, hold the toy and throw it a few times on its own until he starts running after it and brings it back to you. When he does this, give him a small piece of the treat and praise him heartily! This will make him want to continue doing what he just did so well (and also give himself another treat).

Once your dog is in the habit of bringing back whatever you throw for them, then it’s time to add in some commands so that they can learn how to do this on command instead of just whenever they feel like it—which may not be when you’re ready for them too!

Repeat until there is no more treat.

Once your dog brings the treat back to you, praise him enthusiastically and give him another treat. Repeat this step until there is no more treat. If at any point your dog chooses not to bring the toy back or keep playing with it after being told to drop it, simply start over from Step 1 again and don’t let him continue playing with his toy until he does exactly as he’s been instructed.

Encourage your dog to drop his toy by pointing at the floor near you with the treat in your hand.

Your dog will probably be reluctant to do this, so be patient and don’t force him. If he drops the toy before you’re ready, grab it and place it back on your arm. Try again in a day or two. Don’t make a big deal out of it if your dog is reluctant to drop the toy; just keep working on it when you have time until he’s comfortable doing this on command.

If at any point during training your dog drops his toy or puts it down for longer than 15 seconds, start over from step 1! This can get frustrating quickly but remember that training takes time and effort from both parties involved (you and your pup) so don’t get upset if he seems reluctant or uninterested at first!

Your dog will want to fetch and bring back the toys if they know they will get a reward when they come back with it.

The dog will want to bring back the toy because they will get praise. If you make a big deal out of it every time your dog brings you their toy, they will start bringing them back more often. When you see them with a toy, say something like “Yes!” or “Good boy!” and give them a treat as soon as they return with their toy.

The dog may also bring their toys back because if they do not, then there is no reward at all and this can be frustrating for your pet. If you are consistent in rewarding your pet for bringing back their toys every time, then eventually every time this happens it will become second nature for him/her and something that he/she does without thinking about it very much at all anymore; making sure someone gets rewarded when doing something good is always best practice anyway so why not train your pet this way too?

Conclusion

Congratulations on teaching your dog to fetch! Now that you have the basics down, you can take things even further and teach them to retrieve items like your newspaper or slippers. You can also use this technique with different commands like “bring me the newspaper” or “fetch me my slippers,” which makes it versatile enough for any situation. If you need additional help training other commands, such as sit and heel, check out our article about how to train a dog with treats.