There are many games that we can play with a dog, but without a doubt, teaching our dog to fetch the ball is one of the most complete and fun. Apart from playing with him and strengthening our bond, we are practicing different obedience commands, so it is very interesting to do it on a regular basis.
In this article we will explain in detail and with images, how to teach my dog to fetch the ball step by step, making the find it and release it using only positive reinforcement. Do you dare to practice it?
The first step will be to choose the toy that we are going to use to teach him to fetch the ball. Although our intention is to use a ball to collect, our dog may be more attracted to the Fresbee or a toy with a specific shape. Of course, avoid using tennis balls, as they damage their teeth.
To start teaching your dog to fetch you will choose your dog's favorite toy, but you will also need treats and snacks to positively reinforce him when he does well and attract him to you if he is overstimulated and ignores you.
Before you start to practice this exercise, and already in the park or in the chosen place, it will be basicoffer some treats to our dog so that he understands that we are going to work with treats. Remember that they must be very tasty for it to respond correctly. Follow this step by step:
- Give him a treat and congratulate him with a "very good".
- Go back a few steps and reward again.
- Keep doing this action 3 or 5 more times.
Once your dog has been rewarded several times, it's time to start the exercise. We will ask him to stay still(for this we will have to have taught him to stop on command), but we can also ask him to sit down if he does not know how to stay still. This will keep him from being overly anxious to play and will also help him understand that we are “working.”
When the dog is standing, we will throw him the ball next to a sign so that he can match it correctly. You can combine the "search" with a specific arm gesture. Remember that both the signal and the verbal command must always be the same, in this way the dog will associate the word with the exercise.
In the beginning, if we have chosen the toy correctly, the dog will go to look for the chosen "ball", in this case we are practicing with a kong, but remember that you can use the toy that is more attractive to your dog.
Now it's time to call your dog to make the "collection" or delivery of the ball. Remember that, previously, you must practice the exercise of going to the call, otherwise your dog will go off to play with the ball. Once he is close, we will gently remove the ball and reward him, thus reinforcing the delivery of the toy.
At this moment we will include the command "leave" or "let go" so that our dog also begins to practice giving toys u objects. In addition, this command will be very useful for our day to day life, as it can prevent our dog from eating something from the street or leaving an object that it is chewing on.
Once the exercise is understood, it's time to keep practicing, either daily or weekly, so that the dog finishes strengthen the exercise and we can play this game with him whenever we want.
