# Retrieve or Fetch



## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I'm not a training expert, and I'm sure others have 'real' training answers, but what works with Tess is making a party when she retrieves...She loves it when I tell her what a good girl she is and how clever etc etc. When she runs for the ball and picks it up, I call out: tess, come! When she comes running with the ball, I start praising her while she is running. When she stops early or drops the ball, I tell her to pick it up and come. Usually she does that, also because she knows she gets a treat when she drops the ball at my feet. I just started witholding the treat every so often and just reward by throwing the ball again. She does get bored after a while...


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

I think that it will come with age... but I'm sure that there is something to encourage him to pick it up. Do you have a clicker? Have you used any clicker training in your puppy STAR program?


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Start short. Give him the ball and immediately ask for it back (and give him a yummy cookie). Once he gets the hand of that, back up a little after you give him the ball so that he has to follow a bit. Just make it fun, but no cookie if he drops the ball away from you.

Clicker training is a good way to do this too. Click for interaction with the ball. Then for picking up the ball. Then carrying the ball. Then bringing it towards you, etc.


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

Finn is a bit older than Mac when I started to teach "fetch" but this is what I did and you can see if it might be an idea to use.

I have a hallway in my house and I would start out by getting down on the floor with Mac, bouncing the ball a bit to get her excited. I would make sure that all doors to the rooms along the hallway were closed. I also would position my body where it was blocking the exit of the hallway. I would roll the ball down the hallway (and it's not a very long hallway) and say "fetch" or "go fetch!"

As Inge mentioned, you should "have a party." Get silly--pound your hands on the floor--yell your favorite college chants--shake your head. You may have to time your "party" since your golden hasn't brought the ball back--whether or not you want to whoop it up or clap a bit when she gets the ball, and keep clapping as she comes to you, and then go all out when she comes back, or wait for the return and then have a party. And don't go for distance. Start out just 10, 15 feet or so--and if that's too far, get closer. 

I wouldn't treat to start--I would have treats in my pocket for reinforcement. You want your pup to enjoy the retrieving, more than the treats. Hope this helps!


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## Cyrra (Oct 30, 2009)

Yes, thank you it definately gives me some good places to get started. We didn't do any clicker training in puppy class but my trainer said she will be introducing it when we start our CGC training in about two weeks. The fetch thing is about having some fun. Do you name each item such as ball, rope, frisbee, or do you just call eacy item "toy" or something generic like that?

I also recently starting working on "find it" where I will 'hide' a treat bascially in plain view but without him seeing me and go tell him to find it. Depends on his mood how long he will work to try to actually find it.


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

Cyrra said:


> Yes, thank you it definately gives me some good places to get started. We didn't do any clicker training in puppy class but my trainer said she will be introducing it when we start our CGC training in about two weeks. The fetch thing is about having some fun. Do you name each item such as ball, rope, frisbee, or do you just call eacy item "toy" or something generic like that?
> 
> I also recently starting working on "find it" where I will 'hide' a treat bascially in plain view but without him seeing me and go tell him to find it. Depends on his mood how long he will work to try to actually find it.


I give each toy a name--wubbie, football, etc. I call it what it is. 

I love playing the "find it" game too! But I use a toy instead--I show Mac the toy, and act like it's a bar of gold--get her all enthused. Then I put her in a sit/stay in one room and put the toy in another room. Then I go back to her and tell her to "find it" and I praise her verbally as she gets closer to the toy.

One thing I learned about toys, from another instructor, was that for toys to be considered "exciting" you couldn't have them just strewn all about the house. You, as the owner, had to be the keeper of the toys. I have all of Mac's toys in a wicker basket in our walk in closet, and I admit that I'll notice all of a sudden that there are 4 or 5 toys around the house. I only leave one "routine" toy for her to play with--one that she won't destroy--and try to keep the other toys away. That way, they become more special to the dog. 

Mac has gotten to a point where when the walk in closet door is open, she's right there in the toy basket, like some kids are with a box of candy, rummaging around to see which toy she wants--if you can develop that eagerness, you will see that start to come out with the retrieving.

The other thing is end all games on a good note--if you find that Finn retrieves from only 5 feet away, and didn't when you backed up to 10 feet, don't end the game at the point where he didn't accomplish a goal. Go back to 5 feet, have a success retrieve, and end the game right there. As a matter of fact, end the retrieve games where Finn is wanting more--don't overdo it--that way, you'll have him eager for the next time. Have fun with him--they grow so fast--and hope this helps!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Excellent suggestions. I will just add that teaching your puppy to hold would be helpful to. As he is coming back to you see him about to drop the object you can remind him to 'hold' and he will know what you want.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

IowaGold said:


> Start short. Give him the ball and immediately ask for it back (and give him a yummy cookie). Once he gets the hand of that, back up a little after you give him the ball so that he has to follow a bit. Just make it fun, but no cookie if he drops the ball away from you.
> 
> Clicker training is a good way to do this too. Click for interaction with the ball. Then for picking up the ball. Then carrying the ball. Then bringing it towards you, etc.


This will work like a charm. Teach him that the best part of the game is putting a ball IN YOUR HAND. Right now, he's working off his natural retrieve sense. The ball is moving, so he grabs it. You call him, so he starts to come back. At that point, he doesn't have a super-strong urge to hold, since the ball is no longer "alive." He drops it because he doesn't understand that he has to put it in your hand.

Play at short range, and throw a party when he gets it right. Extend the distance bit by bit, but keep the sessions short. If he starts to drop it on the way back instead of retrieving to hand, you've moved too fast. Back up a step and get rock solid.

It shouldn't be too hard. Holding onto the ball all the way to you is pretty natural, and when he learns that touching the ball to your hand will set off a party, he should get enthusiastic about doing it.

You can also play "keep away" a bit when you're holding the ball. That might increase his possessiveness a bit and make him more inclined to hang on to it (and to chase it with more excitement).


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## Cyrra (Oct 30, 2009)

Wow! I never thought of his toys in that manner before. He has a toy box in the front room stuffed with more toys then most kids have, yet he really doesn't seem interested in them for more then 5 mins or so. That's why I kept buying more, I thought he didn't like the ones he had and I keep buying to find the perfect one to keep his attention. I have said for months that I think my hands are his favorite toy to be honest. I'm going to try putting his toys away and just leaving him one or two and see if that doesn't create more eagerness towards what he already has. People think I'm crazy for the amount of money I have spent since he has come home. Every evening I play pick-up but I know that nothing kept his attention for more than 5 mins at a time. Thanks for tha insight.


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## Cyrra (Oct 30, 2009)

Also, do I need to start with some basic introduction to the clicker? I have a clicker already bought (don't ask, I bought everything) so do I start by clicking and treating for him to associate click = treat?


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Cyrra said:


> Also, do I need to start with some basic introduction to the clicker? I have a clicker already bought (don't ask, I bought everything) so do I start by clicking and treating for him to associate click = treat?


Yes, you need to charge the clicker first, otherwise the click has no meaning. You might also start out with something very simple when you start training with the clicker. A lot of people do "101 things to do with a box" to help pup understand that he is making the click happen. This game is simply clicking/rewarding interaction with a box (or other object). You click/reward different behaviors (rather than just one specific behavior). This teaches the dog that if they "don't get it right" initially they should keep trying different variations until they find the right one. I've not explained this particularly well-sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

A toy can be anything,from a stick to a squeaky toy and of course,the ever lasting tennis ball!.
Take for exemple,my female Hova,in France.She will,only,retrieve balls in the courtyard but will,only,retrieve sticks,in the water!.
My golden would retrieve anything from a can to any toys but wasn't crazy about tennis balls!.
Get a Cuz !
it's squeaks and only,use it to retrieve it!.
Some are attracted to certains toys!.
The cuz is usually a winner,it floast and is pretty much undestructable!.
For a pup,I would cut the legs off so that he doesn't break and accidently,swallow it!.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3207032&lmdn=Brand


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I keep Ranger's toys away from him except for a few indestructible ones that he likes to carry around. His "special" toys are all ones that need to be supervised since he'd destroy them if he got to chew on them. 

Ranger used to do the same thing your pup does - chase after it, pick it up, then drop it. I had to break it down into little training sessions and teach a few commands in our training sessions, not play sessions. He learned "come", "drop", "give", and "hold" during obedience. Once they were fairly reliable, then I started using them in fetching.

First I got him really revved up by me holding the toy and making a big deal about it so he'd want the toy. Once I tossed it (short distance to start), as soon as it was in his mouth, I'd give his recall, "Ranger come". If it looked like he'd drop the toy (which is why I kept the distance short to start) I'd say hold. By the time he got back to me, I'd start praising him BEFORE he dropped the toy or I asked him to give. So he got the praise with the toy still in his mouth. That's what seemed to make it click with him. 

The other trick I found was to do short bursts of tug of war with him before asking him to give up his toy. Since I started doing that, he's loved fetching WAY more. I also cut the play sessions short so I'm never throwing the toy with him disinterested in it.


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