# Catching things in the air



## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Is catching things that are thrown a skill that most of your Goldens are capable of? 
I don't mean something like a Frisbee, I mean a piece of food that is tossed from a foot away.
Brooks is a really lousy catch. I have worked on this from time to time but he is so unskilled at this it makes me wonder if there is something wrong with him (catches it one out of 5 times maybe).
Can


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## dexter0125 (Mar 20, 2011)

Mine can catch food/treats/toys. We're working on the frisbee...that he catches once out of every 10 throws, MAYBE. It just kind of happened one day. I've been throwing stuff at him forever trying to get him to catch it and one day he just did. I screamed. LOL. He doesn't always catch it, I pretend it's my fault when he doesn't. Just like everything else, it takes time for them to figure it out.  There's nothing wrong with him.


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## West (Jul 9, 2010)

Mmmm, Cooper is able to do it quite efficiently, but we kind of helped him develop his skill. Now he can jump and catch a ball in the air  And with food... well, it's what motivates him the most.
To help Brooks become a better catcher you can try tossing a ball at him (please, make sure it's big enough so that he doesn't swallow it or choke by accident!) very slowly at first. Moreover, you can make him sit a couple of feet away from you and make him focus on the ball by showing it to him and making a slow tossing movement but without tossing it twice. Then, on the third time, you actually toss it. That should help him guess the direction of the ball and position himself accordingly. At first it can be a bit frustrating because it's hard to do for them, but turn it into a game and reward him with lots of praise and a treat whenever he manages to catch it.
Once he's mastered ball catching, you can start with smaller items such as treats or chunks of food. Again, be careful to avoid any choking risks.


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## West (Jul 9, 2010)

Oh, age does play a vital role on this skill! Cooper was around 8/9 months when we started, before that he was hopeless at catching anything  Such a clumsy pup! He was adorable.
And I haven't really tried frisbees. He used to have one as a pup but he'd rather bite it than catch it, so it didn't last long.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Cookie couldn't catch until she was maybe 7 months or so. Even then it was so-so. Now she can catch pretty well. I use catching a treat as a "special" treat when training, since it kind of break up the session a little.

Can you try popcorn? That kind of moves slow. Also, I make sure Cookie is focused on me before tossing. If she's not ready, the treat will just bounce off her nose.  (I kind of do what West said too about tossing it on the third time)


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Toby did very well until just recently, when his good eye got a cataract. We hope/pray he will be catching things mid-air when 2012 begins, after he is fully recovered from his double cataract surgery.:crossfing


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

My old girl Tiny still catches really well. Toby is almost functionally blind, so he can't catch anything. Tito pretty much never misses, whether it's food, toys, anything.


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## aileenzw (Aug 10, 2011)

I know for a fact that my best friend's golden is a terrible catcher. I throw some food at her and she takes a few seconds to find it lol. She has maybe a 25% catch rate. She hasn't even been trained or accustomed to catching anything as a puppy or a young adult so it may be why. She's also quite an old girl (but scrambles after that food like a 6 month old puppy).


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

West said:


> To help Brooks become a better catcher.......you can make him sit a couple of feet away from you and make him focus on the ball by showing it to him and making a slow tossing movement but without tossing it twice. Then, on the third time, you actually toss it. That should help him guess the direction of the ball and position himself accordingly.


I will try this. Thanks


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

My Golden has always been a great catcher but I know many dogs (all different breeds who are not).

Getting a dog to catch something in his mouth is all about focusing on you.
One way of teaching this is to stand in front your dog and hold a treat in your hand at your forehead and wait until he is fully focused on you and then drop it. He should be able to catch it. Once he gets good at this increase distance. And then start tossing from any position but make sure he's focused on you and he should be able to catch.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

My dog was always focused on catching the thing, but he just missed it.
I tried the suggestion of moving my hand twice in the path I was going to throw, then the third time giving him a command as I threw and he actually was able to catch it! 
Thanks for the suggestion West


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Liberty is a fantastic catch...if it is food... ;-)
Tracer opens his mouth, closes his eyes and prays! ;-)


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

Maggie is quite efficient in catching. She will at times even behave like a seal and bounce a tennis ball off of her nose!


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## dexter0125 (Mar 20, 2011)

lgnutah said:


> My dog was always focused on catching the thing, but he just missed it.
> I tried the suggestion of moving my hand twice in the path I was going to throw, then the third time giving him a command as I threw and he actually was able to catch it!
> Thanks for the suggestion West


kind of on the same path as this, i count before i toss the treat/toy so he knows it's coming. he's more likely to catch it if i count than if i don't. i also counted with his stay when we were learning that as well. it helps.


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## KaMu (May 17, 2010)

Roxy is also a terrific catch! Food OR toys, she rarely misses....actually... she does miss more often when outside. Not sure why. But indoors shes like a very agile doggie athlete! My son and I consider it pretty amazing, though her Frisbee skills are not to good... yet


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

Ben never really learned how to play interactively, so playing catch was totally new to him. Tossing a ball is hilarious, because he really doesn't have the coordination to get it, though he tries sometimes. Usually he'll get it on the third bounce. Other times he just watches it pass by. What Ben is learning to do well is catch long toys. He has a stuffed duck with a long neck that he can frequently catch and an unstuffed Skinneeze skunk about 2 feet long that he loves to catch. I think because they're soft, he isn't afraid of getting hit in the face by them. I think with the ball he shuts his eyes when it comes close.


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## canine_mommy (Dec 27, 2010)

Austin started catching the ball at 4 months. Tiny pieces of kibble took some time, at around 6 months I think. I have just started on Frisbee, he misses it quite a bit. But then again, I am not too good at throwing a Frisbee


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## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

Lucca catches food quite well at abt 3 or 4 mths. We place a biscuit on his nose and he can toss it in the air and catch it. But he seems lousy with the frisbee though. Maybe I'm a bad thrower. Haha.


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