Jo's Old Site

I remember once either reading a dog training book, or maybe I was watching a video that explained how to get dogs to retrieve objects, and this game works with a dog’s natural drives rather than against it. Also in their example they used bits of hose pipe that has been cut down to size but having tried this with Ilse other objects can also be used as I used her toys.

The idea is that the trainer has two objects that a dog can retrieve, and after getting them interested the person throws one out and the dog chases it and picks it up; the trainer then praises their dog when their dog carries it away then their trainer lets their dog see the other one that they got before throwing it out and their dog chases it and the idea is:

If their dog wants the thrown “toy” they have to willingly give up the one in their mouth, and it also makes retrieving fun and interesting, as the dog’s trainer then goes out while still praising their dog and then gets the “toy” that their dog has just given up. The game can then be restarted until the dog’s trainer decides to end the game, and I found this activity is good as it makes it easier to get the “toy” from the dog and also teaches the trainer’s dog to focus on them.