How to Train a Dog that won't Fetch

Although I’ve already written an article that talks about how to train a dog to fetch, I’ve been getting a few people asking about how to train a dog that won’t fetch. Although they almost mean the same thing the first one talks about starting from scratch and the second one implies that you tried to teach your dog to fetch and weren’t successful.’

Before I get into some methods that may help you train a dog that won’t fetch I just want to touch a bit on my first lesson (read the full article on how to train a dog to fetch). If your have read then just skip over it. I mainly want to touch on the first part where I mention:

First it is important to understand that some breeds have an innate “fetching” behavior and will naturally bring back anything you throw. Other dogs will chase anything you throw and then drop it as soon as they pick it up. Heck, some breeds may not even chase, never mind fetch!

The reason I bring this up again is just so you are aware that there are those few dogs out there that may never pick up on the game. I found this to be a few (percentage wise) but just thought that you should know that even though you may be doing everything by the book in terms of training your dog to fetch, some may never do it.

Okay, so let’s begin… How to Train a Dog that won’t Fetch

Suggestion 1

If you are having trouble training a dog that won’t fetch, try to use an object that your dog adores such as her favorite toy. Once you have your dog on a long leash, gets your dog’s attention by wiggling her favorite toy in front of her face to get her excited. Once you know that she is paying attention throw her toy a few feet away and she will probably start to run to grab the toy. Once your dog has the toy in her mouth gently pull the leash and draw you dog back to you and offer lots of praise and a yummy treat.

Suggestion 2

If the first method doesn’t work and you are still having trouble with training a dog that won’t fetch try the “2 identical toys” approach. Again pick a toy that your dog loves and go our and purchase a second identical one. Tease your dog with one toy to get her excited while keeping the second one hidden. Throw the first toy a few feet away and your dog will naturally run to grab it. Once your dog has the toy in her mouth, get her attention and show her the seconds toy that you had hidden. More than likely you dog will run back to you to get the second toy (hopefully with the first toy still in her mouth). Praise your dog when she comes back to you. This methods works really well when learning how to train a dog that won’t fetch.

Suggestion 3

If your dog still doesn’t get the fetch method you may want to use a completely different approach just to see if your dog will fetch. Instead of throwing a toy try to throw a bone or something tasty to see if your dog will chase it. You can even slap some peanut butter on a kong toy and use that. That’s what I did when I was learning how to train my boxer dog to fetch. If your dog responds you can do this a few times before reverting back to a regular toy. In terms of how to train a dog that won’t fetch, try this method as some people have had some success.

Suggestion 4

I should’ve mentioned this earlier but if you are having problems training your dog to fetch it maybe because of too many distractions. Try to play the game in a hallway or in a closed room with minimal distractions. This maybe all you need to do to get your dog to play fetch.

Okay, if I think of any more suggestions I will post them but for now try these methods and hopefully you will have success with learning how to train a dog that won’t fetch.