Training your dog to retrieve or fetch

What you need to know before training your dog to retrieve or fetch

Would you like your dog to learn to properly fetch when you command or to retrieve your morning paper without tearing it up? The process is rather simple but has many variables.

There is the “Retrieve” portion of the dog task. There are quite a few behaviors that the dog needs to learn in order to retrieve anything. They are:

1. Approaching the item that you wan them to fetch.
2. Lifting the item up with its mouth.
3. Holding the item in place without dropping it.
4. Carrying the item back to you.
5. Lastly, dropping the item in front of you.

Some dogs, if not most, already know how to retrieve on their own. It comes rather naturally at times from playing with your pet. Others still, will require a lot more patience. Other factors are involved such as the dog's breed and how many 'prey dive' behaviors exist in its genes.

If your dog is having trouble to retrieve on command then you may want to try the following trick:

Each day, start your retrieving sessions off when the dog is hungry before a meal. Offer your dog some food on a spoon, like peanut butter (dog's love peanut butter), and as the he goes to grab it with its mouth – should the command “Get it!” or “Take it!”. Once this has been done enough times for the dog to retrieve the food on command, then introduce the object that you would for the dog to retrieve in place of the food.