My dog Zoe (huntaway x american bulldog) loves to tear after tennis balls down the park that I throw for her. She also comes tearing back with them but then she stops a couple of meters away and proceeds to lie down and chew the ball / stick / whatever.
I can sometimes lure her over with a treat and she'll drop the ball but not all the time. Sometimes she'll come over drop the ball take the treat then grab the ball real quick.
Any suggestions as to how I get her to return the ball and drop it at my feet.
She is very obsessed with tennis balls and the likes and if we go down the park and somebody else has a ball she sits and is totally focused on the ball and just waits for it to be thrown.
thanks
she fetches but she wont drop
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
A 'fetch' should be to hand not dropped on the ground, but if you want a drop because you don't want to handle a wet ball, try handling with a glove and move on to the drop later.
To teach the handover, start with dog on lead at home (boring place) toy or ball that she likes, lots of tasty treats, hungry dog.
Give dog ball, saying "take it" or similar. When dog takes, say "hold" with a hand under her chin. Then with other hand offer treat and as she opens her mouth to take the treat, say "give" or whatever you prefer to say, and with the chin hand take from UNDER the chin as over the head is threatening/confrontational. Slip treat in with treat hand. Praise lavishly and party time.
Only do this once or twice at a time, and a clicker to mark success works well if you clicker train (read our pinned thread). When you have done this, give the toy/ball to the dog. If she offers it to you immediately, you've cracked it - reward and take toy and pocket it while filling dog with treats and joy. If not, don't fret - she will in time.
Then develop this in yard, outside on lead, always away from other dogs, always very high value treats.
Once it is soundly established, try in dog park but again away from other dogs. Reason for most dogs not handing over is because they haven't been rewarded, and because they are afraid other dogs will take their toy.
Only when the dog hand over readily and happily do we work on the 'drop' so come back then and I'll tell you how.
To teach the handover, start with dog on lead at home (boring place) toy or ball that she likes, lots of tasty treats, hungry dog.
Give dog ball, saying "take it" or similar. When dog takes, say "hold" with a hand under her chin. Then with other hand offer treat and as she opens her mouth to take the treat, say "give" or whatever you prefer to say, and with the chin hand take from UNDER the chin as over the head is threatening/confrontational. Slip treat in with treat hand. Praise lavishly and party time.
Only do this once or twice at a time, and a clicker to mark success works well if you clicker train (read our pinned thread). When you have done this, give the toy/ball to the dog. If she offers it to you immediately, you've cracked it - reward and take toy and pocket it while filling dog with treats and joy. If not, don't fret - she will in time.
Then develop this in yard, outside on lead, always away from other dogs, always very high value treats.
Once it is soundly established, try in dog park but again away from other dogs. Reason for most dogs not handing over is because they haven't been rewarded, and because they are afraid other dogs will take their toy.
Only when the dog hand over readily and happily do we work on the 'drop' so come back then and I'll tell you how.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Some nice kind person taught Bonnie to run round with a ball/frisby etc when you say "Fetch". It does save a lot of energy throwing them for her. 
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/PIXIE.jpg][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/th_PIXIE.jpg[/img][/url]
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DesperadoTheGSD
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2009 10:32 pm
Build Drive
Remember fetch is a drive that has to be built. The good news is your dog's prey drive (tearing after the ball) pack drive (coming back near you) and possession drive (keeping the ball for herself) is very strong. Unfortunatly her fetch drive (actually bringing the ball back to you) is not.
I know what you're talking about because my german shepherd was/is exactly the same way except he enjoyed his ball on the other side of our half acre yard. I've tried shaping. I've tried treating. I've tried the treat in the ball trick.
While the food based suggestion works well for dogs that are very food motivated my shepherd's possession drive was so high I could offer him a t-bone steak and he'd say "No thanks, I'll take the old tennis ball." What I've found to work best in dealing w/ the problem is to work on building fetch drive.
Your goal is to build fetch drive and that (surprisingly enough) does not include getting full fetches. You will need at least two balls but three would be better. It goes like this:
1) Throw the ball and wait for the dog to "settle"
2) Walk in an arc toward the dog till you are behind the dog and throw the ball again (don't go so close as to make the dog grab and run)
3)Repeat
Not complicated but effective.
If you have been using you "excited voice" and getting your dog's attention before each throw ("Are you ready? Are you ready!?!?") you should see your dog get excited when she sees you about to throw. This should cause her to leave her ball and look towards you. Keep doing this and pretty soon you'll see her dropping the ball while coming towards you.
Don't demand a formal fetch initially. I would keep doing this until you can reliably play fetch w/ one ball then you might get your clicker out and shape a formal retrieve.
I know what you're talking about because my german shepherd was/is exactly the same way except he enjoyed his ball on the other side of our half acre yard. I've tried shaping. I've tried treating. I've tried the treat in the ball trick.
While the food based suggestion works well for dogs that are very food motivated my shepherd's possession drive was so high I could offer him a t-bone steak and he'd say "No thanks, I'll take the old tennis ball." What I've found to work best in dealing w/ the problem is to work on building fetch drive.
Your goal is to build fetch drive and that (surprisingly enough) does not include getting full fetches. You will need at least two balls but three would be better. It goes like this:
1) Throw the ball and wait for the dog to "settle"
2) Walk in an arc toward the dog till you are behind the dog and throw the ball again (don't go so close as to make the dog grab and run)
3)Repeat
Not complicated but effective.
If you have been using you "excited voice" and getting your dog's attention before each throw ("Are you ready? Are you ready!?!?") you should see your dog get excited when she sees you about to throw. This should cause her to leave her ball and look towards you. Keep doing this and pretty soon you'll see her dropping the ball while coming towards you.
Don't demand a formal fetch initially. I would keep doing this until you can reliably play fetch w/ one ball then you might get your clicker out and shape a formal retrieve.
Having some similar issues, I have a couple of suggestions which seem to be working with my dogs:
1. If your dog follows you fairly well as he is returning, trot away so he runs towards you...carrying the ball.
2. Have more than one ball. As your dog approaches you show the other ball but don't throw until he drops the first ball.
1. If your dog follows you fairly well as he is returning, trot away so he runs towards you...carrying the ball.
2. Have more than one ball. As your dog approaches you show the other ball but don't throw until he drops the first ball.