5 Easy Steps to Teach a Dog to Fetch and Return

Are you looking for easy and effective steps for teaching your dog to fetch and retrieve? If so, this is the place for you.

Training your dog to fetch an object and then give it back to you is a fun activity and has a couple of positive impacts as well. It can be played as a game and it is also a healthy exercise for your dog. This activity also improves the relation with your dog and makes the bond stronger as well.

Patience is the key in training your dog to perform any activity so do not get frustrated. Every dog has its own pace of learning. Your dog will eventually learn it with time and get used to it.

So, here I provide 5 effective steps to teach your dog to fetch and return:

1. Catch the object:

The first step will be to teach your dog to catch the object. Before that, pick an object which your dog feels comfortable with like a ball or a rubber object. You have to experiment with different objects during this process to find out what your dog prefers.

With your hand, move the object near the dog’s mouth and give a verbal signal like “GO!” and show body language to make the dog catch the object. You have to decide a fixed signal so that your dog gets used to it. Repeat this five to ten times and generously reward the dog every time he catches the object.

2. Release the object:

So far, your dog catches the object and now it is time to teach him to release it. Move the object near the dog’s mouth so that he can catch it. Then signal the dog and point to the ground to make your dog release the object. Whenever he releases it, reward the dog depending upon what he likes.

In case the dog is not releasing the object, make the dog smell food and he will drop the object. Repeat this five to ten times just like the first step so that your dog gets used to it.

3. Pick from ground and release in hand:

Previously, we gave the object by hand. Now it is time to teach your dog to fetch the object from the ground and give it back to you in your hand. Drop the object near the dog and signal the dog to fetch it. From above exercises, your dog will probably pick up the object without any problem. When the dog fetches the object, wait a few seconds, move your hand near the dog’s mouth and signal the dog to release it in your hand. Continuously reward the dog each time. Repeat this step five to ten times.

4. Fetch from distance:

So far, the dog is used to fetching the object and releasing it in your hands. Our end goal is to make the dog fetch the object from some distance and return it back to us. To achieve this, we are going to slowly increase the distance. Throw the object one step from the dog and notice his behaviour. Signal the dog to fetch it and release it in your hand. After repeating for a few times, increase the distance from one step to three steps.

Similarly, keep increasing distance and train your dog to fetch and retrieve from all angles. After continuously doing this process, your dog will eventually get used to it and he will be able to perform this activity every time you want.

5. Try different Objects:

Finally, you have to experiment with different objects. If you perform this activity with the same type of object, your dog might only be able to perform it on that specific object. So, try out different objects which are comfortable for the dog. This activity will also train your dog to do simple daily tasks. Maybe, you can take this to the next level by teaching him to fetch the nice shirt you like to wear or something else.

Hope this was helpful for you. If you know any tricks, leave it in the comments down below as I would love to hear from you.