How do I train my dog to drop the ball when playing fetch?
whenever i play fetch with my dog she will prane around us showing us the ball and not lettung us grab it.. then wr have to grab her coller and get the ball and right when we do it she sprints away waiting for us to throw the ball.. then we do she will go get it and come back prance around us and we have to pry it out of her mouth.. how can we train her to drop the ball for us?? thanks
also how can i train a dog to sleep in a certain spot the whole night?
October 4th, 2010 at 7:03 am
when he brings it back to you, have a treat ready, then say ”drop it”and put the treat up to his nose. it worked great with my dog
October 4th, 2010 at 7:55 am
My dog understands nooooo real well so if she doesn`t want to hand me the rolled up sock , I just say “noooo…give it to me” and she does.
October 4th, 2010 at 8:31 am
The “drop it” command is always great. Another thing you can try is turning your back and ignoring her when she wont give you the ball. Never try to grab the ball when you know you can’t get it she’ll just see it as another part of the game.
October 4th, 2010 at 9:14 am
when u throw it say fetch, and when she gets it, yell come( not meanly!), then when (if) she comes say sternly, drop. if she does, ok, if not, pry it out of her mouth. NOTE: DO NOT THROW IT FOR HER AGAIN! SHE WILL THINK YOU’RE REWARDING HER FOR NOT DRPPING THE BALL! sleeping; got a small closet with a door? put her bed in it, call her, point to the bed, and say, down, and then stay. leave the door open, and wait. if she doesn’t come out, wait another 5 minutes, then good! if she comes out, say NO! BAD DOG! in a loud, stern voice, then call her back to her bed, and close the door! try it in other spaces, and when she gets it, give her a pat on the head when you see her in the morning. later, move the bed to an open space. try it again. plus, obedience classes would be good.
October 4th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Going back to basic training will help with this problem. Work with her on the Come and Sit commands until she does them every time. Once she has mastered those commands the rest will come easily. After she retreives the ball, you’ll be able to put her into a sit at your feet. Then you’ll be able to concentrate on the drop command more easily. It takes time and patience, but eventually it will be worth it. Once she gets the drop command, start with the sit/stay until you throw the ball. You’ll find fetch much more enjoyable this way than having to chase her around.
Until that point, try what I did with my pup before understood her roll. When she brings the ball back…instead of chasing her (which turns it into another game)…try ignoring her. She really wants you to throw the ball again and if you ignore her, she’ll eventually bring the ball right to your feet to try to get your attention. When she does, pick up the ball and put her into sit, not throwing the ball until she complies.
As far as training the dog to sleep in the same spot all night, this is next to impossible. Dogs very rarely sleep all night, therefore the only way to ensure that they don’t wander is kennel training (crate training). This will ensure that your pup is safe at night while you’re sleeping.
October 4th, 2010 at 9:51 am
How old is your dog? That skill is not developmentally appropriate for super young dogs. Good luck.
October 4th, 2010 at 10:42 am
ha ha, great description! You want to make the “Give” or “Out” or whatever command you use an immediately-rewarded behavior. Most dogs, left to their own devices, will go parade around as your dog does. You need to make the giving of the ball more rewarding than the parade – so get a treat pouch, and get yummy treats that you know your dog will take. Lamb lung, deli chicken/turkey/ham, that kind of thing. Practice exchanging the ball with your dog in a ‘boring’ environment – even better, find a room with a corner into which you can toss the ball, so that when your dog turns around, he must come straight to you because of the corner he’s in. Show him the treat at first to establish that he drops the ball to get rewarded. Don’t challenge him with distractions until he’s readily giving up the ball every time. Then you can start to play as you have done – but when you teach the ‘give’, remember the object is not to throw the ball so much as it is to keep it close to your body and reward your dog many, many times for repeating the “Give” behavior.