Fun and effective ways to teach and enhance retrieving skills

There are many benefits of training your dog, regardless of their age. Training is not only fun for you and your dog, it strengthens your bond and offers a new way for you and your pup to connect and communicate. Training also allows your dog to expend physical and mental energy, keeping them fit and feeling fulfilled. It also prevents them from making their own entertainment in ways you’d rather avoid.

Unlike some other forms of training, retrieval does not tax your dog’s joints and has a minimal risk of injury — it’s a skill that can be laidback and easy or physically taxing and mentally challenging. The choice is yours. The versatility of the game is what makes it a rewarding activity for dogs of all ages, breeds, and sizes. So, whether your dog is a retriever or not, read on to learn how you can make your dog a master at retrieving.

When teaching a new behavior to your dog, it’s important to keep it enjoyable. If your dog becomes frustrated, they will be slower to learn the skill and less likely to want to perform the next time. Check out these tips to set your dog up for success and ensure that retrieving becomes (and remains) a fun activity.

• Use a toy that your dog is excited to retrieve. The basis of retrieval is that the dog will get something they want. When starting, use an object your dog wants to help them understand the pattern. You can add additional objects to their repertoire down the line.
• Practice when your dog is well-rested, and stop while you’re ahead. Like us, your pup’s physical and mental state impacts their capacity for learning and performing. To make retrieval an activity your dog enjoys in the long run, quit before your dog gets frustrated. Doing this leaves them wanting more so they can’t wait to start!
• Limit distractions. Practice in a narrow hallway or room to prevent your dog from running in a different direction with the toy. Also, pick up any other toys or bones before you start.
• Don’t chase your dog to get the toy. This will encourage a game of ‘keep away,’ which will be fun for your pup but not for you!
• Avoid taking the toy from your dog’s mouth. Wait until your dog has dropped the toy to pick it up. Teaching a ‘drop it’ cue will be beneficial if your dog doesn’t want to let it go.

Before you get started, there are a few supplies you should have on hand.

• Two toys. These toys should be similar, e.g., two balls or two plush squeaky toys.
• Treats. Ensure your treats are high-value enough that your dog will offer the toy up for them. Think small, soft, and stinky for an effective treat that won’t be distracting.

It’s important to make sure that the items you select are ones your dog wants, or else they won’t be motivated to go and get them.

1. Get your dog interested

To get your dog to retrieve a toy, you first need to get your dog excited about the toy. To do so, ‘tease’ your dog — if it’s a ball, bounce it and if it’s a squeaky plush, squeak it. Move it around in front of your dog and get them interested.

2. Throw the toy

When just starting, keep the game as easy as possible by only throwing the toy a short distance away (no more than six to ten feet). This will help your dog succeed and feel good about retrieving, ensuring they want to do more. Another way you can set your dog up to succeed is by starting in a hallway or a space where there are limited distractions.

3. Your dog’s response

What your dog does once you’ve thrown the toy depends on a few factors: how bad they want the toy, their motivation to interact with you, and the value of the item they’re trading for (another toy, high-value treats, etc.). Their response determines your next step in the training process.

• Your dog doesn’t pick up the toy. This is likely because the toy isn’t high-value enough. Try using a toy they are more interested in. If that doesn’t work,  you may need to switch to using a tug toy to teach retrieving.
• Your dog returns to you but doesn’t bring the toy. Praise your dog and give them a treat — they did half of the job, after all! Then, pick up the toy and start from the beginning. On the next run, praise a little less when your dog picks up the toy and wait until they return to you for the big excitement. The timing of your praise can impact when the dog drops the toy.
• Your dog picks up the toy but doesn’t immediately return to you. Make it fun for your dog to interact with you with the toy by getting excited and throwing them a little party! Use a higher-pitched voice, clap your hands, and say your dog’s name. NOTE: When getting your dog to bring the toy back to you, refrain from using the word ‘come.’ This can become confusing once you integrate the cue, ‘fetch.’
• Your dog returns with the toy. To get the toy from your dog, trade it for a treat. Do NOT try to take the toy out of their mouth. Instead, teach your dog to ‘drop it.’
• Your dog does not want to drop the toy. Try trading with a high-value treat. In the next round, use a toy that is slightly lower value.
• Your dog doesn’t return to you. Show your dog the second toy and entice them by squeaking it or bouncing it, then throw it a short distance away from your dog. If this doesn’t work, toss some treats on the ground. While they’re eating the treats, pick up the toy. On the next round, use a toy that is lower value, keeping the higher value toy as an option to trade.

4. Repeat

Do this step for five to ten repetitions. If your dog consistently picks up the toy, move on to the next step. If not, continue to play around with different toys, trade options, and timing of your praise.

5. Teaching ‘Drop it’

Training your dog to relinquish items on command is a useful and potentially life-saving skill. Not only does it streamline your game of fetch, but in a situation where they grab something they shouldn’t (like a chicken bone on the sidewalk or a child’s sock), it could prevent the need for emergency surgery.

1. Throw the toy. Follow the steps above.
2. Show them what you’ve got. When your dog returns to you with the toy, hold the treat in front of their nose.
3. Make the trade. Once your dog drops the toy, hand them the treat while picking it up. NOTE: Timing is essential here! If you give them the treat before you’ve gotten to the toy, they may pick it up again before you get it.
4. Repeat. Throw the toy again and repeat steps one through three.
5. Add the cue. As your dog begins relinquishing the toy quicker, begin saying ‘drop it’ before giving them the treat.

6. Fade out the treat

Once your dog brings the toy back 95% of the time, you can replace the ‘trade for treat’ option with ‘trade for toy.’ In this scenario, as soon as your dog returns the toy and drops it, you’ll throw the next toy for them to fetch. You may need to alternate between the two, and some dogs will always need a treat to be the reward, but for many dogs who enjoy retrieving, the opportunity to get another thrown toy is reinforcing enough.

Troubleshooting common issues

Even if you consistently practice the above steps, your dog may still struggle with putting the pieces together. This may be because they’re not particularly motivated by toys or play, or easily distracted. Some common challenges pet parents may experience when teaching retrieval are:

• Scenario 1: If your dog does NOT bring you the toy, sit and wait. While waiting, make sure to ignore your dog. Most dogs will lose interest in the game if you’re not participating and will drop the toy and approach you to get your attention. Have a party by yourself. If this doesn’t work after a minute or two, keep ignoring your dog, but play with the second toy  yourself. The idea is to have a party that your dog doesn’t want to miss!
• Scenario 2: Your dog returns without the toy. If this happens, praise your dog and quickly throw the second toy. While they’re distracted with that, retrieve the first toy, return to your chair, and wait for them to want to interact with you. Repeat the above steps.

If your dog finally returns to you with the toy, praise, feed a treat, and throw the next toy quickly. The timing of your throw matters here — a quick throw will keep your dog interested in the game and act as a reward for them returning with the toy and trading.

While retrieving a toy or object is enjoyable for many dogs, one of the ways you can build your dog’s skill without it seeming like work is to play games that target the different bite-sized pieces.

The waiting game

Teaching your dog to sit and stay builds up excitement for when they can finally go and get the toy. By having your dog sit until they are given a ‘free’ or ‘release’ cue, you’re giving them extra mental stimulation — they’re restraining really hard from going after that ball! Plus, varying the ‘wait times’ keeps the retrieval from becoming stagnant and predictable.

Chase me

No, we don’t mean you chase your dog. Instead, once you’ve thrown the toy for your dog to retrieve, run in the opposite direction while calling for your pup to follow. Feel free to zig-zag as you would in a game of tag. This boosts your dog’s excitement and gives them more exercise. And, of course, reward when they finally catch you and give you the toy.

Recall games

There are countless games out there that allow you to strengthen your dog’s recall while still keeping things interesting. A good recall makes for better retrieving and helps keep your dog safe in uncertain situations.

Tug

If your dog needs something more engaging than a squeaky toy or tennis ball, use a tug toy as what you throw. When your dog brings it back and gives it to you, you play a brief game of tug of war. This game is best paired with a solid ‘drop’ cue so that your dog doesn’t learn that they shouldn’t let the toy go.

Race to reward

Instead of simply handing your dog the treat in exchange for the toy, shake things up by putting the treats in a bowl further away. Once your dog brings you the toy and drops it, run with your dog to the treat bowl to get the reward. Make it fun by cheering your pup on as you go.

A mentally stimulated pup is a happy, fulfilled pup. There are many ways to achieve this, from agility work to scent work. Retrieval work is a great middle-ground — it is an outlet for dogs regardless of age, breed, and size because it can be as physically and/or mentally challenging as you choose to make it. Plus,  you can do retrieval in a variety of environments with minimal supplies, making it accessible to all pet parents.

Practicing such skills makes for a better behaved, more content dog and builds a better relationship between pet parent and pup.