# Training to Fetch



## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Well I want to really train Radar to "Fetch" and was wondering the best method for doing this. Radar is pretty much hit and miss with this type of excercise. He will bring the item back once in a while, the item being his rope bone. I had thrown it and then once he picked it up I would say Bring it Back 
Radar and I would have a treat in my hand. The only problem is he would drop the Rope Bone and return for the treat only. Ho do I get him to come back to me with the Rope bone??? This is the dilemma.

Derek


----------



## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

I can’t remember Radar’s age he may be young for what you are asking him to do. I started Smarted with rolling a ball just a few feet, when she got it we had a “party”. Now she takes off across the yard ready for anything to be thrown. There is a good motivational book for dogs call “The Loved Dog”. It gives you steps to train your dog. I have used several of her methods on things I was having trouble with and they worked


----------



## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Well Radar is just over 16 Weeks and he was actually getting the hang of it pretty quick today as long as you keep the lessons short for him because he was getting tired running back and forth...:biggrin1: 

At first he was dropping the item just short of bringing it back. What I did was when I would throw it for him and say "Fetch" he would run for it and grab it and then return but he wasn;t bringing the item. He would return only for the treat. If he didn't grab it I would go get it. When I would go get it Radar would want to play with it so I made sure it was in his mouth all the way back to the start point. When I got back to the start point I would make sure he dropped it in front of me and then I would reward him so he would associate dropping the item in front of me and getting the reward. 

When he would drop it half way I wasn't giving any reward. Eventually I would throw the item and he was automatically bringing it back no problem until My Wife showed up and then Radar lost all concentration. At the end of the training session he actually brought the item back about 95% of the time so I would say it was pretty successful but he needs to do it with distractions in the room I think thats the real test. I would say that he should be pretty good at it when we're all done. He has the ability to learn just like an adult dog does now I have been told.


----------



## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

SMARTY said:


> I can't remember Radar's age he may be young for what you are asking him to do. I started Smarted with rolling a ball just a few feet, when she got it we had a "party". Now she takes off across the yard ready for anything to be thrown.


Same for Oliver--however I started with his favorite toy,one I knew he never refuses.


----------



## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

With any trick you want to train, the most important part is to break it down to steps. So start with doing that. To be honest, Dora is currently learning the formal obedience retrieve- she is about 70% of the way there- my instructor broke it down to a 22 step process!

I would get Radar really reved up and try to teach with the least amount of distractions or if you can't avoid them (wife probably doesnt want to sit outside while you train!) I would up the reward. Instead of his regular treat, save the last bite of pork chop or something. Dora's biggest distraction is Belle but I know she will drop Belle over bites of beef!

With what you are having problems with, I would wrestle him wtih the toy and get him really excited and then throw it. Don't have the treat in your hand. Have it in near by location and after praise, you go together to get the treat. I do this in the obedience and agiltiy ring. Dora knows what the word jackpot means now! We run and she gets several treats!

Sounds like he is really catching on already! The next step is to teach him to get in the air! My husband who has done no training with Dora thought it would be cute and he played with her, when she leaped in the air to get the toy, he used her marker word "yes." (this is wear the clicker is perfect- when you need a fast cue for your dog) One night when I came home from work he showed me her new trick! Unfortunetly, in obedience, she has to sit by my side when I throw it, wait for the judge to tell me to let her go get it though!

Amanda


----------

