[Melina]

This may seem like a silly question to ask, but I honestly can't think of anything, so hopefully you guys can give me some suggestions...


Is there any way to make a game of fetch seem more enticing to your dog? Or is it one of those things where they're either a "fetcher" or they're not? Since discovering that Koda is trustworthy off leash, I've been taking him and Riley to a large, open field by my house. Riley will fetch for a period of time, and Koda gets exercise chasing her, but when she loses interest the game is over and no one gets anymore exercise. Koda doesn't seem to care to fetch on his own. The only other time anyone gets any running in is if Riley gets the zoomies, then the chase is on. Otherwise, as I said, Koda doesn't do much but trot around and sniff/mark the grass. I'd really like it if he would fetch as well, but I have no idea how get that to peak his interest, if that's possible. He'll fetch in the yard sometimes, but after a few throws, that's it. In the field, he couldn't care less. If fetching is out of the question, does anyone have any other suggestions on how to get him running in the field? :thinking:

 

[rvadog]

You can try and build up his drive or the ball (that's really all fetch is) but it's going to be a pain and probably won't work.

You can do recall sprints. Down her, run 100 yards away, call her and when she gets to you reward and then down her. Repeat. Or you can teach her to run away from you on command (see SchH sendout). She runs, you call her back and reward her when she gets to you.

If she's not bouncing off the walls and is a healthy weight then why do you want her running? In all honesty its tough on their hips and really not a huge deal.

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

Here's a previous threads with tips on teaching fetch: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/how-do-i-teach-my-dog/136440-wont-fetch.html

I do think some dogs are natural fetchers and some aren't, but that doesn't mean you can teach him to enjoy playing fetch. Dena was bringing back balls at 9 weeks old, just days after we got her. Keefer was a bit of a late bloomer, but now he's a fetching maniac, and so is Halo, so I've never had to really work at it.

What kind of toys have you tried? Some dogs love balls, others love frisbee type toys, and some prefer sticks or kongs. Does he like to tug? If so, you can use that as the reward for fetching, or you can even use it as the fetch toy.

 

[Melina]

You can try and build up his drive or the ball (that's really all fetch is) but it's going to be a pain and probably won't work.

You can do recall sprints. Down her, run 100 yards away, call her and when she gets to you reward and then down her. Repeat. Or you can teach her to run away from you on command (see SchH sendout). She runs, you call her back and reward her when she gets to you.

If she's not bouncing off the walls and is a healthy weight then why do you want her running? In all honesty its tough on their hips and really not a huge deal.

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. He's not overweight at all, so that's not an issue. He's not at all destructive at home, and not really bouncing off the walls, but he just seems "excited" all the time, is the best way I can put it. He's always "ready to go". He'll hop around like Tigger, pounce on toys and run around the room with them, try to get Riley to play by chewing on her neck (Which she isn't always inclined to do. She's a lot smaller than he is and is sometimes fearful). He just seems to have a fair amount of energy to expel. I was taking him on very long, fast paced walks twice a day (About 2 miles, 45 minutes a piece) before I found out he was trustworthy off leash, but now that I've found out he won't take off, I think it would be beneficial to let him run a bit. As I said, he's not the least bit destructive at home. He doesn't chew, dig, tear anything up, get into anything, he's perfectly behaved...I can just tell he wants to let loose though.

 

[PaddyD]

You can try and build up his drive or the ball (that's really all fetch is) but it's going to be a pain and probably won't work.

You can do recall sprints. Down her, run 100 yards away, call her and when she gets to you reward and then down her. Repeat. Or you can teach her to run away from you on command (see SchH sendout). She runs, you call her back and reward her when she gets to you.

If she's not bouncing off the walls and is a healthy weight then why do you want her running? In all honesty its tough on their hips and really not a huge deal.

Run 100 yards? What are you, an Olympian? 100 yards is a football field.
You could try rewarding every time he fetches in the yard.
My dog will fetch 100% of the time as long as there are no other dogs around. Then is anyone's guess as to whether she will pay attention, she is too intent on socializing.
My last dog had no interest in fetching and I didn't have the motivation to try and teach her ...... that's just the way she was.

 

[tonkatuff81]

Possible Solution

My guy loves to fetch, and when the ball comes out he tunes out everything else. However, I use a slingshot made by Hyperdog: It can shoot a tennis ball about 50 yards, though you don't have to shoot it that far.

He will play fetch until he needs oxygen. Everytime he brings the ball back I lavish him with praise. It is great exercise.

 

[Melina]

My guy loves to fetch, and when the ball comes out he tunes out everything else. However, I use a slingshot made by Hyperdog: It can shoot a tennis ball about 50 yards, though you don't have to shoot it that far.

He will play fetch until he needs oxygen. Everytime he brings the ball back I lavish him with praise. It is great exercise.

Lucky. Koda is indifferent, hence why I made this thread. Riley likes to, but gets bored after maybe ten minutes. Koda just likes to chase her.


There's actually a guy with a Sable Shepherd who looks a bit like Koda (With a Stock coat, however) that lives around the corner from me. I see him playing fetch in one of the fields over there quite often. I was out walking Riley one time and watched for a bit, then yelled to him and complimented him on his choice of dogs, of course. He yelled back that he'd seen me walking Koda before. It was cool!

 

[gregalabama]

My 8 moth old fetches and fetches and fetches, and won't stop! The opposite problem, if you will.

Here he is with a 5 foot long stick!

Inside it's two tied together socks, he doesn't dare take his inside toys outside, nor vice versa!

 

[Runswithdogs]

Let me know if you have success with anything! Regen is the same way. And she does the same thing to Osa (chews on her neck trying to get her to play) when she wants to chase her, but Osa doesn't always want to play.

Osa loves to fetch and Regen will chase her for a bit, but she gets bored quickly and just stands there looking at Osa fetching and me throwing the ball like, "This blows, Mom."

 

[XTOL]

My old GSD Mikey wasnt much of a fetcher either.
If I really got him revved up and sold it really well
he would run after a ball a couple of times. Most of
the time he would just look at me with that "yea...so?"
look. Sometimes he would run after the ball but keep
right on running right on past it.

Abby on the other hand is ball crazy. She loves chasing
after anything thats moving. She fetches sometimes but
usually she just runs around and around with the ball
in her mouth. Her favorite game is keep away from me
anything I might want. So I always take multiple toys
when we go out to play. Whatever I currently have is "it".

 

[smdaigle]

Melina, I have the same problem . . . Rennie (4yr female) will fetch anything from balls to tiny pieces of a stick. She'll run up and down our yard all day until our arms fall off. Ridley (10mo male) so far only likes to chase Rennie. Letting him chase Rennie burns off some energy but it also annoys her so we'd really rather get him interested in chasing his own ball.

We walk both dogs 2-3 miles a day but this doesn't burn off enough energy. Ridley paces when he hasn't had enough exercise - he's also a little more mischievious!

 

[jakeandrenee]

Jake sometimes wil fetch and fetch and fetch....other times he just wants to do his own thing....I totally understand about getting him to RUN....Jake loves to chase and catch whatever I toss but doesn't alway care to retrieve it. More often then I like he drops it and then runs back to me for me tot throw something else.
I have started all over again like he is a baby and doing it in the house with two balls. He is GREAT, but when we get outside something changes in his head....

 

[Shadow's mum]

Can you toss treats instead and play the "find it" game?
Shadow likes this game (obviously you wouldn't throw them as far)

 

[Deb]

At my house fetch is an interactive game. I throw the toy or ball and Shayna runs very excitedly chasing it. She picks it up and tosses it, then turns around, sits and looks at me. Now it's my turn to go get the toy or ball. Her expression is very clear, "I chased it and had a ton of fun getting my exercise. Now it's your turn for exercise." She loves her toys and can't move around the house without one in her mouth. Right now she's in her crate and I can hear her throwing her bowl around it. (It's pouring and she's soaking wet, so back into crate.) Here, fetch isn't fun unless we're both doing it.

 

[Melina]

Just wanted to thank everyone again for the advice and say I haven't had much time to work on the fetching the past few days, but I do plan on it! I've still been taking both Koda and Riley to the field and letting them run around, however, and I'm proud of the fact that Koda is consistent in sticking around and not taking off! Next step is making time to work on peaking his interest in fetching. I'll update you guys on how that's going, just didn't want this thread to sink to the bottom seemingly unappreciated.