Teaching 'fetch' to a stubborn puppy

[hannahrobiha]

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Hello all,

Can anyone give me some tips on how to train a very stubborn puppy to fetch? She loves tug of war but is very reluctant to chase a toy, however I would like to be able to teach her to keep her more entertained on walks...

 

[gypsysmum]

Tiny baby steps of just tossing the tuggy a few inches away for her to get and then play an exciting game when she picks it up. Then toss it another inch away and play again when she picks it up. Only do this for short periods as they easily get bored with constant repetition.

Don't try to add any commands to the game. Just keep it fun so that each time she moves away from you to pick up the tuggy she gets and exciting game.

Don't make the mistake of chasing her to get the tuggy. Dogs find this game much more exciting than any other and will try to do it all the time. Just stand and ignore her if she runs off. Wait for her to put it down or come back and then play.

It will take lots of patience and you must keep it fun, fun, fun. A toy on a long rope might help because it means you can get hold of one end when she picks up the toy after it has been tossed.

Try to play in all situations like in the house etc so that she loves the game. Puppies find the outside world very exciting so she may not do it on walks for quite a while.

ps - she is not being stubborn just a puppy that does not understand yet