How to Teach a Dog to Fetch

Co-authored by David Levin

Last Updated: July 15, 2021 References

Playing fetch is a great way to exercise your dog and strengthen your bond with him at the same time. Many dogs are naturally good at chasing something that is thrown to them, but they may not always be good at bringing and giving it back. Teaching your dog how to complete the fetching process will help to make the game of fetch more fun for the both of you.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Teaching Your Dog to Drop His Toy

1
Use the “Drop it” command with a treat. Your dog may be good at catching and bringing the toy back to you, but may not know that he needs to drop it. To teach him how to drop his toy, hold a treat in one hand. With your dog sitting or standing in front of you, start shaking his favorite toy in your other hand until he gets excited (eg, wagging his tail). As you’re shaking the toy, give the verbal command “Take it.” After your dog is excited and you’ve given the command, allow him to take the toy from your hand with his mouth.^{[1]
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- After a few seconds, give him another verbal command– “Drop it”– to drop the toy.^{[2]
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- Your dog will probably not drop the toy once he has it in his mouth (at least not initially), which is why you’ll need the treat. Hold the treat close to his nose. Once he drops the toy, immediately reward him with the treat.^{[3]
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David Levin
Professional Dog Walker & Trainer
David Levin is the Owner of Citizen Hound, a professional dog walking business based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 9 years of professional dog walking and training experience, David's business has been voted the "Best Dog Walker SF" by Beast of the Bay for 2019, 2018, and 2017. Citizen Hound has also been ranked #1 Dog Walker by the SF Examiner and A-List in 2017, 2016, 2015. Citizen Hound prides themselves on their customer service, care, skill, and reputation.

David Levin
Professional Dog Walker & Trainer

Add a verbal cue to the behavior after your dog is doing the behavior. If you repeat the command while you're training your dog to drop the toy, they might associate what they did while they were learning with the command word instead of the actual behavior. Train your dog to drop the toy using body mechanics and coaxing the dog to drop it. Once they do the behavior, you can say the command word.
2
Use the “Drop it” command without a treat. Put the treat in your pocket. When he has his toy in his mouth, hold your hand in front of his nose as if you have the treat in your hand and give him the “Drop it” command. When he drops his toy, reward him with the treat.^{[4]
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- Eventually, your dog should be able to drop his toy with only the verbal command to do so.^{[5]
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3
Increase the time that your dog holds his toy in his mouth. Gradually increase the amount of time that he must hold his toy before you give him the “Drop it” command.^{[6]
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- If he drops the toy before you command him to do so, start again shorten the period of time that he has to hold it.^{[7]
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- Remember to reward him each time he drops his toy at your command.
- Practice the “Drop it” command each day until your dog is comfortable with it and has mastered it. This part may take longer if he is reluctant to give up his toy once he has it in his mouth. Practice in short intervals (5 to 15 minutes) several times a day.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Teaching Your Dog To Bring His Toy Back To You

1
Play ‘Bait-and-Switch’ with your dog. If you notice that your dog chases after his toy but doesn’t bring it back to you, try playing fetch with two of his favorite toys. To play the ‘bait-and-switch’ game, throw his first toy. When he fetches this toy, call him to get his attention. Once he starts turning to you, throw his second toy in the opposite direction that you threw the first toy. He’ll probably drop the first toy to go chase after the second one.^{[8]
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- When he’s chasing the second toy, run and get his first toy. Call his name, and repeat the process. Your dog probably sees this as a fun game of chase, but you are teaching him to turn back to you.^{[9]
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- After doing this a few times, throw your dog’s first toy again. Call his name, but do not throw the second toy yet. When he gets closer to you with the first toy in his mouth, give him the “Drop it” command and show him the second toy. When he drops his first toy, throw the second one. When he chases after the second toy, pick up his first toy and repeat the process.^{[10]
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- Eventually, your dog will learn will learn to bring his toy back to you after you throw it to him, without the need for the second toy.^{[11]
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2
Play ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with your dog. This is another game to teach your dog to give his toy back to you. Attach a leash or rope to his toy and throw the toy. If your dog catches it but doesn’t bring it back, wiggle the leash or rope and start running in the opposite direction. Chances are that your dog will start chasing you with the toy still in his mouth. Give him a treat if he does so.^{[12]
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- If your dog initially drops the toy and doesn’t chase after it, wiggle the leash or rope a little more and start running away. Eventually, he should try to chase after and catch the toy. Give him a treat when he gets closer to you with the toy. ^{[13]
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- After a few weeks’ time, your dog will learn that he should bring his toy back to you after you throw it to him.^{[14]
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3
Teach your dog to bring his toy closer to you. If your dog tends to drop his toy before bringing it all the way to you, stand in place and say “Bring it” just as he reaches the point where he usually drops it. Wave your arm to gesture that he should follow you, and then start walking away from him. When he starts to follow you and reaches the place where you were originally standing, say “Drop it” and walk back towards him to pick up the toy.^{[15]
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- It may take a few weeks before your dog understands the “Bring it” command, so be patient with him.^{[16]
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Question

My dog hates fetch. How do I get him to get the ball in the first place?

Community Answer

Buy a ball that you can put treats into. After about 3 weeks of playing fetch with the treat ball, slowly decrease the amount of treats you are putting in it until you are just playing fetch with the ball, with no treats inside.

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My dog runs at the ball but doesn't pick it up. How am I meant to teach him to pick it up in his mouth?

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Rub a treat on the ball first. When he comes to you, award him with a treat.

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What can I do if my dog won't drop the item it fetches?

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Hold a treat close to the dog's nose. It will drop the toy for the treat.

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There are many reasons why a dog may not want to fetch or isn’t very good at it. For example, he may have a medical issue such as arthritis that would make running back and forth difficult. He may also perceive the returning and dropping of his toy as punishment, or think that fetching simply isn’t as fun as other activities.^{[17]
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Other than treats and verbal praise, you can also reward your dog with extra play time. Every dog is different, so identify what type of reward works best for your dog and use it throughout the training process.^{[18]
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You can also teach your dog to fetch different types of objects, including the newspaper.^{[19]
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