Hi Tom,
I have a 2-year-old German shepherd. She really enjoys romping around playing with her tennis ball, but the game turns from fetch into catch, as in “catch me if you can” as she trots circles around me, refusing to return the ball. She knows basic commands such as sit, down, stay, and come, and is generally reliable with her execution. However, when play time comes around, she tends to act as though she has no idea what I’m talking about.
I’ve tried using a strong voice for my commands and am sure to praise her with treats and choruses of “good girl” on the odd occasion when she complies with my request to come to me and give up the ball. How can I get her to reliably return with the ball and drop it rather than waiting for her to decide to come over and then having to pluck it out of her mouth?
I appreciate your opinion on the subject! Thanks!
GSD Catcher
Dear GSD Catcher,
Love the timing of your question, ’cause I am just literally in the beginning of teaching my poodle, Paula Jean, to fetch and drop different items on command. I never encouraged her to chase tennis balls for several reasons. One is, I’ve had several cases of tennis ball obsessiveness that were pretty tough to deal with. I’ve also seen a dog kill another dog over a tennis ball, so the most I ever did was kick a ball a few times at Tradewinds, which she would chase and maybe pick up, or not. But to me, having a dog that will retrieve stuff on command is tremendous. Both my search dogs, Michelle, and Michael, retrieved on request. At the top of the steps at my house in New York, I dropped the cap of a pill bottle, which fell to the first floor. I told Michelle, who was next to me, to “bring” the bottle cap. She wasn’t familiar with “bottle cap,” but saw what just happened, zipped down and up the stairs, and dropped the cap in my hand. She’s also, in the woods, brought me the glove of a missing person, and then had me follow her to where she found the glove!
So here’s what I did with Paula, actually yesterday. I made a show of grabbing a new toy off the floor, which got her interested in the plush toy frog with rope legs. I let her know I had treats in the other hand, at which point that hand went behind my back as I teased her with the frog. When she was trying to grab it from me, I threw it and said, “Fetch the frog.”
Here’s where your patience is needed, GSD Catcher. Paula picked it up, shook it, and ran around the house like an idiot, and dropped it 15 feet from where I was sitting on the couch, and then came to me for a treat. I smiled and softly said “Fetch Froggie.” There’s no sign of impatience or frustration or sternness in my voice. I had to go the 15 feet, get Froggie myself and start the process again several times. When she dropped it within reach from my position on the couch, she got a treat for the first time. Step by small incremental step, I got her bringing it closer and closer. Today, out of about 10 “Fetch Froggie” requests, almost all were dropped right in my hand. To teach her “drop it,” hold a treat with one hand next to her nose and the other hand under her mouth as she drops the toy to get the treat. The first few times she put Froggie in my hand, she got a jackpot, a few treats instead of one, and a minute of play and tug with the toy.
I suggest you name everything she retrieves. It’s called article discrimination. There’s a border collie with a recorded ability to retrieve over 1,000 items by name!
Good luck, and remember, this ain’t teaching her to sit on command, but it’s well worth the extra patience and time. The happiest dogs in the world are the ones who earn your praise and joy by doing what they were bred to do, in one fashion or another. The German shepherd is a working dog, and if one of her jobs is retrieving stuff for you, you’re both strengthening your bond, making her smarter by the mental stimulation, and enjoying life more.
Go for it,
The Dogcharmer
Got a question for the Dogcharmer? Write him at dogsrshelby@msn.com.
