DumDog
Posted : 12/10/2007 4:43:14 PM
what sorts of things have you tried? with mine i always make a huge fuss about it... Ben is the only dog i've had that wouldnt fetch.. he tries his best. he'll run to it and pounce on it, then scamper away without the stick or the ball, acting like he performed the greatest trick in the world.
With teaching them from pups how to fetch i always start out with a rag or a stuffed animal. we play tug for a moment, i praise them any time they put their mouth on that item, let them chase it around, just out of their reach.. then throw it a short distance and try to get to it before they do... pretty soon they catch on the game, when i let them get it first i praise the heck out of them calling them to me. just like teaching anything else.. it takes time and repetition and heaps of praise or treats, which ever you prefer.
my moms collie wouldnt speak on command while facing you. in fact she wouldn't bark on command at all. then one day when i was working with my JRT pup i said "Speak Amber!" and from behind me, Maggie, the collie said 'RUFF!'
i turned around to Maggie and said "Speak!" .... nothing... so i turned back around to Amber and said Speak! ... and Maggie said RUFF again..
so figure that one out if you can lol Maggie was just an odd dog all the way around..