# shaping the fetch



## chris halls (Jul 20, 2009)

hi, im looking for some advice on shaping my dog to enjoy playing fetch using a food reward. so far i have established a marker for good behaviour and my dog is interested in the ball i just want to pair the continuation of the game with her bringing the ball back to me. any advice as to where i go from here?

eventually i would like to leave food rewards and use the ball as my primary source of praise for exercises/commands.

regards,
chris


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

chris halls said:


> hi, im looking for some advice on shaping my dog to enjoy playing fetch using a food reward. so far i have established a marker for good behaviour and my dog is interested in the ball i just want to pair the continuation of the game with her bringing the ball back to me. any advice as to where i go from here?
> 
> eventually i would like to leave food rewards and use the ball as my primary source of praise for exercises/commands.
> 
> ...


What breed is your dog? Why bother with food at all if she has ball drive? Play fetch with the ball. Refine the hold and bring and out with the ball or tug. When you have a solid
retrieve with the ball (the reward is play with the ball with you) then gradually substitute the DB with the ball as the reward

There are several good retrieve DVD's

Ivan Balabanov new DVD
The Easy Way to Retrieve
and Bernhard Flinks Motivational Retrieve


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

chris halls said:


> hi, im looking for some advice on shaping my dog to enjoy playing fetch using a food reward. so far i have established a marker for good behaviour and my dog is interested in the ball i just want to pair the continuation of the game with her bringing the ball back to me. any advice as to where i go from here?
> 
> eventually i would like to leave food rewards and use the ball as my primary source of praise for exercises/commands.
> 
> ...


Hi, Chris, I PM'd you a link to a thread that leads you through the whole retrieve-shaping process.


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## Adam Rawlings (Feb 27, 2009)

Connie,

Is there any way you could post the link or PM me with it?


Thanks,

Adam


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2009)

OP sounds like he is referring to playing fetch not formal retreive. Sounds to me like a puppy and a positive motivational approach which is great! My advice would also be to drop the food and use the dog's prey and play drive to shape the fetch. Food can be really confusing and distracting in this kind of scenario. If you have a social pup that wants to follow you around, then the key is lots of coaxing the dog back to you after she has gone out and caught her "prey." Other more independent and aloof dogs may need a long line to guide them gently back to you. Or you could use the two ball game. IME all eventually work with a dog that enjoys fetching. I'd use the two ball game as a last resort. If it is a puppy, don't expect too much too fast. Some dogs are naturals at fetch, others will never get it, others will get it but never enjoy it and others seem like they won't get it but just light up one day around 1 year old. Actually, it seems to be the late bloomers that really take to the game with the most intensity.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Good points!

I like to back-chain the fun-fetch and use food rewards to first shape picking up the item or ball and giving it to me.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

And here are some SchH retrieve videos:

http://www.schutzhund-training.com/clicker_retrieve.html


They are based on this fetch-steps text:

http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/retrieve.html


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## chris halls (Jul 20, 2009)

thanks guys i'll keep playing with her


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## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

chris halls said:


> hi, im looking for some advice on shaping my dog to enjoy playing fetch using a food reward. so far i have established a marker for good behaviour and my dog is interested in the ball i just want to pair the continuation of the game with her bringing the ball back to me. any advice as to where i go from here?
> 
> eventually i would like to leave food rewards and use the ball as my primary source of praise for exercises/commands.
> 
> ...


I have used the Shirley Chong method for clicker training the retrieve on several dogs (a couple of dobes a bouvier and a siberian husky) and really liked the results.

http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/retrieve.html

it looks like a long process but depending on how clicker savy you are it can be done fairly quickly. I find that this method really teaches the dogs exactly what is expected and is very methodical.

That being said... my current dog I am using the method that Michael Ellis teaches (ie you teach a hold, the move with the object in a solid hold, etc). 

Tamara McIntosh


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

So your dog doesn't play fetch ?? Is that what you are saying ??


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

That's pretty fetchingly put!!


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

i would still like to know how old the dog is and the breed, and, of course, what works/doesn't as s/he progresses...


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