Dogs 101: How do I teach my dog to retrieve in Atlanta?

June 15, 6:47 AMAtlanta Dogs ExaminerSandy Weaver Carman

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Some dogs love to retrieve.  They were literally bred to retrieve, and love the game.  Any of the retriever breeds and most of the herding breeds will happily bring the ball back to you all day long.  Teaching a non-retrieving dog to play that game, however, can be a tough job, especially if your dog is a mellow dog. 

Retrieve, fetch, bring it or whatever you want to call the game is a great skill to teach your dog.  It allows you to be fairly sedentary while the dog burns off a lot of energy, which is great if you happen to injure yourself or have limited mobility to begin with.  All dogs need exercise, so with a favorite toy, a ball or a Frisbee, you can easily give your dog a great workout if your dog knows how to bring the toy back to you.

Some dogs, especially those bred to work away from their owners such as the sledding breeds, aren't natural retrievers.  Matter of fact, some seem to be of the opinion that if you threw it, you must not want it anymore so why bring it back to you?  Some dogs, especially the big and giant breeds, are very relaxed in what they do, so getting them to retrieve at faster than a slow walk can be a challenge.  But, in both situations, the dog can be taught to retrieve, with some creative thinking and by making yourself the most fun thing in the dog's environment.

In the video, watch as the owner of the Great Dane goes from a totally non-retrieving dog to a dog with a great retrieve by turning the exercise into a game.  In her situation, her dog is allowed to be off-leash on the beach and is well-trained so won't run off.  Unless your dog has the advanced obedience training this Dane has, you should use a small fenced-in area with few distractions so that your dog is more likely to focus on you and the game you're playing.

Happy retrieve training!

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