So you would probably assume that since “retriever” is part of their Golden title that they would all know how to fetch a ball, right? Well, not always true. Some dogs need a little help in picking up this favorite game. Whether your Golden chases a ball down but doesn’t retrieve it or he just plan shows no interest at all, the following tips will help get a good round of fetch going. But once you get started, you better be able to keep up!

Before you get started it is important that you have the right kind of ball. Tennis balls are a great ball to use as they’re a good size and while the fuzz gets pretty slobbery, the ball itself doesn’t get slippery so you don’t have to be conderned about the ball slipping down your dog’s throat. Avoid balls such as a racquetball. Not only are these balls smaller, but they get very slippery when wet causing a hazard to your dog. As with any toy, discard any balls that are busted or have holes in them. Not only will you not get good distance when throwing a bad ball, but you don’t want your Golden to chomp down on bad ball and end up with pieces in his mouth.

Ok, now let’s get started.

Start by introducing the ball to your dog. Show him what it is, and even try to get him to take it in his mouth. Don’t let him chew on the ball, that’s not the game we’re teaching here. When you give him the ball, say to him “ball” so he can begin to associate what the object is.

Next, make sure your dog is paying attention to you and throw the ball a short distance. When you throw the ball, say somehting to your dog like “fetch” or “go get it” as examples. Even say to him “get the ball”. If you introduced the ball to him correctly in the beginning he should know what the ball is.

If your Golden shows no interest in the idea of chasing after the ball, YOU need to go get it. As you are running to get the ball, get him to go with you. Pick up the ball and show it to him and go ahead and give him the ball. See if he’ll run with you back to where you were while carrying the ball.

Now, this could take a long time, but stick with it and be patient. Continue to repeat the above steps a few times a day. When he goes to the ball on his own, praise him like crazy and cheer for him to bring the ball back to you. When he returns with the ball, give lots of praise!

Stay at a short distance for a while until he is returning with the ball more than leaving it. Once you feel he’s got the idea you can begin to through the ball further.

Lastly, after a while of success with the ball, feel free to move on to other toys like a frisbee or rubber stick toy.

Ok, so you throw the ball and your dog gladly goes to get the ball and charges back to you. But, as soon as you reach out for the ball he darts away. You’re game of fetch has just turned into his game of keep away. How do you stop this new game? Well, work with two balls during your play session. Throw the first ball, and when he catches it, call him back to you and show him the second ball. If he won’t drop the first ball, don’t force the issue. Simply toss the second ball. Most dogs will drop the first ball and go running happily after the second one. Pretty soon they learn that dropping the ball for you results in more tosses for them. There is a disadvantange to this practice though, often Golden Retrievers have been know to actually learn to carry two balls in their mouths at the same time!

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