Fifteen minutes. That's roughly what a proper game of fetch costs you, and for a busy, bouncy, into-everything young dog it might be the best fifteen minutes of your whole day.
The trouble is most dogs don't fetch. They chase. They grab the toy and then take a victory lap around the yard while you stand there calling their name, which isn't fetch so much as keep-away with extra steps.
At McCann Dogs we teach it a little differently. We teach it backwards.
If you'd like to see it first, Kayl walks Kim and her dog Maggie through every step in the video above. Everything below is the why behind it.
Why backwards?
Think of a retrieve as a little chain. You throw, the dog chases it down, picks it up, comes back, lets go. Most people start teaching at the throw. We start at the letting go and work toward the front, which trainers call back chaining. If coming back and handing over the toy is the most fun part of the whole game, your dog starts working toward it on their own.
So before you throw anything, you're going to play tug.
Manners first, oddly enough
Fetch is a sneaky good boundary setter for young dogs. Your dog wants that toy, badly, and that gives you something to work with. Hold it where they can see it and ask for a sit. If they lunge for it, stop, put them back in the sit, and only then give permission. Kayl just says "Ready? Get it." Use something more exciting if you like, but keep it simple.
Don't hide the toy all the time, either. Leaving it in plain view while your dog holds a sit is how they learn a bit of self-control.
Getting the toy back
This is where people get stuck. Once your dog's tugging happily, you need a release cue, meaning a word that tells them to let go. "Out" and "drop it" both work. Pick one and stick with it.
The easiest place to start is a food trade. While you're tugging, sneak a piece of food out of your pocket, stop pulling so the toy goes still, say your cue, and then put the food right on their nose. The order matters more than you'd think. If the food shows up before the word, your dog learns to wait and see what you're offering before deciding whether to listen. Eventually you want a dog who lets go on the cue alone, no trade at all.
Some dogs would rather trade for another toy. Keep a second one hidden, say your cue, hold the first toy dead still and wiggle the new one. When they switch, the game starts right back up.
Whatever you trade, it has to be worth more to your dog than what's already in their mouth. Kayl calls that the golden rule, and it holds for everything, whether it's a tug toy or a tissue they've snatched off the floor.
And sometimes the dog looks at the cookie and decides, no thanks, I'll keep the toy. That's when you say your cue, take hold of the collar, lift slightly, and wait. You're not yanking the toy out of their mouth and you're not choking them. You're just letting the game go completely dead and boring until they give up on it. The second they let go, praise and play again. It's the least amount of pressure that gets the job done, which is how we like it.
One small thing that makes a big difference. Say the cue once. Not "drop it, drop it, drop it, DROP IT." Once, then wait.
For a toy-crazy dog, getting to play again is usually the best reward going. Tug for a second or two, cue the drop, praise, tug again. They work out pretty fast that the quicker they let go, the quicker the fun comes back.
Now add the throw
Start small, with your dog on leash. Toss the toy a few feet, tell them to get it, and the moment they pick it up, call them back with "bring it here" or their name.
Then do the thing nobody thinks to do. Run away.
Plenty of owners chase the dog once they've got the toy, because it feels like playing. And it is, for the dog. It's the best game ever, and it teaches them that grabbing the toy and bolting gets you running after them. We flip that around. You're the one who gets chased. Call, turn, move away, and when they head your direction, praise them, take hold of the toy and play.
The tug at the end should last longer than the throw did. That's really the whole lesson. Bring it back and good things happen.
About that leash. If your dog is coming toward you on their own, keep it loose, because one day it won't be there. If they get a little selfish and start shaking the toy around a few feet away (most do, early on), use the leash to gently bring them in.
Don't always take the toy
This one surprised Kim. Sometimes, after a bit of tug, let go and let your dog have the toy for a moment. Then step away and call them again.
Toy-obsessed dogs love tugging with you and hate giving things up. If every return ends with the toy vanishing into your pocket, coming back starts to look like a bad deal. Mix it up and they learn that bringing it to you doesn't mean losing it, and giving it up gets a whole lot easier.
Throw low, and give their brain a break
Throw low and past your dog, not up in the air in front of them. A dog leaping and twisting to snag a toy is a good way to tear a cruciate ligament, and the fearless, high-drive ones are the likeliest to try it. If that's your dog, hold their collar while you wiggle the toy and build some excitement, then throw it a few feet and follow along.
Every few retrieves, ask for a down and let them settle. Kayl will sometimes set the toy right on the ground beside a dog in a down and reward them for staying put. A little impulse control goes a long way with a busy dog.
If it all falls apart and your dog's back to running off and playing by themselves, go back a step. That's the beauty of teaching it backwards. If the tug and the release aren't solid yet, the throw can wait.
For Burlington dog owners
Fetch isn't really about the toy. It's about a dog who wants to come back to you, and that matters whether your backyard is in Aldershot or Alton Village. Outside brings its own pile of distractions, so get it working indoors or in a quiet yard before you take it anywhere busier.
Maggie got her basics in our Life Skills 1 program, which runs in person at our school in Flamborough, just up the Escarpment from Burlington, and online too. We train people, not dogs, so you go home knowing how to do this yourself.
Tell us a bit about your dog. What's going well, and what you need help with. Reach out through mccanndogs.com and we'll point you to the right program and go over the pricing options.
Happy Training!