Play Ball!

 

I once had a client confess to me, sounding rather frustrated and a little bit hurt, that their Labrador did not know how to play fetch.

I told them that the lab was clearly defective, but the problem should be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty and that they could send him back for a software update.

Surprising though it may be to the layperson, dogs – even retrievers – are not born automatically knowing how to play fetch!  And people, despite the best efforts of their canine companions, can sometimes do a fantastic job of squashing the innate love that instinct has already given many dogs. 

The absolutely, positively, totally, number one, most important thing to remember about fetch is that it is a game.  We are doing this to have fun with our dog, folks.  Lighten up. 

(I am not talking about the retrieve portion of obedience or schutzhund, or hunting dogs retrieving birds.  Although y’all could stand to lighten up a little too, just saying.  It’s still supposed to be about having fun with your dogs.)

I’m not just saying that to be glib.  Have you ever had game night with that one guy who gets a little bit too intense about Monopoly?  Like, a little healthy competition is fun and yeah we all should know the rules but c’mon dude dial it back a notch.  He probably didn’t get invited back to game night.  It’s easy to accidentally do the same with our dogs, especially when they are puppies and they love to play.  We underestimate how easy it is to overwhelm them, how quickly they get tired, how difficult it is regulating their own emotions, and how they don’t even really know the rules of the game we are playing! 

Unlike tugging, wrestling, and chasing, fetch is a purely human invention.  It would be completely maladaptive for an adult dog to chase down a moving prey item, catch it, carry it back to someone, and then drop it with the expectation that the prey magically runs away again.  Through the use of training (and selective breeding, in some cases) humans have interfered with a dog’s instinctive prey sequence and altered it to fit our own use, whether for work, as in hunting or competitive sports, or for play, as in fetch.  So even if a dog has the instinct to be interested in a game, it is our responsibility to teach them the rules to play by. 

The two most common “broken rules” that I hear complained about are that the dog won’t chase the ball or that, having chased and caught it, won’t give it back.  I will reiterate, once again – relax, it’s just a game.  The more the human gets anxious and upset, the less likely the dog is to cooperate.

I start out my first game of fetch with a new dog by using two identical toys, one that I show to the dog and one that I keep stashed in my pocket.  The one that I show to the dog is the coolest toy ever!  I hold it up to admire it, toss it back and forth between my hands, dangle it just out of reach, maybe even bounce it on the ground a few times – all the while exclaiming to myself what a wonderful toy I have found and completely ignoring the increasingly agitated dog.  Then I pretend to notice the dog’s interest and engage in a quick game of keepaway, turning my back, letting them sniff the toy briefly before I snatch it away, dragging it along the ground just out of reach.  Only once I am sure that the dog is overcome with desire to have the toy do I throw it. 

But I do not chuck it into the next county!  Two or three feet, maximum.  The dog immediately pounces on the tantalizing toy and what do I do?  I materialize another, identical toy seemingly out of midair and begin the whole song and dance all over again.  Triumph fizzling into bafflement, the dog drops their prize to come and investigate.  I toss the second toy a few feet and casually pick up the first. 

Rover grabs toy two; I toss toy one. 

Rover grabs toy one; I toss toy two. 

As the game progresses, I will up my criteria.  I begin to throw my toy farther, but I also wait for Rover to look at me and drop their toy two before I do so.  Once Rover is consistently dropping the toy and dancing their happy little paws waiting for me to throw the other one, I will start coaxing them closer to me before they drop their toy.  Eventually, Rover will drop a toy close to me, watch me pick it up so that I am holding both toys, and then happily chase whichever one I happen to throw.  After a few repetitions of this, I can put the second toy in my pocket and continue our game with just one toy. 

Please note that although I describe this as happening in one neat progression, it will likely not fix all of your problems in one afternoon.  And even if you do see a lot of progress, remember to keep your games short and fun.  Always start from a point of strength in your next session, so take a few steps back from your previous success.  Keep playing the game with two toys for a while, even if you don’t have to do the whole hard-to-get routine each time.     

The two-toy system works very well because many of the playful, high-energy dogs who enjoy the game also tend to be a bit possessive and end up wanting to keep all the toys for themselves.  Using this method, we never have to force our dogs to give up one treasure in order to receive another.  This builds trust not only in the game itself but also in our partnership. 

A quick word about toys, while we are on the subject.  For safety and convenience, I prefer a ball on a string from Gappay or Starmark when playing fetch with my dogs.  Like any strenuous activity, fetch is not without its risk and choking is a real threat.  With these toys, if the worst happens and the ball becomes lodged in my dog’s throat, there is a convenient handle for me to grab and yank it back out.  In day-to-day life, there is also a convenient handle for me to throw the ball farther than I would be able to normally, and I don’t have to touch the slobbery part.  Gappay makes a variety of sizes and densities of rubber balls that are bouncy and very resilient.  Starmark’s DuraFoam ball is very sturdy despite its light weight and it floats in water.  Kong, and you should know how I feel about the brand by now, makes the SqueakAir ball with rope which is a quality product at an unbeatable price – however, I do caution against it if you are struggling with a possessive dog who may very well decide that squeaking the ball all by their lonesome is more fun than bringing it back to be thrown again and thereby sabotage your training. 

The toy itself is merely a conduit for play, so the simpler the better.  Once your dog has gotten the hang of the game, reintroduce the two-toy method to swap out a familiar toy for a new one and back again, then introduce more toys over time so that they can generalize their new behavior as you would with any other training.  Incorporate more training into your sessions and use the game as reinforcement for obedience skills.  Just remember, it’s still a game and you are supposed to have fun. 

Now go play with your dog!

 

For further reading:

Dog Sport Skills, Book 3: Play! by Denise Fenzi & Deborah Jones Ph.D. (really the whole series is wonderful, but the third book is most applicable here)

Sharing Is Caring: Are you making your dog selfish? – Blog post on TheCollaredScholar.com