My retriever won't retrieve!

[Anna Ebrahimzadeh]

My goldendoodle puppy, Bailey, is almost 5 months old and won't retrieve. We'll play fetch with her and throw the ball. She runs full speed after it, noses it for a second, then runs back to us without picking it up to bring it back. Will she eventually learn on her own to bring the ball back to us or is there something we can do to teach her. She's pretty smart and just graduated from her puppy education class sucessfully.

[Tamara & Giada]

They actually have to be taught...........who would think, huh? We took a tennis ball and put a slit in it w/her fav. treat while she watched. Throw it and when she realizes only you can get them out to give to her she will bring it back to you. Eventually you can use a reg ball. GL:)

[Adina P]

She may catch on, but you may have to train her. Look at fetching as putting together a bunch of different tasks:

Chasing item
Picking up item
Holding on to item
Returning with item still in mouth
Dropping item at your feet or in your hand

You don't have to teach them in that order. In fact it might work better to work backwards or at least work on the "drop" separate from the "pick up" and "hold."

Rosco wasn't so good at the whole fetch thing as a pup. And even now he'd prefer to be chased, but does really well when it is just him and I playing outside of the backyard.

We started working a formal, required retrieve...but quit because I had too much other stuff that took precedence...I'd still like to go back to training it. We'll see.

[2fetg28jixqki]

you could also use a clicker to train this. And you could break it down. I found the clicker worked real well with my younger doodle, Marley. He wasn't getting sit and come, but when I marked the exact behavior with a click, he got it quick. Then after you click, you treat. He was seeing a treat and getting all wound up and unable to sit, but the click put a marker on the behavior without waving an excitable treat in front of him. You could start with just picking up the ball, then click and exchange the ball for a treat. I have the opposite problem with Ziggy. He can fetch anything and knew it without being taught, but he doesn't like to drop it. I'm using the clicker with him for drop. There are lots of methods though. Hey we have a professional trainer who just joined, bet he'd have great advise. Good Luck and have fun!

[24726v7mf6d2n]

Hi! One of our goldendoodles learned how to fetch early on...the other (his sister) just started doing it too (at 8 months old). SHE must have learned from watching HIM! Sometimes, other dogs can be the best teachers.

[1yzm4utbmzy7k]

Sounds just like my Saffie. We had to teach her to bring it back. We used clicker training. Now she loves to chase the ball and she almost always brings it back... :)