Teaching your dog to fetch controls
* Your dog first needs to know a retrieve, this is usually retrieving a toy. Rocco was taught to retrieve a tea towel, this is a great stepping stone to teaching retrieving other items than toys.
* You need to be sure the thing you are teaching to retrieve you are not worried about it being broken during training, some dogs get a little excited and may play with the item before retrieving which could result in damage to said item.
* I start by playing with the item like you would a toy so you he learns it is allowed to put the item in his mouth, so this did involve in throwing the item and moving it around quickly.
*Once he put his mouth around the item I rewarded him with a treat.
*Eventually once realising he is allowed and its good to put his mouth around the item I wanted Rocco to hold the item, so I would verbally praise him for holding the control.
*I would then ask him to “bring” this is his retrieve command, take it off him and praise with food and verbal reward.
Each step takes time and one step may take days or weeks so I have to go at the speed of Rocco.
