There are several games that we can practice with a dog, but without a doubt, teaching our dog to bring the ball is one of the most complete and fun. In addition to playing with him and strengthening your bond, he is practicing several obedience commands, so it is very interesting to do it on a regular basis.
In this article we explain you in detail and with images, how to teach my dog to bring the ball step by step, getting you to pick it up and release it with only positive reinforcement. Are you excited about the idea?
Steps to follow: 1The first step is to choose the toy that we're going to use to teach you how to bring the ball. Although our intention is to use a ball, it may be that our dog likes more than a Frisbee or some toy with a certain shape. Very importantly, avoid using tennis balls as they damage your teeth.
To start teaching your puppy to bring the ball you must choose your puppy's favorite toy, but you will also need to goodies and snacks to reinforce him positively when you do it well and to draw him to you if he's too stimulated and doesn't pay any attention to you.
2 before starting to practice this exercise, but already in the park or in the chosen place, it will be essential offer some treats to our dog to realize that we are going to work with prizes. Remember that they must be very tasty for you to respond correctly. Follow this step by step:
- Give a prize praise the dog with a "very good"
- Go back a few steps and reward him again
- Keep doing this action 3 or 5 more times
Once your puppy has been awarded several times, it's time to start exercising. ask him for what stay quiet (For that you will have to teach him to be quiet). This will keep you from getting overly anxious to play and will also help you to better understand that we are "working".
3 When the dog is stopped, shoot the ball along with a sign so that it lists it correctly. You can match the "search" with a concrete gesture with the arm. Remember that both the sign and the verbal order must always be the same, in this way the dog will relate the word to the exercise.
4 In the beginning, if you choose the toy correctly, the dog will look for the chosen "ball". In this case we are practicing with a kong, but remember that you can use the toy that is most attractive to your dog.
5 Now is the time to call your dog for you to "collect" or deliver the ball. Remember that you must practice answering the call beforehand, otherwise your puppy will walk away with the ball. Once you are close, gently remove the ball and give it a prize, thus enhancing the delivery of the toy.
At this point we must include the order "let" or "let go" so that our dog can also start to practice delivering toys or objects. In addition, this command will be very useful for our day to day, being able to prevent our dog from eating something in the street or leaving an object that is biting.
6 Once the exercise of bringing the ball is understood, it is time to keep practicing, either on a daily or weekly basis, so that the puppy has finished assimilating the exercise and we can practice this game with him whenever we want.
