frisbee go, but not return

[Yuna]

Hi everyone,

 

My one year and half BC is a "smart ass". She love play with frisbee, but when she catch it, don't come back me. She has located several zones in the grass and she leave it in the zone most closer than she is.

 

I try to don't go for frisbee but if I don't go, she never comes to me.

 

What can I do? I try to play with two frisbees?

 

thanks!!

[Mom of Mya]

Mya was doing this and I take treats out with me, then when she gets the frisbee I tell her to come and when she gets to me I tell her to drop it. Then she sits and gets a treat. It has worked to get her to bring the frisbee to me with the treats. I have not tried it yet without the treats but with the treats it works.

 

I do not do the agility though so that may not be a correct thing to do. I don't know.

[CMP]

I train my dogs to "get", "bring", "put" and "give" in separate steps, inside, with small toys or objects, in close quarters and NEVER use food. They get excited enough with praise on such a fun game.

 

I start with get and let them learn to get an object I throw or point at or place. I don't care, in the beginning, what they do with it when they get it. Usually they want to run off with it and inspect it. I let them. I get up and walk away - done with the game.

 

When they come back and start wanting you to throw things or point at things or place things, then the bargaining chip is - "bring". I will set up a "get" if you do the "bring". I train bring within arm distance so I can help with the concept by gently pulling them closer to me (all you need is one forward motion step for it to be a bring).

 

I ask for the item ("give"). If they turn their head or try to make a tuggy game of it, I give them a little pat on the head, tell them it was fun playing,and get up and leave.

 

If puppy chases you with the item, trying to get your attention / get you to engage with him again with the toy - you have already won and the rest is easy.

 

If he does, you get the item from him, throw it, ask for the bring, ask for the give and then (and this is the important part in my routine) you offer it back to him. Does he want to run off and play with it now or does he want you to throw it again. The choice makes them feel better - like they are not just giving away their toy.

 

If puppy does not chase you with the item and drops it somewhere - he doesn't want to chase it again or has not made the connection. I would throw it, give the get command, then the bring command and walk away if the bring fails. Eventually they will get it or I stop trying - if they do not want to play fetch, they do not want to play fetch. Play is always optional.

 

I would break it down, teach the component parts in separate phases and then piece them back together.

 

Eventually the "get" command carries an implied bring. I get my dogs to "get" and "bring" all the time. They have to get the toy if they want to play, they have to get their blankies and take them to the truck if they want them along, they have to pick up the gloves and small tools and other things I run out of hands for and bring them from the garden, they have to put away their toys at night and get their own food dishes at feeding time.

 

I recommend using get and bring a LOT - for all sorts of things - the dogs LOVE it and it ingrains the idea.

 

Good luck!

[Yuna]

Thanks for your comments.

 

I try to give a treats, but she don't come back when catch the frisbee and I can't give a prize.

Always wait in "her zones" and she does not move.

[alligande]

I adopted 3 1/2 year old border collie who had trained his former family in the game of fetch, they threw and fetched, he chased and sometimes caught. We had a simple solution, at home we just ended the game, either went indoors or found something else to do, on walks we picked up the ball/frisbee and ended the game, and just carried on the walk without plating fetch. Took awhile but he got to the point where he would hunt the frisbee/ball till it was found and bring it back so we could all keep playing.

[CMP]

^^

 

Yep. If they like it and you stop, they want to do it again, so they work at figuring it out.

 

Some dogs do not like to play catch/fetch and will never really "get it" because they aren't motivated to get it.

 

My Border Collies LOVE fetch and one of them almost always has a ball in his mouth when he can find one. My Berners look at me like "Why do you keep throwing things at me? I thought you liked me!" The hounds can take it or leave it and the Scotties will only do it when they feel like it - they MUST initiate.