Fetch but no drop?

[phil18]

ok...fetch is a blast but only when the two parties understand their roles... I can get my pup (15 weeks old) to sit and then retrieve a toy that I throw but cannot get him to drop it...likes to have my tug on the toy to get it from him no matter how many times I say drop, release...etc...any tips?

[Ninso]

Dropping a toy is no fun . . . what's to say he'll get it back? I would train this separate from the fetch game. It sounds like he likes to tug, so that should help. Take two identical toys, tug ropes or whatever, offer him one and let him tug for awhile, then show him the other toy and tell him "drop it." Sometimes just seeing the other toy is enough to get the drop. If he does, immediately praise him and let him grab the other toy for some tug fun. Continue to switch back and forth. He'll soon get the idea that dropping one toy doesn't mean the game is over. Once he does this consistently, you can start adding in a throw now and then. If the sight of the other toy isn't enough to entice him to drop the first one, stop the tug game (but keep holding onto your end) and make it really boring for him. I will usually hold the toy close to where his mouth is and pull it in towards myself, holding it very still. Then just wait him out. He will eventually wonder why you're not playing and drop the toy. Then you can reward him with the other one!

 

Another strategy (probably better used away from an intense game of fetch, more for situations where he has something he's not supposed to have, like one of your socks) is to teach him that he can "trade" his object for another one that you'll give him when he responds to the drop it command, whether it be a treat, a toy, whatever. Eventually you won't have to make a trade, but in the beginning stages you want him to learn that dropping things on command is a good thing!

[Shetlander]

In addition to the two toy method and "trading" (both great techniques), another thing you can do is take the dog's collar in one hand while holding on to the toy with the other. This makes the fun stop because the dog is no longer able to continue tugging and self-reinforcing. Just be sure to use a verbal command too as you take the collar. I didn't with Quinn and while he immediately drops his tug as soon as I touch or even reach for his collar, he sometimes holds on if I only verbally tell him to give.

[phil18]

Dropping a toy is no fun . . . what's to say he'll get it back? I would train this separate from the fetch game. It sounds like he likes to tug, so that should help. Take two identical toys, tug ropes or whatever, offer him one and let him tug for awhile, then show him the other toy and tell him "drop it." Sometimes just seeing the other toy is enough to get the drop. If he does, immediately praise him and let him grab the other toy for some tug fun. Continue to switch back and forth. He'll soon get the idea that dropping one toy doesn't mean the game is over. Once he does this consistently, you can start adding in a throw now and then. If the sight of the other toy isn't enough to entice him to drop the first one, stop the tug game (but keep holding onto your end) and make it really boring for him. I will usually hold the toy close to where his mouth is and pull it in towards myself, holding it very still. Then just wait him out. He will eventually wonder why you're not playing and drop the toy. Then you can reward him with the other one!

 

Another strategy (probably better used away from an intense game of fetch, more for situations where he has something he's not supposed to have, like one of your socks) is to teach him that he can "trade" his object for another one that you'll give him when he responds to the drop it command, whether it be a treat, a toy, whatever. Eventually you won't have to make a trade, but in the beginning stages you want him to learn that dropping things on command is a good thing!

 

That sounds pretty good...the funny thing is that he is so smart when he has something he is not supposed to...slippers, socks etc and I tell him to drop it he does...thanks!