Training Your Dog "Catch"
Teaching your dog to play catch is a little tricky to teach your dog, but is it not impossible. You should be able to get your dog to catch a disc, ball or pretty much anything you want him to catch. Some breeds, like Border Collies or retrievers, will catch on a lot faster because of what they were bred to do. But with large laid back dogs like the St. Bernard it will be difficult to teach.
1. The best way to get your dog started on this game is to introduce the Frisbee as a feeding dish. That way your dog will associate the disc in a positive manner.
2. Once it's use to the dish, try dragging the dish in front of him and encourage him to play and even hold the dish. When it does, reward it with a treat every time.
3. Start to throwing the dish, not far off the ground, in front of him. It will run after the disc when you do this. By learning how to figure out where the disc will fall, it will be able to catch it effectively.
4. Then try throwing the disc for short length, a bit higher but still in front of your dog. If it tries to bite it or even catches it while in the air or close to falling then the trick is working. At that point start using the word ‘catch'. Keep rewarding it every time it does it correctly.
5. Keep practicing throwing it on a short length until your dog catches it 75% of the time. When it does go the full length. It will take your dog time to get used to running long distances and catching it by jumping in the air. But with repetition, it will be able to "catch". With this trick, you should be able to get your dog to catch a Frisbee or anything else you would want it to catch.
Here are some extra tips for teaching your dog to catch.
- Teaching your dog to play ‘catch' is not easy but with a little bit of effort, you should be able enter your dog into professional competitions.
- Don't throw the disc directly at your dog or it might hit it.
- Even after the dog has mastered this technique it should be practiced regularly.
- When your dog can catch a disc without problem, try to see if it'll catch a ball or a stick.
- Eventually you can try to phase out the food reward in exchange for lavish praise.
1. The best way to get your dog started on this game is to introduce the Frisbee as a feeding dish. That way your dog will associate the disc in a positive manner.
2. Once it's use to the dish, try dragging the dish in front of him and encourage him to play and even hold the dish. When it does, reward it with a treat every time.
3. Start to throwing the dish, not far off the ground, in front of him. It will run after the disc when you do this. By learning how to figure out where the disc will fall, it will be able to catch it effectively.
4. Then try throwing the disc for short length, a bit higher but still in front of your dog. If it tries to bite it or even catches it while in the air or close to falling then the trick is working. At that point start using the word ‘catch'. Keep rewarding it every time it does it correctly.
5. Keep practicing throwing it on a short length until your dog catches it 75% of the time. When it does go the full length. It will take your dog time to get used to running long distances and catching it by jumping in the air. But with repetition, it will be able to "catch". With this trick, you should be able to get your dog to catch a Frisbee or anything else you would want it to catch.
Here are some extra tips for teaching your dog to catch.
- Teaching your dog to play ‘catch' is not easy but with a little bit of effort, you should be able enter your dog into professional competitions.
- Don't throw the disc directly at your dog or it might hit it.
- Even after the dog has mastered this technique it should be practiced regularly.
- When your dog can catch a disc without problem, try to see if it'll catch a ball or a stick.
- Eventually you can try to phase out the food reward in exchange for lavish praise.