Teach Your Puppy To Return The Ball
Playing with our dog is one of the things we love to do the most. We love to throw the ball to him and see how he goes towards it, but when it comes time to give it back… He doesn’t! How can we teach our dog to bounce the ball?
This, without a doubt, is not a simple task. But we will show you a very easy step by step to achieve this in a short time.
How to teach our dog to bounce the ball
Teaching our pets to obey orders is one of the hardest things to do. By instinct, a dog will go after a ball, but returning it is another matter.
To achieve this, you must first have patience, be willing not to scream and, above all, use positive reinforcement, as it is the only thing that works for this purpose.
With these tips and a simple step-by-step guide that we’ll show you below, you’ll be able to make playing with your dog with the ball a real pleasure.
learn to speak simple sentences
Animals relate words to actions, so you must teach him the 4 basic phrases for him to fulfill this order:
Fetch the ball – catch the ball – bring the ball – release the ball.
The first two are easy, the animal will do them by instinct. He will see a ball roll and go after it to get it. The hard part is the rest.
play with him
To help your dog relate to the ball and see it as an object he can do more than just throw it and run after it, sit with it and play with it.
Make your dog sit down and bring the ball to his muzzle so that he starts to get used to it and so that it catches his attention. Let him take it, but don’t let him take it. Now is the time to start giving him orders to list them.
It starts from the orders
When you are playing with him and catch the ball, you can take the opportunity to say to him: “catch the ball”. In this way he will begin to relate both. If he doesn’t take the initiative to catch it, try to give him the ball until he catches it.
When he manages to catch it, congratulate him and give him a prize. Positive reinforcement is the best way to teach an animal order, so be sure to reward it whenever it does well.
After he has already caught the ball, the easiest thing is to make him drop the ball. Don’t let him release you until you do. Help him by telling him “let go” and tossing the ball if necessary. Just putting her hands under his muzzle should have been enough for him to let go.
Try giving him the order for about twenty minutes, for several days, until he manages to let go. At this stage, patience is essential, as we said at the very beginning.
When he drops the ball without you ordering it, tell him “no” and give the order again so that he learns to relate the action to your words. If he obeys, again, congratulate him.
Play time
Author: Dirk Vorderstraße
When he has learned to pick it up and let it go, it will be time to practice playing. Throw it, wait for him to go to the ball and catch it, call him to come and give him the order to release it. If he manages to return the ball even once, he’s on a good path and, above all, don’t forget to reward him.
It’s just about perseverance and patience. Thus, you will be able to make your dog learn the orders you want and that he is able to strengthen the bond that exists between the two of you. Remember that positive reinforcement will always be the best option.
