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CAN YOU TRAIN A 1 YEAR OLD DOG TO FETCH  ?

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  


This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

When owners take on an adult dog it may be untrained - but training is still possible

Training dogs is all about rewarding them for performing the actions that you want - in this case to retrieve a stick or toy. A reward can take several forms :

Words - "good dog" or "good boy" or "good girl"
Physical contact - a pat on the head or side, or ruffling his/her coat
A nutritional treat - eg a small dog biscuit hidden in the hand

It is much easier to teach a young puppy than a one year old dog - but it is still possible. Many dogs have a natural instinct to "retrieve" so you may find that if you play with an object (eg a ball) close up with your dog, then throw it a short distance he/she may retrieve it. If this is the case gradually increase the length of your throw. Whenever your dog does bring the object back to you reward him/her with a pat on the head and encouraging words eg "good boy" and/or a treat.

If your dog is not interested in playing with objects and does not retrieve them naturally you may need to join a Dog Training Club if there is one in your area and undergo a course of training starting with the basics. An alternate is to find someone locally who knows how to train dogs and ask them to help you.