# My doggo will only bring the ball or stick etc back to me sometimes



## GI_Joe88 (Jan 4, 2020)

My dog is fantastic, listens great, gets along with all dogs, other animals, people, kids. He can share his food and water bowl with another dog that a friend brings in my house. He’s 7.5 now and he’s done this ever since a pup he likes to play fetch but only brings it back to me sometimes. Like he’s retrieved the ball but would rather chew on in 7-10 ft away from me then bring it back to me. And if I get within 2ft he runs away with. He wants me to chase after him, I will a couple times but then I ain’t doing it no more lol at the beach it’s a stick and he loves kicking up sand underneath/ where the stick is so I’ll pay no attention because if I get up to throw it for him he scoops it up and runs away lol at the beach he will do a complete 360 but a walk around not a drastic jump spinorama so at the beach I know he’s ready for me to throw it again he lets me without going to take it away. This is my first dog and honestly he’s the best dog ever, this isn’t even a big deal clearly as he’s 7.5. I’m just used to only ever having a dog through my grandparents that had a black lab who just lived for fetch literally and would drop a ball or stick literally at my feet if it was 12” away I’d say can’t reach and he’d bring it closer. My dog won’t fight other dogs over a ball at the dog park or anything but if some clown throws a ball in the dog park which is idiotic, my dog won’t attack to get it but he’ll hustle harder than he has in years to get it and then I won’t be able to get it from him until I demand him get over here and take it out of his mouth. He will drop it for me sometimes it’s not like I’m saying he never drops it’s just at random. I also gave up on trying to get him to rollover after 4 years old he ain’t like being told to submit but he’ll submit no problem playing with other dogs even though he could absolutely kill em. I taught him we only fight if he have to and we’re on the same page with that. I think he just loves attention and is like watch me


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Have you tried playing with two balls?Throw one then entice him back with the second one that you throw as soon as he drops the first one.The keep away game is a favorite of many dogs.I play it with mine a little bit too because they enjoy it so much


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

Well you've trained him to play keep away! It's way more fun for a dog to have you chase them than to bring the toy back. You either need to have a great reward for him coming back (like a piece of hotdog or whatever is high value to your dog), stop playing keep away period, or have a long line on him so you can physically guide him back.

Personally, I never ever play keep away with my dogs. I do not want that to become a fun game at *any* point. What if they grab something dangerous and want you to chase them around because it's a great game? I have never chased my current puppy and he always brings everything right to me. It's how _I _prefer it, not saying there's anything wrong with what anyone else does. I'm not attacking anyone (have to say this because people have been getting super upset about opinions lately).


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I used to say that my dogs must sometimes think that I am as dumb as a box of rocks. No matter how much they try to convince me that chasing them would be great fun, somehow I never seem to take the hint. In fact, I will turn and walk away. 

If I am playing and cannot walk away, I put a long line on my dog and let them drag it. A 30 ft line is pretty easy to catch unless the dog runs in a straight line.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Any dog that has any interest in a ball can be taught to bring it back, everytime, at any age! The question is, is it important to you enough to teach the dog that game!

And since nobody else mentioned it, NICE TAT!


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Insuring that the game gets better when they bring it back to you...... helps a lot...........


SuperG


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

So nobody plays keep away but me?!My three all have a solid drop it and leave it so it's never caused an issue.When we play ball it's a mash up of keep away,fetch,two ball,send aways,roll it off the roof,etc.I'm the only dope that yells"Rarrr!I'm gonna get your toy! "Lol ?


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

dogma13 said:


> So nobody plays keep away but me?!My three all have a solid drop it and leave it so it's never caused an issue.When we play ball it's a mash up of keep away,fetch,two ball,send aways,roll it off the roof,etc.I'm the only dope that yells"Rarrr!I'm gonna get your toy! "Lol ?


Oh no, I love that game too! It's a different game with different rules is all... But what the OP described is sort of the default behavior many dogs come pre-wired with. Fetch has to be taught.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

dogma13 said:


> So nobody plays keep away but me?!My three all have a solid drop it and leave it so it's never caused an issue.When we play ball it's a mash up of keep away,fetch,two ball,send aways,roll it off the roof,etc.I'm the only dope that yells"Rarrr!I'm gonna get your toy! "Lol ?


In the house we play "on your mark, get set, go" sometimes I get the toy first and sometimes they do. But it is its own game in its own space.


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## banzai555 (Sep 2, 2019)

My dog's the same, will only actually play fetch with me when I have two balls. I throw, she retrieves, comes back, I wait until she drops it and I throw the other ball. If I didn't have the other ball in my hand she'd never drop the first one! She's stubborn, she knows "drop it" but will only do it when she feels like it.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

dogma13 said:


> So nobody plays keep away but me?!My three all have a solid drop it and leave it so it's never caused an issue.When we play ball it's a mash up of keep away,fetch,two ball,send aways,roll it off the roof,etc.I'm the only dope that yells"Rarrr!I'm gonna get your toy! "Lol ?


My favorite game! Way more fun then fetch, and much more in line with natural play for the dogs. 
Shadow and I play some demented version of tag that generally ends with me on the ground laughing my guts out. It is what keep away turns into.


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## Kyrielle (Jun 28, 2016)

dogma13 said:


> Have you tried playing with two balls?Throw one then entice him back with the second one that you throw as soon as he drops the first one.The keep away game is a favorite of many dogs.I play it with mine a little bit too because they enjoy it so much


Seconded. Two-ball for the win! You can get non-stop motion with this technique.


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## Jorski (Jan 11, 2019)

banzai555 said:


> She's stubborn, she knows "drop it" but will only do it when she feels like it.


Respectfully, if she only does it when she feels like it, then she doesn't know the command.


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## tc68 (May 31, 2006)

The key is to use at least 2 or more balls/frisbees/sticks. Just like everyone else said. They always want the one that's in your hand. So when he brings it back and drops it by your feet, then throw the other one. Eventually it's like a well oiled machine. He'll never stop running. Back and forth...back and forth. Using one is just a game of keep away and you'll always lose. Using two is the way to exercise them.


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## banzai555 (Sep 2, 2019)

Jorski said:


> Respectfully, if she only does it when she feels like it, then she doesn't know the command.


Respectfully, you can know what something means without obeying. She will drop it eventually but not right away. 

What a weird and pointless thing to be condescending about. I think I know my dog better than you.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

My previous GSD was so incredibly intense with his frisbees he was practically unable to drop them.He wanted to but he wasn't able to calm down sufficiently unless I stood with him and waited for a minute or two.So we would use two or three frisbees to keep our game going.Looking back,if I'd have worked on the release with him initially it would have helped.But it just wasn't important really.


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## tc68 (May 31, 2006)

dogma13 said:


> My previous GSD was so incredibly intense with his frisbees he was practically unable to drop them.He wanted to but he wasn't able to calm down sufficiently unless I stood with him and waited for a minute or two.So we would use two or three frisbees to keep our game going.Looking back,if I'd have worked on the release with him initially it would have helped.But it just wasn't important really.


Yeah, I know that intensity. My previous dog liked frisbees as much as he liked balls. However with the current one, the minute I introduced frisbees, he forgot all about balls. In fact a year ago when I was teaching him to drop the first frisbee was when I learned he had a bad case of resource guarding. When I went to reach for the one on the ground, he snapped and attacked my hand, drew blood. It was fast. But the frisbee was one of the main tools I used to work on the resource guarding. I also train him a lot using frisbees as the reward. When the frisbee is out, he won't even look at treats. You can put it all on the ground around him, he's not giving up that frisbee. So I learned to use frisbees to "fix" the resource guarding, for training, for energy draining exercise, for distraction work, etc. As long as the frisbee is out, he forgets to drink water. He forgets to take his naps. He carries it everywhere.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

@tc68 good on you.Instead of going to battle with him you creatively turned it into a training tool.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

dogma13 said:


> So nobody plays keep away but me?!My three all have a solid drop it and leave it so it's never caused an issue.When we play ball it's a mash up of keep away,fetch,two ball,send aways,roll it off the roof,etc.I'm the only dope that yells"Rarrr!I'm gonna get your toy! "Lol ?


You're not alone, I play keep away. He adjusts his speed to fit the chasee. He runs faster for me than my husband. My dog wont play 2 ball or 2 frisbee. He stands, waits, then looks at me to tell me "You threw the wrong one'.


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## tc68 (May 31, 2006)

dogma13 said:


> @tc68 good on you.Instead of going to battle with him you creatively turned it into a training tool.


Yeah, it was a real "lightbulb" moment. I thought, if he likes it so much...why not use it for my benefit? Buy a couple more and use them to "fix" the resource guarding problem and the best part is, it worked! (Sometimes he would get both: one in his mouth and one under his paw, and I couldn't get them away from him without the snapping. So I had to purchase a few more.) Eventually I started building trust with him (it took a lot of time and patience and determination) and I was able to turn things around with him...all because of the frisbee.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Dunkirk said:


> You're not alone, I play keep away. He adjusts his speed to fit the chasee. He runs faster for me than my husband. My dog wont play 2 ball or 2 frisbee. He stands, waits, then looks at me to tell me "You threw the wrong one'.


My gal-dog loves 2-ball so much I have to make sure I don't over run her. My big-boy, even if I have what seem to be 2 identical balls, has a favored one. He will chase one with joy and barely go after the other. He prefers tug so I use a wobbly flyer by Westpaw. I can toss it and I can tug it. When it is time to end the game I take the toy and exchange it for a leaf...yes, a leaf. He loves chasing them since they fly slow and randomly. I have to be careful when they get too old and dry. They get too crumbly and I don't want him to breath them in or swallow the small bits. 

As far as being trained to "out", some people think "my dog knows the word" and others think, "I expect my dog to obey every time". I expect mine to obey every time BUT I also recognize that sometimes it is hard for them and I wait it out. It feels like forever but after watching myself on a video I can see that it is only a few breaths. Getting a quicker more consistent out is one of our goals for 2020.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

When Max was a real young pup I had him in a long lead throw the ball and coaxed him over excitedly patting on the ground. I would then give him a piece of cheese when I said give and he outed the ball. The game continued. I did this often that my Chihuahua learned to play fetch just by watching us. The ball is his favorite and he thrives on engagement. Two ball is a game where you switch balls another way he sees that that he is rewarded for giving you the ball and the game continues. My female likes to play tug she enjoys this game and is one of her favorites she know the game continues when she wins and brings be back the tug.


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## Jorski (Jan 11, 2019)

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banzai555
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#15 • 20 hours ago 



> Jorski said:
> Respectfully, if she only does it when she feels like it, then she doesn't know the command.


Respectfully, you can know what something means without obeying. She will drop it eventually but not right away.

What a weird and pointless thing to be condescending about. I think I know my dog better than you.
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Knowing any command ( at least to me), means being able to reliably and consistently perform the exercise. If the dog sometimes "doesn't want to do it" or is "stubborn" the learning has not been completed.

It has nothing to do with knowing your dog, it has to do with knowing dogs and training in general. A dog that truly knows how to fetch, also knows the component parts of the exercise. He/she can be told to get or pick up an object and do it; be told to hold an object and be told to deliver the object in the manner the handler chooses. 

If you choose to allow the dog to ignore you, that's great. If you want to change the dog's response, you need to do something different. It isn't intended to be condescending, I'm sorry you took it that way.


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## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

German Shepherds are smart. I'm sure when they see me throw the ball, they figure I'm playing with it. (silly human.) Labs are wonderful dogs but they are, by nature and breeding, RETRIEVERS. GS's are herd minders. Elke does not chase the ball - she chases the dog chasing the ball and steers him back towards the house. She will carry her toys around with her, but sharing them is another thing. That little pile of toys is her 'herd' and she will mind them. When Buck pulled a tree limb out of the woods, he wasn't retrieving it, he was finding a new toy. He had no intention of giving it to me. Most GS's will chase a toy but bringing it back must seem stupid to them. I can see the wheels turning - you threw it, if you wanted it you shouldn't have done that. dumb human. I got it, it's mine now. Try looking at things from the dog's point of view. Things will make more sense...

Your dog is aging. You might want to consider a checkup, looking specifically for arthritis developing.


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## Jorski (Jan 11, 2019)

No, GSDs aren't too smart to retrieve. This from Larry Krohn:

*Larry Krohn*
31 December 2019 at 05:41 ·

If you're struggling in any area with your dog ask yourself a couple HONEST questions:
1. Is my dog crazy about me and want to interact with me more than anything else? (Relationship)
2. Is the communication there? Does my dog actually understand EXACTLY what I want? (Training)


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## atomic (Mar 28, 2016)

I play keep away with my boys because it is just so innocently fun, none of us can keep a smile off our faces. We all feel like kids again. Plus they know when I am playing and when I seriously mean "drop it". These are smart dogs, they will know the difference if you show them. Both lousy retrievers, "but I got it, why should I give it to you?"

You clearly love your dog, just give him a little more direction if you feel its lacking.

@dogma13 I often feel like I look like a crazy lady, running around my front yard "chasing" dogs with a "stick" (usually 5 foot long limbs) egging them on with idle threats of "I'm gonna get that "stick"!"


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## saintbob (Jul 14, 2018)

Another thing you could try is after the dog has retrieved the ball is to squat down while calling him.


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