# Retrieving



## narako9 (Jun 29, 2012)

If this forum is anything like the several different forums I'm a member of then I know I'm gonna get blasted for posting without searching first.
However I did look here and online, and non of the posted solutions and suggestions worked for me. 
I got Seayl about a year ago and she's about 2 now, she was abused and neglected before, not sure what really happened but I can tell, she has done great with me as far as learning commands and few tricks here and there, but the only one she refuses to do is fetching.
I've read about trying with their favorite toy first but she doesn't really have one, there are several toys for her but she doesn't care for them, she doesn't even put things in her mouth, and that's the biggest problem for me. 
In the beginning she started playing fetch and she would get the ball and bring it and it was going good, she just didn't want to do it for long periods of time, then suddenly she just stopped. I even started with her from scratch trying to get her to hold the ball in her mouth, but like i said she wouldn't even open her mouth. She wouldn't even take treats if she knows it's associated with playing ball now. she just refuses to open her mouth.
I tried giving it break and then coming back to it couple of days later but nothing works.
She's very smart and good to train, so I know it's not a fact of her not knowing what I"m wanting her to do, I tried to open her mouth and give her the ball that way and praise her for holding it but she would drop the ball imminently. 
There are couple of dog parks around us and she goes there several times a week, and I take her running on the bike once a day, so she gets her exercise that way but I would love if I can get her to play fetch. She's very energetic dog and it seemed like she liked in the beginning, and i'm sure if she starts playing she would love it.


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## Billie (Feb 13, 2012)

Try something that moves- if she has any preydrive, maybe one of those battery operated balls that wiggles.? 
Tease her with something that you want her to get, you could encourage tug with a rope and then toss it for her. You may need to act silly , you know make a fool of yourself. (dogs are good for that with us anyway). Some dogs just dont have it-since you didnt have her as a baby youre fighting up hill but its worth trying. There are a lot of labs (believe it or not ) that dont have the retrieve drive either-. 
Oh and forcing her mouth open for her to h old something- dont do that- you want to encourage her by making it fun .


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

I'm wondering about refusing to put anything in her mouth.

Have you had your vet take a look at her teeth and mouth?


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## narako9 (Jun 29, 2012)

Thanks for the replies,
She only refuses to put things in her mouth when I want her to, like sometimes in the parks if she sees a ball she would pick it up and walk with it for a bit then drops it, there are several little things that leads me to believe that it's not that she's not capable of doing it, she just don't want to for some reason. 
I know that opening her mouth for her wasn't the best thing to do, but I thought maybe if she sees that having the ball in there would get her praise and treats she would do it on her own.
You know...I tried a lot of things with her, I'm not worried about her exercise because she gets a lot of it, aside from biking and the dog park I go hiking and 4 wheeling a lot and she's always with me, but it would be really good to teach her that, sometimes there aren't many dogs in the park or any that she wants to play with and throwing a ball with her would be fun. 
She loves chasing little animals, so I did think about moving toy and I tried that and I tried tying string to stuff animals, but nothing seems to work.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

Have you tried a flirt pole?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Two Ball?


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## narako9 (Jun 29, 2012)

Twyla said:


> Have you tried a flirt pole?


Yep... I think she was beaten before by sticks or something, cause she's afraid of brooms and anything that looks like that, when I fist got the pole she would hide from me, I left it around so she would see that there is nothing to fear, and she would come to it and sniff it from time to time, but when i tried to play with it she would hide again.
Maybe it's one of those things that she's never going to do...


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## Speedy2662 (May 27, 2012)

let her sniff it, and when she does give her a treat - to show her there's nothing to worry about, then gradually start picking it up, give her treats if she's not scared. take little steps like that


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

Sasha doesn't fetch either. Got her when she was two, she'd been abused but more importantly I think she'd had very little interaction as a pup as she didn't know how to really play at all. I've tried everything in the world to get her to fetch, and nada, so if you figure out anything that works let me know.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

That's so awful hearing that those poor dogs have been abused. Kudos to you guys for giving them a better life.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

OK here goes:
Play with what you want her to be interested in. Act like it a real prize. Give it your enthusiastic attention. Toss it back and forth with you and another person. Run with it. Ignore the dog while you do this. 

If that doesn't work, try clicker training.


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## narako9 (Jun 29, 2012)

Well now that I'm not working I'll have time to try different things and spend more time on training... 
It's like I know it's there, but just can't figure out how to unlock it.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

So how's the retrieve coming?


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