# Spoo not Fetching



## justaddsarah (Jan 14, 2014)

I have a 3 month spoo (I've had him for about a month). He's really intelligent (especially picking up obedience commands), however, I'm trying to figure out ways to run down his energy levels. We go on regular walks (AM and PM) but that doesn't always tire him out. I have attempted to play fetch with him using a variety of objects (rope, ball, stuffed animal, etc) and he has no problem running after it (and he can fetch-- he's done it before), but lately he seems too lose interest extremely easy. He has no problem running after it, but either gets sidetracked by the grass or birds  or he'll pick it up and then leave it alone. He also used to be really into tug of war, but again not really keeping his interest. Any suggestions??


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

is he getting rewarded with treats for fetching? or is he not food motivated? (more difficult to train when the reward is not easily identifiable.)


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## justaddsarah (Jan 14, 2014)

He isn't really food motivated (unfortunately). I'm not exactly sure what other energy-using games I should try with him since he's still pretty small. Even when he's inside with me (which is most of the time) he prefers to chew on his little bully stick (but I also limit the amount of time he has with that) instead of play. 

My mom has his sister back home and she told me today that Belle will fetch until she dies of exhaustion.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

you do seem to have a lower energy dog and the day may come when that seems like a gift from above. high energy dogs can be much higher maintenance in terms of looking after their needs properly. in the meantime, though, have you tried cutting down on your dog's regular food, marking behavior that you want with a clicker, and upping the value of offered treats? seems to work for some people; i'm sure you'll get lots of other suggestions on how to engage your dog more fully if that's what you're looking for.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

Apollo is a rescue so he had never seen a ball before, the thing that worked the best was making a huge deal about him bringing it back like it was the happiest thing ever !! (Short distances first) Lots of "yes!! Thats a good boy"!! "You're such a smart puppy"!!! High pitched voice, lots of hugs and as soon as I got the ball out out of his mouth I gave a yummy treat (the treat was only needed first couple days!!) He basically started acting like "ok, if it makes you this happy I'll bring it back!"  and now before I go get the ball in their cabinet and I asked them and get them ALL excited : "do you wanna go PLAY ?" "You want your ball" and they act absolutely crazy happy!!!
Now sometimes They will even beg to play again as soon as they rest and catch their breath they want to go out to play again... 

I think I "convinced" him that it's the most fun thing ever 

Lou also helped, of course, because he learns so much from watching her (she is obsessed with playing fetch)

So maybe if the "acting like it's the most fun ever" doesn't work try a play date with a dog that LOVES playing fetch , it might be an "inspiration" 
Good luck dear 

Ps. My poodles are not food motivated, but after many tries I found out things they love: a piece of really juicy "medium" steak, American cheese, cooked ground beef .... 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Rachel76 (Feb 3, 2014)

I agree with patk and Lou about figuring out what motivates your puppy. Mine is 8.5 weeks old and we haven't even started fetch yet. I run away from her and get her to chase me and she gets two of her three meals in a kong of some kind. Right now the kong wobbler is easiest for her. I have also been clicker training her, working on sits and calm behavior and playing with toys. 

I know your pup is older and right now a couple of weeks can make a huge difference. I guess what I'm trying to say is I think most dogs need a variety of exercise for the brain and body. Hope this has helped a little. Good luck.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I also think patk, Lou and Rachel 76 have given you good suggestions, but will add one more idea which is a variation on the trade up idea. Throw something your pup likes then when he picks it up call out look and show something you know he likes better. Don't throw the better thing, but rather make him come get it. See if that helps.

As the owner of a very high energy dog, I can tell you there were times when Lily was a puppy where I would have been very grateful for her to have been more low key as your puppy seems to be. I think patk is very right that if he doesn't seem food motivated if you cut a portion of his regular food out of the bowl and play when he is hungry using his kibble as a reward you may get more spark.


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## justaddsarah (Jan 14, 2014)

Thanks for all the suggestions!! I've been trying different methods and I think I've got a better idea. He did fetch several times yesterday but his energy level was through the roof. He seems to be more aloof and prefers to chew on his toys by himself (no complaints here), but he does like to chase the toys or myself if he's in the mood.

Thanks so much for all the help!


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## janet6567 (Mar 11, 2014)

Isn't it funny how different dogs react? My Maggie started bringing us toys when she was about 3 months old. My DH would throw them down the hallway and she would run down the hall, grab the toy and return it to him. We never had to teach her to fetch. Abbey finally started doing the same thing about two months later but really isn't into playing fetch for long. Maggie will play until her tongue is hanging out and she is exhausted. The girls are small, so playing fetch in the house is not a problem like it would be with a spoo. But we also play in the backyard when it is nice outside. That is, Maggie plays and Abbey walks around letting the wind blow in her long ears. . . she's a bit of a "diva!"


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Most all dogs are food motivated because they need to eat to live. It's a primary reinforcer. However, people often mistake a full belly, mediocre treats (to the dog) for not being food motivated. Also, sometimes at the moment or in a particular context, food isn't as motivating as something else going on in the environment. But just in those situations. Over all, most dogs are food motivated if you find just the right thing and *if *the dog is hungry.

So, work with him when he's hungry, when it's getting close or even after his usual meal time. Work with him in a boring room after he's been sleeping or doing nothing very exciting. Make this game the best thing he's done all day. lol. Get some real chicken tid bits (tiny) or tid bits of Porterhouse streak with a reduced mushroom glaze, cooked rare or tiny bits of pork roast with caraway seeds and garlic cooked on top. Okay, enough with the exaggerations but you get the idea....really super duper treats on an empty stomach, after a boring time and in a small boring room. Get his favorite toy and toss it a very short distance, a foot or two. Make it come alive if need be to interest him by wiggling it, squeaking it, pulling it away from him and you. When he takes hold of it, say, "take" and make a fuss, play for a second with it and trade him for a piece of your gourmet cooking. As he drops it into your hand to take the treat, say, "give." Or if you prefer him to drop it, "drop" as he opens his mouth to get the treat and you let it fall on the floor. Do this a few times and end when he's still having fun, not until he's tiring of the game...just a few reps. 

Next time, do the same thing but vary the treat, the toy and start where you left off. After a couple reps, increase the distance just a little...like 3 or 4 feet away. Lots of praise, treats and fun for correct responses. Then end again while he's still having fun.

Next time, change up the context a little so he doesn't get stuck only being able to do it in one context. Do it in another room, perhaps a little less boring, but not too distracting. And gradually work up the distractions and the distance as he becomes proficient in the previous levels of difficulty. But don't work on distractions AND distance at the same time. Work one at a time until he's good at each, then work them in together but relax the criteria of one of those things while you ask for more on the other. 

Once he's really getting onto the game, take him outside in your yard and try. Again, don't throw it too far at first and make sure it's not too distracting out there until you've worked up sufficiently with distractions in other contexts or locations. 

It can be trained but it must be a fun game. Be sure not to push the envelope, asking for too long a game. Always quit with him wanting more.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

First, I love the name "Mr. Darcy" for a dog.  Now you just need a female called "Lizzy."

It sounds like you've got some great ideas in this thread for training fetch. Fetch is one of Begley's favourite games now, but at 3 months old he didn't have the attention span for it. He would chase after things and lose interest once they weren't moving anymore. There was definitely no retrieving. As he got older, he spontaneously started returning things in order to play fetch. We reinforced the retrieving behaviour once he started offering it and now fetch is a favourite game. By 8 or 9 months old we could play fetch every evening and he wouldn't be bored of it. So it may be that time, patience, and increased maturity (the puppy's), along with the great training suggestions above, will all help with this goal.

At 3 months old, the absolute best things for tiring out our puppy were walks of an appropriate length (don't go too far too soon, as it can be hard on their growing joints), training sessions, play dates with our neighbour's dog, and raw bones/bully sticks for recreational chewing after adequate physical exercise. A half day of doggy daycare once a week once he was old enough also left us with a tired puppy at the end of the day.

Good luck and have fun with your puppy!


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

We started Hans out playing fetch in a hallway with all the doors shut at 8 weeks old. We threw the ball down the hallway, and then called him, praised the heck out of him and gave treats when he came back. We figured if we gave him a treat in exchange for the thing he had, he wouldn't think we were just taking it away. The hallway is perfect - no chance for distraction. Also, keep in mind that puppies have massively short attention spans. We started out with only 2 or 3 retrieves in a session, so he would stay interested.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

At this young age, I wouldn't force too much exercise until the growth plates close on the pup's joints. It can damage their growing joints. I would use really high value treats for the times your pup will chase down a toy and bring it back (tiny pieces of hot dog or smelly cheese). The size of the treat isn't important; just getting the treat is enough.

Sometimes a flirt pole will entice a dog to chase a toy. One can be made cheaply, using a horse lunge whip, tying a toy on the end, or you can make one, as shown on the following "how to" video. Training Video: Flirt Pole Basics on Vimeo

Again, be careful exercising a young puppy, especially with lots of jumping and tight turns, until the growth plates are closed. This might be better for a mature dog. For those of you with high energy dogs, it's a great way to wear them out, without wearing yourself out!


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## justaddsarah (Jan 14, 2014)

**Update on Mr. Darcy's fetching skills**

So I have been practicing "playing fetch" with him in the kitchen and he's gotten the hang of it. I can usually get 4 or 5 good fetches out of him. He gets too distracted in the backyard so I'm currently limiting it to the kitchen. I'm trying to stay away from treating him too much (so he doesn't get dependent on them) so I switch it up lots of loving +/- treats. 

As far as "exercise" goes we just practicing walking usually twice a day for ~30 minutes. Nothing too strenuous on him though. He seems to really enjoy seeing the scenery and of course watching the birds.

My mom has one of his sister's at home who we thought about naming Elizabeth for the matched pair-- but then I thought that would be weird since they are from the same litter. Probably the next spoo I get will be named Elizabeth though


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## mvhplank (Dec 5, 2012)

*Dumbbell retrieve*

I skipped "fetch" and went straight to a dumbbell retrieve, since I got Neely as an obedience prospect. 

Because a dumbbell is not particularly interesting to a dog, I started up close, sitting in a chair, and praised and treated (string cheese, usually) for a nose touch, progressing up to taking the bar, then holding, then taking from my hand, then picking up from the floor at my feet, then from a few feet away, and then farther. A tiny bit of string cheese or other high-value treat was exchanged for the dumbbell every time he brought it back while training--and even now, for a very nice performance.

Actually, for a lot of training we followed Dr. Sophia Yin's advice to never feed from a bowl. Instead, you trade kibble through the day for sitting politely to ask for attention and to reinforce other polite behaviors.

Here's my boy at 4.5 months fetching his dumbbell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd1rSrhTuKc

You can see that I wasn't asking for a formal "front" and sit, nor was I asking him to wait until I sent him--I wanted enthusiasm, and then we added the formalities later.


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