Learning to Catch

Once your dog is reliable at a distance, you can teach him to catch the ball or Frisbee as he is running. This will be most useful with Frisbee fetching. You can do this either by teaching him the "Go-Out" - an advanced obedience behavior that would be described in a book that focuses on utility training - or by pretending to throw his favorite toy in a certain direction but not actually throwing or releasing it until he is in motion toward that direction.

For teaching Lucky to catch a Frisbee or his favorite toy , there are certain steps you must take to ensure that he learns to catch the object.

Lets' begin:

1. Begin by teaching him to fetch the Frisbee as you roll it on the floor. If he is not interested at first, you may be able to develop his attention by playing tug-of-war with it.

2. When Lucky is attracted to the Frisbee, try to roll it along the floor and use your retrieve command.

3. When Lucky is catching it in action, (example: as the Frisbee is rolling), it is time to try a short distance throw.

4. Gradually, increase the height and distance of the throw with each successful retrieve. Be careful not to rush ahead of Lucky's ability, or you may find that he quickly loses interest and is turned off the game.

Have fun with your dog in Learning to Catch.