Trying to teach full retreval

[Summer Magic]

Magic loves her balls, she plays well and will retrieve them several times inside or outside. But after about five or six throws, she just watches the ball go and then turns to me and barks. I ususally just stand there and turn my head away from her and the direction of the ball. She simply stands there and barks at me. I won't go get it for her and she won't go get it herself. I have gone as far as turning my back on her and started to fiddle around with something else, pulling weeds or if inside I pick up a book and pretend to read. Then she will go get it. On occasion she will just go somewhere else in the yard to pull grass or investigate an interesting smell, when that happens I go get the ball and play is over. I never throw it for her after I've gone to get the ball myself. How can I stop this behavior. I'd like to enroll her in a novice fly ball class in November but I'm not sure she'll pass evaluation if she won't retrieve the ball all the time. I know nothing about flyball other than they chase the ball and retrieve it over barriers and place it in a box.

[Jill Ramsey]

www.dogscouts.com/retrieve.shtml

try this one.

[Chris Smith]

I went to large Flyball tournament this weekend and learned the ins and outs of the sport. Here's some info on it:

There are teams of 4 dogs and 4 handlers (owners). Two teams compete against each for the fastest time. Two dogs are "released" by their handlers when a green light goes off and the dogs need to run (or jump) over 4 hurdles to get to a tennis ball that is sitting in a flyball contraption. When the dog runs up to the contraption, they have to hit it with their paws which "throws" out the tennis ball. The dog catches it in their mouth (it only flies out a couple of inches) and then the dog turns around and runs back going back over the 4 hurdles. When the cross the finish line, the next dog goes, and repeats the same thing. 4 dogs go in a row and the times are grouped together. The best time of the two teams wins. The height of the hurdles is based upon the height of the shortest dog of the team of 4. So the bigger dogs can just run over them and the smallest dog has to jump.

The dogs are EXTREMELY amped up - barking, wiggling, jumping, etc. The dogs MUST be very motivated to go get the ball and equally as motivated to bring it back. As with every sport, some dogs are great at all aspects, others are fast on the way there, but slower bringing it back, some get distracted, some drop the ball, etc.

It was pretty fun to watch and the dogs seem to be having a great time. There are LOTS of mixed breed dogs and most of the dogs were on the small to medium size. Very few big dogs but several really small dogs. The border collie type dogs seemed to do it the best overall.

[Alberta Hanko]

Jill - That was a great site. Linus is like Judy's Magic, and will "fetch" sometimes and not others, and will decide also to stop it whenever and just look at me. I also would like him to play more than three tosses and enjoy it. I have printed the sheet out and will work with that. Thanks.

Alberta & Linus

[Jill Ramsey]

Glad it helps. Luckily, both of mine "live to retrieve" :clap:
I guess that's why they are named Labrador "retrievers" (DUH!) :banghead: