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While not exactly an exercise, teaching your dog to catch is a great way of improving his responsiveness to you, helping you to get his attention, as well as being fun to teach. You can have a lot of fun teaching home how to catch.
Decide what you are going to use. Treats are a great idea or a toy can also be used as long as your dog is keen on it. The problem with a toy is that you then have to take it away from your dog again. Do not throw anything that you feel may be too small and
would cause your dog to choke and have your dog close to you, away from distractions.
Get your dog’s attention and show him the treat (or toy). Ensure that he can concentrate on it for a few seconds. Throw it in the air, so that it will come down as
near to your dog’s mouth as possible. Some dogs are natural at this and will catch it on the first attempt. If so, praise this and tell him how wonderful he is. This can then be used whenever you need to keep your dog focused on you. He cannot catch the treat if he is not watching you and he does not know when the treat will leave your hand, so he has to concentrate on you. However, some dogs do not get the hang of this game so quickly and may need some practice.
If you throw the treat and your dog makes an effort to catch it, praise this, let the dog get the treat from the floor, and practise. If your dog makes no attempt to catch the treat:
• Ensure that he can see it. Dogs with hair over their eyes may find this game more difficult. Consider cutting or tying back the hair.
• Ensure that the treat is something he really likes. He will not make an effort if the food isn’t worth it.
• Ensure that your throws are good. Practise when your dog is not around if necessary.
If he is still not catching the treat, introduce a little competition element. Throw the treat and try to snatch it back from the floor before he gets it. (Do not tell him not to get it, that would defeat the purpose). If he feels he has to get it before you, he is likely to try to get it as quickly as possible. Do not try this with a dog who can be aggressive over food or when there are quick movements. If your dog enjoys this, use it when you want him to concentrate on you or even just to calm him down a little if he is over-excited, Some dogs find it incredibly difficult to understand. If you own one of these dogs, do not worry about it. This is perhaps the only exercise that puppies find harder than adult dogs. This is because their co-ordination is not fully developed. Therefore, if your puppy finds it difficult, simply wait a few weeks before trying again.
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