Catching the Ball

August 26th, 2007 | Dog Training, Flyball

Some dogs never learn or have problems catching a ball and there are exercises that you can do to help.

Two ball catch game - Get down on the floor with the dog, just you and the dog, and have two balls and play catch. You will want to be just a couple feet away from him and toss the ball to him under handed. Just have him catch one and tell him to drop it and toss the next. Start to build speed by tossing them faster. He should start getting the hang of dropping the first ball and catching the second. This exercise is meant to improve the dog’s catching ability and may lessen bobbles at the box.

Watch me catch game - This is something that is done in obedience but can be helpful to improve the dog’s catching ability and focus. Have the dog sit in front of you and have his favorite treat in your hand. Make sure the dog sees the treat by luring him with it to a couple feet over his head and then drop the treat. Do this until the dog consistently catches the treat.

Outside ball catch game - Just like with the two ball catch game, have two balls but you want to throw the ball in the air and have the dog catch it. Just throw the ball 5 or 6 feet over the dog’s head and have him catch it. This will help with focus and ball drive.

The next set of games is meant to build stamina, drive, and ball to tug transition. The first game is something that you can play without help from anyone, so it is good when it’s just you and your dog.

Hold the dog the way you would when starting a race. You may need to alter this some because you will need a free hand to throw the ball. Have your motivator ready and the dog in the correct position and throw the ball as far as you can. If you are unable to throw the ball very far from this position a good tool that I use is a Chuck-it. Once the ball is thrown and has stopped rolling, send the dog to retrieve it. Just before the dog arrives at the ball, yell his name and start running away from him. Make sure the dog brings the ball all the way back before releasing it for the motivator. If the dog drops the ball too soon, put the motivator away and use the ball as a motivator and tug on the ball. Go back to the motivator when the dog understands that he needs to bring the ball all the way back to you.

This next exercise will require two handlers and dogs.

Follow the instructions as in the previous exercise. The only difference is the addition of a second dog and handler. Each handler will hold his or her dog sending one dog first and as the first dog returns, the second handler will throw a ball for the second dog. The second handler may need to adjust the timing of the ball throw depending on how well the dogs pass each other. Just as in the previous exercise, dogs should return with their ball and release the ball for the motivator. This exercise is meant to help with passing.

I welcome your input and any other games that can be used to help dogs catch the ball.

Larry