Sport can Fetch!

Ever since we started looking into Flyball, I have been working on teaching Sport to fetch. Before, he would run at the ball, sniff it and high tail it back to me.

So I started clicker training him to fetch. First, I would click for any time he put his mouth on the ball. Then I would click for him picking the ball. Then I would roll the ball away from me and click when he would pick it up. Eventually I would only click when the ball made it within a foot of my lap. And then I would roll it further and further away.

I wasn't being very proactive about it but we would do it every once in a while. Last night my friend came over and grabbed a tennis ball and started waving it in front of Sport. I told her, "Oh he doesn't play fetch that well." But then she threw it and he went and got it and brought it back and dropped it in her lap! All day he has been playing fetch with me!

I was so happy. I know this is silly for those of you with retrieving dogs, but for a dog that would not fetch anything at all... I am very glad.

Speaking of flyball, we went to the tourney this friday. It was so much fun, but unfortunately, I was so busy the whole day that I couldn't work with Sport that much. But it was educational and it gave me more insight into how the sport works. I can't wait to start competeing with him!!!