Fetching Behavior in a Dog Question

Factual Questions
1

I was in the park and there was this dog there. Since his owner was too busy talking on his cell phone to play with him, I threw his tennis ball to him

Now the dog seems very happy about this, he’s jumping up and runs to get it, he races back and then stops about three feet from me, avoids me then walks over to a tree drops the ball. Then walks back over to me, without the ball.

So I petted him on the head, which he seemed happy about, then I walked over got the ball and threw it again. Again, the dog raced to fetch it, raced back with it but stopped three feet from me, then avoided me walks over to the tree drops the ball and walks over to me.

So I got the ball, threw it, the dog goes to fetch it, and I walked over to the tree. So what does the dog do? He refused to come to me, he walks over to another tree, drops the ball and walks over to me, again without the ball. So I pet him.

No matter how hard I tried or where I stood this dog refused to bring the ball directly to me. He purposely avoided me.

My first thought was OK maybe the dog don’t want to play fetch, but he did seem very eager to run after the ball. I figure if the dog didn’t want to fetch the ball he just wouldn’t do it. Or is fetching such an inbred behavior the dog can’t help it. He certainly ran after the ball with gusto. His tail was waggging, very friendly dog.

But he just refused to bring the ball to me.

It’s not my dog but I’ve never seen that kind of fetching behavior before.

Any clues from dog experts what Mr Dog was thinking?

2

Sorry, I thought the OP was feltching behavior in dogs, but I think the answer is that dogs are pack animals and enjoy the chase, but do not want to share the catch with outsiders. My mother has two big St Bernard’s, and both will play catch with me, but will only return the ball to her. If my mother is not around, the ball gets dropped in a neutral area.

SSG Schwartz

3

Fetch is a learned behavior. If the owner never taught the dog what the game was, he won’t know that he is supposed to bring the ball back to you; it is not an instictive behavior.

Do you see what behavior you reinforced? You rewarded him for dropping the ball at the tree. At least twice.

4

Like Fear Itself said, “Fetch is a learned behavior.” Whoever trained this dog trained it this way (either on purpose, or accidentally because they were a poor trainer).

Hunting dogs are frequently trained not to drop, but to return and hold it until the owner says a command (usually “Release!”). This is because when they are retrieving a bird, often still alive, and it could still try to escape. So the owner grabs the bird, and then tells the dog to release it. They are also sometimes taught to return with the bird not to the shooter, but to another member of the shooting party, off to the side, who is in charge of carrying the ‘bagged’ birds.

Possibly your dog is doing that.
But, more likely, it was just trained by someone who didn’t quite know what they were doing.

5

Fetch may be a trained behavior, but isn’t it likely that many kinds of dogs are naturally primed to learn that kind of behavior? My dogs all “learned” to fetch with almost no prompting–generally with no intentional prompting at all.

-FrL-

6

This is the kind of “fetch” my dog prefers to play, if we’ll let him. We call the game “My Ball”. He’ll switch over to the human-preferred game of dropping the slimy ball at your feet (or in your lap, if you’re not careful) if no one will go get the ball when he plays it his way.

7

It is a matter of training. Both our dogs have to drop the ball at our feet or we don’t throw the ball for them. Since chasing the ball is the ultimate reward, they bring it to us. For awhile when Corbi was young, I trained her that I had to pick her up before I’d throw the ball. She was refusing to come in when I said the game was over, so I made being picked up part of the game.

8

I think the instinct (for most puppies) is to chase a moving object, and like everyone else says, you have to teach them to bring it back and to drop it. I know very few dogs who will obediently drop the object at your feet and wait you you to throw it again. My dog will chase a ball, retrieve the ball, run back up to me and stand in front of me with it. When I reach my had down to take it from my mouth, he turns his head about 2 inches out of my reach and waits for me to reach again, at which time he moves it another two inches…much like a pain in the ass older brother, taunting a little sister. “Oh, you want this ball? Here you go…PSYCH! Muahahahaha, no really, I’m sorry, here you go. Have the ball. NOPE! Muahahahaha!” Turning my face to alabaster every time…the bastid!

9

Hell, my cat taught himself to fetch. Interestingly, he often drops it right out of reach, and then I make a big production about how I’m not going to throw it if I have to get up, and then he brings it closer.

My dog will not fetch - I mean, he’ll go get it, but he won’t bring it back. He likes to play tug of war with his toys, and he does this MINE MINE MINE MINE thing where he makes a big show about how it’s his toy, but he’s playing with it on your feet. He wants you to grab it, but he doesn’t want you to think that it isn’t his toy.

10

My Lab will bring the ball back only if she feels like it. My Bichon has figured it out to some extent. If I’m not paying attention, he’ll drop it at my feet and bark at me. They both like to play tug of war with toys, sometimes with me, sometimes with each other. Lucy the Lab always wins, but she lets Ernie the Bichon play, at least. :slight_smile:

11

Our Golden is a Guide Dog breeder. We got her quite young, and I assure you that she was not trained to fetch when in the GDB puppy kennel. We raised her for a year and a quarter following guide dog rules, which do not allow any fetching at all. She was allowed only certain types of bones and toys. When she went for further training, got selected as a breeder, and came back, the rules were relaxed. I assure you she needed no training at all to fetch. Not only will she fetch, fetching is what she likes best, even more than eating. I’ve hardly ever seen a better example of inherited behavior.

Our pet dog, on the other hand, is half border collie, and has never been the least bit interested in fetching. He knows how to herd without training, though.

Maybe putting a ball 3 feet away is learned, but not fetching.

12

I thought you meant fetching as in attractive. :smack: :rolleyes:

"Ithought it was so fetching how your Yorkie looked in that sweater. :stuck_out_tongue:

13

I think you just found out why his owner wouldn’t play fetch with him. :slight_smile:

14

The good news is, that dog was doing an excellent job of training you to go get it a ball from the tree.

15

It’s sad where I live all the people are too busy talking on cell phones to play with the dogs. We got 50 people sitting on a bench with a dog thinking they are playing with their dog when all they are doing is talking on a cell phone, while the dog sits there.

I grew up in the country so my dogs and cats were real animals (they earned their keep), but I never had to teach my dogs how to fetch. That’s why I found this odd, because this dog was just hell bound not to give me that ball.

16

I tend to agree, some behaviors are instinctive and chasing prey instinct can easily be transferred to a ball. It’s the bringing the “prey” back to a certain person and releasing it to them that involves training.