Shelties don't fetch?

Sandstorm fetches, this is all we do when I get home from work for about 20 minutes. When he doesn't have his girlfriend to play with, especially in the winter, we fetch. I try to throw down a slope in front of our house, so SS can run more when the ball goes farther. He does it over and over again. I was really enthusiastic when I was teaching him- I would run with him to the ball, saying get it, get it! Then praise him and run back to the starting point with him (on a long leash) and the ball. Now he is a natural, which is good, because he gets more excersize this way. Hope that helps,
 
I have a question for everyone who has ball crazy shelties. How many of your shelties can do a dead retrieve. Dead retrieve being the object(ie ball) is not throw but place or is laying somewhere away from you and you point to it and they get it.

I consider a dog that will naturally do a dead retrieve a natural retriever. Justice did. None of my others did and it was hard to teach them. My Lab would do dead retrieve naturally. I was just wondering how common it is in shelties as Justice is the only one I've known. I bet Bitsy can.:smile2:
 
Justicemom said:
I have a question for everyone who has ball crazy shelties. How many of your shelties can do a dead retrieve. Dead retrieve being the object(ie ball) is not throw but place or is laying somewhere away from you and you point to it and they get it.
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I'm assuming by this they kinda sorta need to be trained to "get" something too. Or are you saying, w/o actual training of a retrieval command?

With Koji, I'd say natural retriever. Because although I never taught him to get his ball, if I tell him to "get his ball" or to find it, he will find it (not sure if he has a specific one in mind when I tell him though) and bring it back to me.

Miko, I never taught him to "get it" so he rarely does. I think he only would if he actually wanted to play. Koji, though, I can get him to get it most times versus none.
 
Fergus will do it with a ball or a rawhide chew. Their balls are always outside and I if I say " let's play, find your ball and bring it here" he does it. I don't allow them to take their rawhide chews outside but sometimes one of them will sneak out with it. If I tell him to go get the chewie and point in the general direction of where it is he will go get it and bring it in the house. Totally amazes me because I never taught him to do it.
 
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Justicemom said:
I have a question for everyone who has ball crazy shelties. How many of your shelties can do a dead retrieve. Dead retrieve being the object(ie ball) is not throw but place or is laying somewhere away from you and you point to it and they get it.

I consider a dog that will naturally do a dead retrieve a natural retriever. Justice did. None of my others did and it was hard to teach them. My Lab would do dead retrieve naturally. I was just wondering how common it is in shelties as Justice is the only one I've known. I bet Bitsy can.:smile2:
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Lexi will do this. I never thought of it as a natural retrieve, but I can tell her to get her toy or get her ball (whatever is out) and she will get it.
 
Justicemom said:
I have a question for everyone who has ball crazy shelties. How many of your shelties can do a dead retrieve. Dead retrieve being the object(ie ball) is not throw but place or is laying somewhere away from you and you point to it and they get it.
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Bailey does it with a tennis ball.
 
k9kreationz said:
I'm assuming by this they kinda sorta need to be trained to "get" something too. Or are you saying, w/o actual training of a retrieval command?

With Koji, I'd say natural retriever. Because although I never taught him to get his ball, if I tell him to "get his ball" or to find it, he will find it (not sure if he has a specific one in mind when I tell him though) and bring it back to me.

Miko, I never taught him to "get it" so he rarely does. I think he only would if he actually wanted to play. Koji, though, I can get him to get it most times versus none.
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Without training. Alot dogs if you throw something, they will notice and chase it and may grab it with their mouths. Then you can teach them to bring it to you. Drop it etc. If there is no motion of the object the "get it" goes away. The fetch doesn't exsist in their mind with no motion.

Nautral retriever seem to see objects as something to be picked up, no motion needed. I got Justice at 11 wks and I could point to a toy and he would pick it up. When he was 5 months old I joking pointed to a pen I drop and asked him to pick it up and he did. It had even rolled slightly under my futon and he had to duck and slightly crawl to get it. I think I stood there with my mouth hanging open for 10 secs before I remembered to praise him for his efforts.

None of my other dogs could do a retrieve if motion wasn't drawing their attention to the object. Even ball crazy Diva. For Diva, it not about the picking up but all about the chase. She knows if she brings it back, she gets to chase again. I am working on dead retrieves(for obedience) with her right now and it is not translating so well yet.
 
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Noah seemed to recognize objects by their names. One day, I told him to get his blue sock. It took a couple of tries but he did bring the blue sock from the living room to the bedroom. Emma and Liam have done something similar but it is almost a fluke.
 
Justicemom said:
Without training. Alot dogs if you throw something, they will notice and chase it and may grab it with their mouths. Then you can teach them to bring it to you. Drop it etc. If there is no motion of the object the "get it" goes away. The fetch doesn't exsist in their mind with no motion.

Nautral retriever seem to see objects as something to be picked up, no motion needed. I got Justice at 11 wks and I could point to a toy and he would pick it up. When he was 5 months old I joking pointed to a pen I drop and asked him to pick it up and he did. It had even rolled slightly under my futon and he had to duck and slightly crawl to get it. I think I stood there with my mouth hanging open for 10 secs before I remembered to praise him for his efforts.

None of my other dogs could do a retrieve if motion wasn't drawing their attention to the object. Even ball crazy Diva. For Diva, it not about the picking up but all about the chase. She knows if she brings it back, she gets to chase again. I am working on dead retrieves(for obedience) with her right now and it is not translating so well yet.
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Sadie does a dead retrieve. She'll pick up and bring me anything I point at.
 
k9kreationz said:
You mean like watching Miko bark at the front door when he hears people passing by? And then Koji doing the same thing? Ugh! Already done. :rolleyes2:
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yes, that's it exactly.:lol:
Happy taught Callie to bark when I get home from work- so of course, Cran learned it too. and Dixie barks way more than the other two so she was quite happy to join in :yes:
 
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