Trick with a Purpose: Fetch

Does your dog play the can’t-catch-me game? Steal your shoes? Plow you over as soon as you come home? These unwanted behaviors actually have a fun solution… fetch!
 
Teaching your dog to chase after an item and bring it back to you may look like just fun and games, but fetching instills good behavior in your dog and helps eliminate naughty behaviors. Fetch teaches your dog a number of valuable skills. First, he learns a solid recall. For the game to continue, Fido must come right up to you. Second, he learns how fun it is to "drop it." Fido realizes that giving up an item is much more rewarding than hoarding it. Finally, it teaches productive ways for your dog to channel his energy. If there are times when you know Fido will get overly excited, such as when you come home from work, you can immediately start a game of Fetch to direct his enthusiasm onto a toy, not onto your body.

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