I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked, how do I get my dog to bring me his/her ball and drop it. Many dog owners would play with their doggies more if the doggies didn’t run and around and play keep away, until you just don’t want to try to play with your dog any longer. Or maybe they do bring it back to you but at the same time they are jumping, play biting, guarding or flopping around like a catfish, while you are doing your very best to get the ball so you can just throw it again for them. After about twenty minutes you are exhausted and in the back of your mind you know you have a problem but just not sure how to go about addressing it and make playing with your dog enjoyable and not so painful.

Well, today is your lucky day and when done consistently everyday for thirty to forty five days you and your dog will have a great understanding of how to play ball enjoyably.

Before we begin, remember anytime you are introducing something new to your dog you need your five foot leash and the proper training collar. Now I prefer a five foot leather leash and proper fitting chain collar. When picking out the proper chain collar be sure to get the right size. That is the biggest mistake dog owner make when purchasing a chain or prong collar. Without the properly sized training collar you will not be able to give a proper correction when needed.

What size chain collar do I need? The way you measure is from the outer edge of the eye to the beginning of the ear which is usually around two inches. This is how much slack should be in the collar when it is on the dog and pulled snuggly.

What size prong collar do I need? In all my years this is the biggest mistake dog owners make. Most of the time when you buy a small, medium or large prong collar they have extra links attached to it. The proper amount of links depends on the size of your dog’s neck. The proper amount of links is determined when you put the prong collar on and it fits against the neck all the way around. In most cases that I see the dog’s prong collar fits like a necklace and even if a correction was used it wouldn’t be proper or effective. All links should touch the neck to get a proper size. If there are too many links when a correction is used then the prong collar will not apply pressure correctly to the neck and in the end there really wasn’t a correction given at all.

How do I put the chain collar on my dog properly? A chain collar has a chain with two larger loops at each end. Take a part of the chain and feed it through one of the loops. Now when you hold it up, you should see a capital P. Facing the dog and seeing the capital P, slide the chain collar over the dog’s head and attach your leash. While you are attaching your leash look at the chain collar again, once on the dog you can still see the capital P.

How do I put the prong collar on my dog properly? Once you know how many links you need to fit your dog’s neck properly now it’s time to put it on properly. I always like to attach my leash to the prong collar before I put it on the dog so I am ready for any corrections needed. Hold up the prong collar and go to the middle two links, this is where it is easiest and the least strain on the collar. Pinch the two links together and apart and then put it on your dog and pinch them back together in proper place.

How do I know if I need a chain collar or a prong collar? I mostly use a chain collar in the beginning of training any doggies that we train at our kennel. But my technique is almost flawless and I can do it just like breathing but the new dog owner trying to learn how to train their dog will take practice and patience, and then comes experience. So when you are determining if you need a chain or prong collar here are a few reasons I would recommend;

A small person with a large breed dog would need a prong collar

A toy aggressive dog would need a prong collar

Large breed dog that pull would need a prong collar

A Prong collar helps a person be equalized to the dog’s strength.

When using the prong collar I have found that just in the beginning it is needed and in most cases after just a few days you can switch over to a chain collar.

In most cases a chain collar is the best tool in your dog trainer’s toolbox.

Now it’s time to begin teaching your dog to bring you their ball and drop it so you can throw it again and again. First of all put your collar and leash on your dog. Now you will play close (leash distance) the first few times. That way when the bad behavior is displayed you can immediately correct (pull and release) the dog, say the word NO at the same time. Keep that in mind while you try to start playing ball. Throw the ball just a little bit in front of you and remember if the dog tries to pull your arm off while retrieving the ball then at that time deliver a correction saying the word NO at the same time. Always keep in mind that any time you start something new you practice it two to three times a day for up to twenty minutes at a time. When you are correcting your dog for bad behavior remember to follow with heavy praise when the bad behavior stops. Praise is what your dog is working for so be sure to give lots of it when they deserve it.

Ok, now that you have control of the dog and he is jumping to get the ball close by and not knocking you down, jumping all over you, biting at your feet, legs, hands and whatever else the dog enjoy going after. When the dog picks up the ball at that time ask the dog to bring it here and when he ignores you because you just started him on these workouts. Just pull the dog towards you with lots of verbal motivation. When the dogs gets to you, ask the dog to drop it and when he doesn’t deliver a correction, saying NO at the same time, then repeat drop it. Repeat this several times until the dog drops the ball then follow with lots of praise. Sometimes a dog will still not drop it know matter how many times you correct it and that’s when it can get a little tricky.

After you have corrected your dog several times for not dropping the ball next time you ask and he doesn’t drop it reach into his mouth and take the ball out right after each correction then follow with praise. While doing this exercise be prepared for the dog to continue trying to not drop the ball, just be patient and consistent and do your very best not to throw off a bunch of bad body language around. Just ask calmly and follow through. You have the leash so you can be in control. Remember this rule, anything corrected for consistently will go away and anything praised for consistently will be repeated.

Good Luck,

Tammy Molnar

Dog Behaviorist