[Skylar]

Like most games with a dog, this is something that evolved. It’s a great game to play once your dog knows to run out, fetch a thrown toy and return toy to you. This is perfect when you need to exercise your dog inside with limited amount of space.

Start easy, throw a toy straight ahead as usual and wait till your dog returns it. Play this several times so your dog understands you are playing fetch. Next throw the toy behind you, close nearby. This will confuse most dogs who are expecting the toy thrown forward. Allow your dog some time to search for the toy but before they get frustrated, show them where the toy is. Repeat throwing behind several times and you can throw further away. Randomly throw forward or backward so your dog is now thinking about where to search for the toy.

The next level is demanding. Throw the toy in any direction so it can land in other rooms of the house. Maybe it gets tossed over a couch and lands on the seat, not the floor. Maybe it lands on stairs. Get creative where you stand to throw, you might be able to throw into one or more rooms/spaces ... for example I can toss a toy into either the front hall closet, the laundry room or down the hall to the front door. There’s three places to check out. If I toss backwards I can throw it into different areas of the kitchen Such as behind the island. When I send Babykins to find her toy, she has to really think about where to search and sometimes she makes bad decisions where to start but she works her self around the rooms and sometimes uses her sense of smell to find her toy to return. When I throw into the family room I’m behind a couch so she can’t see where it lands and she has learned to check not only the floor but also flat raised surfaces like an ottoman or chair seat.

After a game of advanced fetch you will have one very tired couch potato.

 

[Click-N-Treat]

That sounds like a fun game. I will have to play it with Noelle.

 

[Skylar]

In my proofing class for obedience we sometimes throw the dumbbell behind us and then send the dog ... it teaches the dogs to think independently so if you throw a really wonky dumbbell in the ring, the dog will search for it.

 

[Dechi]

I wish Beckie would fetch. She will only do it once in a blue moon. :-(

 

[Skylar]

Dechi, I thought it would be hopeless with Babykins. All she wanted to do was take a toy and run. She wanted me to chase her which I refused. I had a dilemma because for obedience I had to have her trained to do a dumbbell retrieve on the flat and over a jump. For WCRL rally I had to be able to heel her by a dumbbell the.send her out to get a dumbbell and return it. I thought it would never happen. But we trained and trained and now I have a dog that retrieves. People look at her and say well of course she a retrieve a dumbbell, she’s a retriever. She was not born a natural retriever, I trained it.

I know you can train Beckie. If you want I can post how I started.

 

[Fenris-wolf]

@Skylar, What is WCRL rally🤔?

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Love it! I like any game that switches them off autopilot.

I wish Beckie would fetch. She will only do it once in a blue moon. :-(

Don't give up on Beckie! Gracie didn't get into fetch until we moved to the west coast in her senior years. My husband bought her one of these balls and fetching it on the beach became her greatest passion:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/jw-pet-isqueak-rubber-ball-dog-toy-small-1434357

 

[Skylar]

@Skylar, What is WCRL rally🤔?

WCRL is an organization called World Cynosport Rally Limited and it’s part of USDAA Which is an agility organization.

AKC dog training clubs can only hold AKC events including AKC Rally. AKC clubs pay a fee to AKC and have to abide by their rules.

Non-AKC clubs can’t hold AKC events so they have several organizations that they use to hold similar events to AKC. They don’t pay fees to AKC but they do pay fees to these other organizations and have to follow their rules.

There are some people who only participate in AKC sports especially breeders who do conformation because other AKC titles earned will be part of their dogs title. If they title with another organization AKC won’t recognize them except for rare exceptions. Some people are AKC snobs and only show interest in AKC sports

OTOH some of the other organizations are more popular than AKC for a given sport, they may have more trials or AKC may not offer that particular sport. A community that has both AKC and other sports organizations is lucky because dog owners can pick and chose what they prefer. Many like myself participate in both AKC and non-AKC sports.

WCRL has several signs that are hard such as drop on recall, directed jumping, dumbbell retrieve and signal exercises which I don’t believe AKC. AKC has their own challenging signs. Most are identical or similar. It’s like the difference between British and American spelling. You have to pay attention to small details if you compete in both but it’s not hard. For example if your dog comes in front and you send your dog around into heel position, in WCRL you move forward with dog in heel position when your dog gets into heel position. In AKC you move forward before your dog is in heel position and your dog catches up to you to get into heel.

For beginners starting out WCRL has one advantage, you can bring treats into the ring with you. There are certain exercises where you can treat while competing. If a sign says sit your dog and it sits you can treat (but can’t drop food on the floor). Some dogs new to competition do well knowing you have a treat in your pocket. There’s maybe two or three places when you can treat. There’s no luring with food allowed. AKC doesn’t allow treats near the ring. WCRL only allows you to give one command, but AKC allows more than one.

 

[Fenris-wolf]

WCRL is an organization called World Cynosport Rally Limited and it’s part of USDAA Which is an agility organization.

AKC dog training clubs can only hold AKC events including AKC Rally. AKC clubs pay a fee to AKC and have to abide by their rules.

Non-AKC clubs can’t hold AKC events so they have several organizations that they use to hold similar events to AKC. They don’t pay fees to AKC but they do pay fees to these other organizations and have to follow their rules.

There are some people who only participate in AKC sports especially breeders who do conformation because other AKC titles earned will be part of their dogs title. If they title with another organization AKC won’t recognize them except for rare exceptions. Some people are AKC snobs and only show interest in AKC sports

OTOH some of the other organizations are more popular than AKC for a given sport, they may have more trials or AKC may not offer that particular sport. A community that has both AKC and other sports organizations is lucky because dog owners can pick and chose what they prefer. Many like myself participate in both AKC and non-AKC sports.

WCRL has several signs that are hard such as drop on recall, directed jumping, dumbbell retrieve and signal exercises which I don’t believe AKC. AKC has their own challenging signs. Most are identical or similar. It’s like the difference between British and American spelling. You have to pay attention to small details if you compete in both but it’s not hard. For example if your dog comes in front and you send your dog around into heel position, in WCRL you move forward with dog in heel position when your dog gets into heel position. In AKC you move forward before your dog is in heel position and your dog catches up to you to get into heel.

For beginners starting out WCRL has one advantage, you can bring treats into the ring with you. There are certain exercises where you can treat while competing. If a sign says sit your dog and it sits you can treat (but can’t drop food on the floor). Some dogs new to competition do well knowing you have a treat in your pocket. There’s maybe two or three places when you can treat. There’s no luring with food allowed. AKC doesn’t allow treats near the ring. WCRL only allows you to give one command, but AKC allows more than one.

Thank you, @Skylar 😁