Source: Alexander Hjorth/Shutterstock.com Owning a dog can be a great part of life. For many people, owning a dog is equivalent to having kids. For others, it’s an addition to a family already created. Owning a dog can be a fun experience. While it’s a large responsibility and sometimes a lot of work, there’s a lot of rewards to owning a dog. A great thing about dogs is how teachable they are. Fetch is one of the many easy activities you can teach your dog to do. Here are some steps you can take to easily teach your dog to fetch! Check with Their Vet First Checking with your dog’s vet is always an important first step before teaching your dog to do anything. Some dogs aren’t fully equipped to handle training. Your dog’s vet will give you all the information you need to know as it relates to training them to fetch. They’ll also give you recommendations on the best gear to get, such as a custom pet tag that details any medical conditions they might have. This will go a long way in ensuring that your dog learns to fetch safely. Get Supplies When you go to teach your dog to fetch, it’s important you get the right supplies. An assortment of balls, treats and other training materials will all go a long way in helping you teach your dog to fetch. Whistles and lots of water and treats are always a must. Having supplies on hand for when you start to teach your dog will help in ensuring they can easily complete their training. Source: Bohdan Malitsky/Shutterstock.com Start Small When you teach your dog to fetch, it’s important to start small. Make sure they know basic commands, such as “wait” or even “go.” Instead of taking them to a huge dog park and throwing a frisbee expecting them to go catch it, teach them to fetch in your fenced-in backyard or even your living room. This will help them to get acclimated to the ball without being stressed or distracted by other animals or even smells. If you don’t have a fenced-in backyard or a space you feel comfortable teaching them in and you need to choose somewhere larger like the dog park, invest in a Tile for pets. This way, if they do run off, you can use state-of-the-art Bluetooth technology to track their location. Have Treats Available Treats are a great tool to positively reinforce your dog’s good behavior and success at listening to you. Of course, you won’t give them too many treats or overfeed them because you’ll space out the treats based on what they do during your training sessions. Regardless, treats are a great reward when training. Increase Distance Slowly When you first teach your dog to fetch, you’ll want to increase the distance slowly. Try not to send the ball too far at first; this might confuse them, especially if they’re new to fetch. If you don’t give them the proper basics, then your dog might not know to even return the ball to you. That’s why it’s important to teach your dog basic commands like “hold” before teaching them to fetch. Otherwise, you run the risk of your dog chasing after a ball and not returning it — or not even coming back to you either. You can start by dropping the ball or toy in front of you and having your dog come to it, pick it up and present it to you. This will get them in the habit of always giving you the ball when you ask for it. As you increase your distance, you’ll want to make sure your dog is set up for safety. Our silicone pet tags are a great option for dog owners who want silent dog tags that carry lots of important information about them and their pet. Have Fun with It While training your dog to learn something new requires a lot of patience and might feel frustrating at times, it’s also important that you have some fun with it. Laugh at the way your dog runs, smile at them and get excited when they bring the ball back to you. Give them lots of reassuring pets for doing so well, and focus on ways you can make fetch more fun in the future. Part of owning a dog is to have lots of fun, so teach your dog to fetch and then go have fun together!