I have been lucky.
Lots of people talk about how their dog does not fetch or play with them.
Out of 9 Shepherds, 42 American Eskimos, 316 (I think) Poodles, 1 Collie Shepherd, 22 MOATs (Mutts of assorted sizes) and 1 Scottie only a few did not like to fetch. Mostly the Scottie. To be fair most of the animals I have had were puppies that I later homed, but if we just concentrate on the 15 or so home animals all but the Scottie loved to play fetch. That in itself is lucky. (The Scottie (My daughters “gifted” to me) loved to play, but tore everything up before we could play with it)
Fetch is a tough game to start at first. Dogs like to keep stuff, hide stuff, bury stuff, and generally not share by nature. You have to build trust and as you do realize that there will be some hiccups. Some will be big, some small.
Start by rolling a ball and sitting on the floor. Hopefully the puppy will come back close. Take the ball and use “Drop or Leave It” if you can, then throw again. Little distances. Working your way up to some thing big. As you do you will see that the puppy wants to interact. As you work increase distances and use other items from time to time.
As always, the key is consistency. Be consistent to win all the time. Remember, repetition makes perfection. Guide yourself all the way there.
