Ball/stick/anything help!!

[Queenofthedrivensnow]

Please share methods for teaching my dim cocker spaniel to fetch. I have been trying for 2 years he doesn't get it!? What am I doing wrong? He is super motivated by treats and has learned other commands really easily

[ChoudeBruxelles]

Dunno my cocker looks at me like “why have you thrown in away. You’d better go and get it”. Fortunately my springer fetches anything all of the time. The cocker just isn’t interested

[missbattenburg]

start at the end:

Give him the ball in his mouth, call him a good boy and reward him when he drops it - which will be almost immediately. This is the very last act in the fetch sequence (dropping the ball at your feet) so he learns right away that it is this that gets him a treat.

When he does that very reliably, take a step back after giving him the ball. He may drop the ball a step away from you, just stare at him and he should pick it up and try again to try and figure out what releases the treat. If he brings it towards you, even just a little bit, reward him. Next time, don't treat until he brings the ball even closer to you.

You then just keep building up the distance and when he will bring you the ball from a few metres away then try chucking the ball at hime first instead of handing it to him. Then try chucking it a little bit away from him, then a lot away from him and, hey presto! you are playing fetch.

Also, be aware that he may not like fetch so may never fully embrace a game of it.