Stubborn dog. Can't teach fetch.?

Question

I adopted a stray dog, the vet estimates to be about 1 1/2 to 2 years old. She's a mastiff mix of some kind, with face and coloring of a St. Bernard, paw action and pouncing of a Boxer and just a general overall dopey and peaceful demeanor. She is approx 85 pounds. I have had a few dogs and she is by far the hardest one I have had to train. It took a while for the usual commands of sit, lay down, shake, stay etc. But after much repetition with clicker-training, she basically has them down pat.

But I have hit a wall when it comes down to playing fetch with her. I have a large yard for her to play in. Throwing a ball will sometimes make her chase it. Other times she just watches the ball roll to the other side of the yard and no matter how much encouragement you give her she wont chase it. If she does chase it, it is just to pounce on it and chase it some more before she takes interest in something else entirely. If the ball is placed in front of her, no amount of coaxing will get her to pick it up in her mouth. She wont take it out of my hand if I try to give it to her.I also tried a weirdly shaped tennis ball thing that bounces in different directions every time you throw it. Still not much interest. This is also true with any of her in-house toys like dolls and bones. If I try to give her the toy she wont take it. If I try to coax her to play with it, she'll only do so if she wants to. Otherwise you are speaking to a wall.

My question is this: Has anyone else had a dog like this? Did you eventually teach it fetch, or any other command for that matter, that he/she was too stubborn to learn. Are mastiffs just anti-fetch? I do know that Boxers and St. Bernards can have huge independent streaks. Just looking for some constructive input. Thanks a bunch.

Answer 1

Well, my 5 month old Mastiff pup loves to play fetch, but I'll admit I was shocked to see it!  Mastiffs don't generally have a high enough prey drive to want to expend the energy it would take to chase the same object over and over.  What makes retrievers, border collies, and others such great dogs for fetch is the prey drive.  It is instinctive in these breeds to hunt down small moving things (same drive leads some dogs to chase people on bikes or cars).  These breeds have been trained not to attack/kill once they reach the prey, which is why they can be used for hunting or herding.  Mastiffs were bred as guard dogs and war dogs, so a strong prey drive was not as important as a strong defensive drive.

My suggestion would be to try the following:

-don't throw the objects very far to begin with.  If it is too far, she may decide it's not worth the effort.  You can build up to longer throws over time.

-Teach her the name of the object you are using, so that she understands what "ball" or "disc" mean.

-Teach her to retrieve items around the house (not fetch, but items that are just laying around).  Teach her that if she picks them up and brings them to you, she gets a treat.

-Finally, connect these things.  Throw the ball a short distance, say "ball" and your command for retrieve, and hopefully she can put the individual pieces together and understand what it is you want.

Also, she may just not enjoy the game.  Others you can try include putting the ball in a long sock and dragging it around the yard behind you so she can chase it, hiding treats around the yard/house and teach her to use her nose to find them, or tug with a toy (only if you are strong enough to win!).

Good luck!

Answer 2

some dogs just don'tcare to fetch and nothing will make them do it. jack russels and other terriers love it and will wear you out, but mastiffs? toughie.

Answer 3

well. it seems you have a very stubborn dog indeed.

what i suggest is use patience to train her. Hold the frisbee in front of you and a couple of treats at hand. Make sure she is watching you. Then pretend you are throwing the frisbee so her eyes can follow it and give her a treat. Keep doing this until she gets it. Then, throw the frisbee and give her a treat. After she gets the hang of it, throw the frisbee, run to it, make her follow you and give her a treat. After that, throw the frisbee, have her follow you, and place it in her mouth. And then give her a treat as well. Finally, throw the frisbee, have her follow you, put it in her mouth and run back to your starting point, make her follow you and giver her a treat.

In time, she will get the hang of it but remember, patience will be rewarded.

Answer 4

Try throwing another object like a rope ring. I give mine a rope ring, or another toy suited for that dog, to play with for a few days. I then use that toy, or whatever toy they seem to be most interest in, and use it for play time. I have even used a heavy duty rubber feeding dish. lol. It worked. I was able later to switch the toy.  It may never work out, but then again it might. I have dogs that will not so much as pee on the same pad another puppy has used.  

Answer 5

two out of my four dogs won't fetch.. they just don't care.   The hound mix doesn't even watch it..  he's more interested in his nose..    The youngest schnauzer gets into toys, but only if he initiates it.. he won't do tug of war, and won't chase..  if you drop it. "by accident" and walk away he'll pick it up and throw it in the air.. shake it.. chew it..    

the older two used to play fetch, but not that well..  lol.. they'd chase it, start bringing it back, and the other would steal it..

Try different types of toys, textures..  and see what this particular dog likes..  some dogs never really get into toys..