# My dog can't catch things.



## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

You know how lots of dogs can catch things in the air, such as frisbees and tennis balls? Well, Biscuit doesn't do that. She waits until the thrown item lands. She can't even catch a treat in her mouth! The other day I tossed her a small piece of turkey burger and it bounced off her face. Yes, my dog is delightful and talented in many ways, but this is not one of them.

Is this something I can train her to do, like to catch a treat in the air? I don't really care about tennis balls, but catching treats in the air would be a cute trick, not to mention something that most dogs do naturally. Do any of you clicker training/shaping geniuses have any ideas?


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## chipinmom (Feb 13, 2012)

Throw the treat at your dog. If he doesn't catch it, take the treat away (you need to be fast for this one lol) and try again. He will eventually start to get frustrated that he isn't getting the treat and he will start attempting to get it any way he can, which will include trying to catch it.

If/when he does catch it, praise him and give him another treat!


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

You might be able to teach her how to do it, at least sometimes. But some dogs just have bad depth perception. Toby has maybe a 50% catch rate, if that. He's just not good at it.


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## Morrwyn (Aug 13, 2009)

Puck couldn't (and still to some extent, can't) catch. My boyfriend likes to say he takes after me . Two things we did seemed to help: 1. We kept pelting him in the face with cheese, did this for about 5mins for a few days, after awhile he started to at least try to catch it. And 2. we got his favorite stuffy and did a slow one....two....three....toss kind of thing. And that also seemed to help a lot, now he can catch that stuffy 90% of the time.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

I have never met a dog that cannot catch. Just some that do not know how.....

Any dog can learn...


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

Make some popcorn. Toss a kernel. If she doesn't catch it, no reward mark+"leave it" and scoop it away. Repeat, repeat, repeat. 

This is what worked for Kaki though she still needs a reminder session every now and then of what "catch" means.


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## JulieK1967 (May 29, 2011)

Catching is definitely not Molly's strong suit either. She doesn't seem to like things coming at her face. She is far more interested in chasing the ball than catching it mid-air.


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## ManyRoses (May 28, 2012)

What is the breed? Some breeds are better at catch and fetch games than others - it depends on whether the breed was originally bred for sight or for smell. Hounds are a good example of a breed that may be worse at catching things - the sight and reflex just isn't the same as, say a collie or a retriever (being bred to retrieve, and all!). 

That said, you should be able to teach any dog to catch if you really want - as well as what chipinmom said, you can try playing with a favorite toy, and dangling it just out of reach so that she has to jump up to grab it...progress to tossing it up above her, then to throwing it. If she really wants it, she'll get the hang of it.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

I taught my papillon how to catch with a larger stuffed animal, and then with a little tennis ball -- toys she really wanted. I'd toss them to her and I'd snatch them back up quickly if she missed. She caught on quickly and can now catch a blueberry I toss from halfway across a room. The AKK, though... he sucks at catching! He can catch big toys, and he makes a valiant effort to catch food, but it usually bounces off his chin.


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

Dropping popcorn is a good starter treat, just don't let them eat it unless they catch it...


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

Last time I posted this, I was told I was mean....

The way I do it is take treats the dog really likes. Put the dog on a leash, let him know I have the treats, then toss them towards him but out of reach. The dog does not get those treats. I toss a few. To the sides, behind the dog etc. After you do this if the dog is food motivated, it will be revved up. Toss him a treat he can catch.... He will catch it.


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## Nev Allen (Feb 17, 2010)

I use a small soft stuffed toy because you can, intermittantly have a game of tug.

Throw the toy at her nose,gently, and from far enough away so she can see it coming. First few times they close their eyes and turn away but make a game of it. Pick up the toy and rub it around their snout , step back and toss it. Repeat until she tries to catch then reward with lots of praise and have a game of tug. Start again and keep repeating.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

I like JohnnyBandit's approach, sometimes you need to entice the dog.

Semantic correction - Your dog "won't" catch... we don't know if he can't catch.

My dog is a retriever mix and likes to play catch... but sometimes he doesn't want to and will act just like your dog (or Santa's Little Helper in the Simpsons) and just let the tennis ball bounce off his face  ... I get the message that Catch is over with. ...He "won't" catch.

On the other hand, he is 11 yo and his vision is degrading (so is mine... but I'm older than 11 yo  ). He has trouble catching things that are smaller than a ping pong ball, and it is slowly getting worse. I toss him large nuggets of kibble before I feed him, and I think he is learning to catch based on te trajectory of my hand. He's still great with a tennis ball, but I think he has trouble focusing on the kibble. ... He "can't" catch.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks all! I'm glad to hear there is hope. These are some great suggestions and I'll give them a try for sure, both with toys and food. I especially like the pelt-with-popcorn idea. There's something a little pathetic about a dog that will allow a piece of turkey to bounce off her face without even trying to catch it. But I think Biscuit can learn! I'll let you know how it goes.



JohnnyBandit said:


> Last time I posted this, I was told I was mean....
> 
> The way I do it is take treats the dog really likes. Put the dog on a leash, let him know I have the treats, then toss them towards him but out of reach. The dog does not get those treats. I toss a few. To the sides, behind the dog etc. After you do this if the dog is food motivated, it will be revved up. Toss him a treat he can catch.... He will catch it.


I don't think this sounds mean. It just sounds like a way to turn on the drive. 



ManyRoses said:


> What is the breed? Some breeds are better at catch and fetch games than others - it depends on whether the breed was originally bred for sight or for smell. Hounds are a good example of a breed that may be worse at catching things - the sight and reflex just isn't the same as, say a collie or a retriever (being bred to retrieve, and all!).


She's a mutt, but a retriever/sheltie mix so you would think this would be in her wheelhouse!


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

hanksimon said:


> I like JohnnyBandit's approach, sometimes you need to entice the dog.
> 
> Semantic correction - Your dog "won't" catch... we don't know if he can't catch.
> 
> My dog is a retriever mix and likes to play catch... but sometimes he doesn't want to and will act just like your dog (or Santa's Little Helper in the Simpsons) and just let the tennis ball bounce off his face  ... I get the message that Catch is over with. ...He "won't" catch.


Hahaha yes! Santa's Little Helper is exactly the right mental image. 

And hey...I couldn't wiggle my eyebrows until I learned how. Maybe the Bisc just needs some help turning on the "catching stuff" reflex.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

ManyRoses said:


> Hounds are a good example of a breed that may be worse at catching things - the sight and reflex just isn't the same as, say a collie or a retriever (being bred to retrieve, and all!).


Haha I guess my hound mix is just too food motivated to get the memo he shouldn't be good at this. Oh course when he's too excited he frequently snaps his mouth too quick and it bounces off his face. The best is when he snaps too quickly and it bounces off but he still manages to catch it before it reaches the ground. We mostly do this with treats but he CAN catch a ball when he wants to, if he isn't feeling it he's perfectly content to let it hit him in the face. He sees it he just doesn't want to catch it.


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## a7dk (Mar 30, 2011)

Morrwyn said:


> Puck couldn't (and still to some extent, can't) catch. My boyfriend likes to say he takes after me . Two things we did seemed to help: 1. *We kept pelting him in the face with cheese*, did this for about 5mins for a few days, after awhile he started to at least try to catch it. And 2. we got his favorite stuffy and did a slow one....two....three....toss kind of thing. And that also seemed to help a lot, now he can catch that stuffy 90% of the time.


LOL !

(too short)


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Kabota is exactly the same as Biscuit. Muggsy was like a shark and would leap to catch things midair, so the first time I threw a treat at Kabota and it bounced off his face, I felt pretty bad. (It was kinda funny, too.)

I can sort of get Kabota to catch a frisbee. (I use a stuffee frisbee for obvious reasons.) My husband and I throw it to each other. Kabota watches, gets very interested and then will (sometimes) try to catch it in midair. He'll also let it hit the floor and then get it, or let it bounce off his face.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Update: This evening I tried some catching practice with Biscuit. I tried tossing tiny treats at her, but they hit her face. Then I tried tossing some beloved stuffies. Even if I tossed them very slowly, they still hit her in the face. I had some success throwing stuffies from 1 inch away. She caught those...VERY occasionally. Eventually she started to look in the other direction like a calming signal, so we stopped. It seems like she's so focused on me/my face that she doesn't see the treat/toy coming at her.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

hamandeggs said:


> Update: This evening I tried some catching practice with Biscuit. I tried tossing tiny treats at her, but they hit her face. Then I tried tossing some beloved stuffies. Even if I tossed them very slowly, they still hit her in the face. I had some success throwing stuffies from 1 inch away. She caught those...VERY occasionally. Eventually she started to look in the other direction like a calming signal, so we stopped. It seems like she's so focused on me/my face that she doesn't see the treat/toy coming at her.


Try the way I described.... Otherwise you are likely going to continue to bounce items off her face.


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## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

Kodi cant catch either. Both dogs are [not the brightest] and we keep kibble on the counter instead of treats and occasionally we will stand at the counter and toss kibbles. Roonie can catch them normally all of the time, even trick shots. Kodi can catch maybe 1 in every 7. Normally they just bounce off of this nose. He is slow to catch them, he opens his mouth and snaps at them after they hit him. He is much better at catching bigger things like balls, but he still isn't good. We have been doing this for over a year and he hasn't gotten any better. 

Moral of the story:
Some dogs aren't good catchers.


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## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

Cheese puffs! Light-weight and easy to see! Throw them up high and slightly ahead of the dog!


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

JohnnyBandit said:


> Try the way I described.... Otherwise you are likely going to continue to bounce items off her face.


I am going to try this this weekend, with the assistance of my husband and a bowl of buttered popcorn.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Update! 

I thought this hallowed day would never come, but (as so often happens), Biscuit has proven me wrong! We had an unsuccessful popcorn session last weekend, but just now I made some delicious popcorn for myself (coconut oil and salt) and thought I would give Bisc the chance to get some for myself...by catching it in the air. The first couple tries I had to quickly snatch it off the floor, but within 5 tries she was catching it almost every time!

I realize this is a ridiculous thing to be so excited about, but I can't help myself. I even made a video to share: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7358583030/


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## NozOnyCalAur (Jun 6, 2012)

Our family Chow Chow would not catch because to combat the begging at the table for food, my dad trained her not to accept food or treats until he said it was, "Okay." If you tossed her a treat she'd watch it fly, land, then look at Dad for conformation to eat it. Good luck on the catching, though.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Good job h&e! I tried and tried to get poca to be a frisbee catching dog. No chance. I think in two years of trying she caught maybe 3-5% of the throws. She was excited, motivated, and rewarded. Still wasn't happening. The frisbee would either sail an inch by her nose or she would make contact but just couldnt catch it. Same story with tennis balls. No matter what we tossed, she just couldnt catch it. She is good at batting things out of the air, though, so we focused on games that worked with that. Much more fun for all of us!


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Casper has gotten a bit better at catching over the past few days. Crystal helps, because if he misses something, she will pounce and eat it before he can! We've been practicing with Cheerios. Casper still only really catches when I toss it directly at his mouth, though. 

(Oh, and if it's a non-food item, he tries to catch it with his feet. He'll rear up on his hind legs and try to pin the stuffed toy or whatever between his front paws.)


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Crantastic said:


> (Oh, and if it's a non-food item, he tries to catch it with his feet. He'll rear up on his hind legs and try to pin the stuffed toy or whatever between his front paws.)


That is adorable. Video, please!

As for Biscuit... I have already called Harvard, to alert them of my GENIUS DOG. ;-)


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## frostywolf (Jul 5, 2010)

My JRT is a bad catcher. I used to joke that he has bad mouth-eye coordination. He wants to catch the treat/ball, and he tries, but most of the time he misses. Once in a while he catches it, though. His catch rate is better with balls than small treats, so it may be vision related. 



Crantastic said:


> (Oh, and if it's a non-food item, he tries to catch it with his feet. He'll rear up on his hind legs and try to pin the stuffed toy or whatever between his front paws.)


That's what my JRT does with frisbees. Even if I hold it out and tell him to "take it" he will try to grab it with his feet. He only does it with frisbees, though.


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## Henryr10 (Jun 10, 2012)

Congratulations!

Wonderful Thread!
They have a tennis ball chucker where our dog goes to day care.
It's hilarious to watch them go at it.

We've always had Collies, Labs, etc. teaching catch and fetch was never a problem.
When we started w/ Shar-pei it was a hoot.
She would watch us throw and look at us like..... Dummy you had it why should I go get it? 
Throw something at her and it just bounced off... if it was food she would pick it up and eat it.... a toy she'd just sniff and walk away.


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## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

sounds like you got it. I taught catch just like I teach retrieve. I start very close in, wait til they get it then slowly increase the distance. Drop a soft treat like popcorn about 1 inch above the nose, after they catch a couple like that increase to 2 inches, then 3 then 4 and so on increasing distance as the dog increases proficiency.


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

We just taught Gally to catch his treats too. Helps a lot when we want to reward something on a walk so we don't have to bend down to treat him as he is very close to the ground. After he did whatever behavior we were asking for we did our usual click so he already knew a treat was coming then just dropped it down in front of his nose, he started snapping it out of the air every once in a while and has gotten much better with practice. He probably catches it 70% of the time now.


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## magicmike (Jun 8, 2012)

Don't feel bad. My dog use to jump and catch things in the air all the time until he started having problems with his eyesight and he's only 4 yrs old. Now when I toss a ball at him it just bounces off his head...


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

I mean absolutely no disrespect in saying this, but this thread completely blows my mind.

Gypsy is the only dog I've ever owned. I guess, because of her, I've never considered that a dog might be bad at catching things. Gypsy is _incredible_. Any reasonably direct throw, and she'll spin in the air after the catch or lunge into it. We swear she shows off. The thing is, though, you can throw a ball in pretty much any direction and with random force and angle, and she'll catch it before it hits the ground. We let her play "goalie" in our front hall. It's nearly impossible to kick the tennis ball passed her. Kids have a ton of fun trying.

Very interesting that dogs (breeds and individuals) have such different natural tendencies! I don't know why I never thought about catching. Haha.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

You probably never thought about it because your dog does it naturally! I always thought it was one of those innate doggy things, but it's totally not. 

Gypsy sounds very talented!


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