How to Teach Your Dog to Chase Anything

When my husband and I first got our Australian Shepherd, we imagined her leaping for Frisbees right away. Unfortunately, she couldn’t care less about flying discs, tennis balls or any other flying or rolling objects. With a little work and a lot of patience, however, we got her running and jumping in no time. Follow these simple steps to do the same.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A flying disc, ball or other toy
• Bag of dog food, treats or another favorite snack
• Rope
• Space to run

1. Pick what you want your pup to chase. Whether it’s a flying disc, a ball or something else, start with one object she will recognize as her own.
2. Rub it with her favorite treat. Whether it’s wet dog food, a hot dog or a bag of treats, get the smell (and taste) of something she loves on the toy.
3. Start asking her to chase the toy by bouncing it or sliding it about a foot or two away when she is finally interested--and chewing. Since she will not have to work very hard to get to it and it smells like her favorite treat, she will likely follow it short distances.
4. Tie the object to a rope and run. Dogs rarely pass up a chance to run and chase their owners--especially Australian Shepherds. Hopefully by now your dog is interested enough in the object to chase it around the yard as well.
5. Start throwing. While the entire process may take a few weeks, she’ll be running and jumping in no time.

Tips & Warnings

• If the smell of a favorite treat does not work, try clicker training. Point to the ball or Frisbee, and every time your dog touches it with her paw or nose, click and give her a treat. Once she understands that she’ll get something special for touching her new toy, start clicking and rewarding her only when she picks it up in her mouth and progress from there.