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My new puppy - 11wks - loves to play - especially tug of war - which I limit! But he loves to chase a ball - and bring it back - just to tug - how do I teach the release/let command?? He is (unbelievably!!) not motivated by food - real picky??! Thanks

That's a hard one. I remember it took forever for me to teach my dog "give." What's funny is that she seemed to think "tug" (or "I'll put it down, then you go for it, then I'll get it first or nip you" was part of the game. I eventually had to teach my dog "drop it" then "leave it"--and I wouldn't even reach for the ball until she stepped back two steps. After a while, she started responding to "give," but it did take a long time.

Your dog won't drop the toy for a treat?

If he won't release the toy after you say "give," you can stop playing altogether. Just stand up and walk away. Your dog will probably follow you with the ball. After 30 seconds or so, you can try again. This can go on for a long time.

Another thing I did with my dog was have two balls. I'd throw one, she'd run and get it, and as soon as she got back to me, I'd throw the other one (of course, sometimes, she forgot to drop the ball in her mouth and got very confused when she got to the other ball and still had one in her mouth, but it worked a lot of the time).

I'm sure others will be able to offer advice too.

Great Ideas - thanks!

>>Great Ideas - thanks!
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Disregard the above post please.

Most dogs are food motivated, some just prefer different types of food that us humans think they should have. My older shiba works for prime rib, but very little else. I originally though she wasn't food motivated either.

When you have a stubborn breed, which you do, you may want to try "upping the ante" and use cut up hot dogs, small pieces of boiled chicken, or even bacon bits.

As for how to get your dog to release a ball to you, PHArrow's suggestions are great. A "drop it" and "leave it" command are very helpful.

Start teaching "leave it' with an item your dog isn't nearly as motivated by getting, in your case, you could possibly use food to teach the behavior and reward with the ball. It's a bit opposite of what many do, but no one is saying it won't work.

Also, one your dog does back away from the object, it's only fair that they can have the object back sometimes. Don't use it only to end the game. Use it to continue to play. If your dog doesn't drop the ball, no more game. All is done. He'll quickly learn there is no advantage to keeping the ball.

One other thing, you might want to put "tug" on command. That will tell your dog when it's appropriate to play that game and when you are playing fetch instead.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles