How do I know when to stop playing fetch with my dog?

You can help mediate the unnatural “dopamine hit” the dog may be experiencing during their daily game of fetch by increasing the effort required to attain the toy. This can be done by incorporating simple activities during your fetch game such as asking your dog to sit-stay and then throwing the ball into tall grass so they can search for it, occasionally asking them to perform known obedience prior to throwing the ball, and working on impulse control related exercises using the ball as a reinforcer. In many cases, dog owners do not have the desire – or perhaps the time – to do more complex enrichment games, partake in daily training activities, provide more involved forms of exercise, or become involved in dog sports. In these cases, the dog included will have nothing if you remove fetch from the picture. Fetch is one of the closest things that dogs have to completing the predatory sequence. They get to stare, may stalk or freeze, chase, bite and carry. Many dogs even chew or shake the toy once it has been retrieved.

When we’re done I say ‘finish’ in a firm voice and calmly put it away. He now knows that the game is done and settles down nicely so I reward that calm behaviour as soon as it is displayed. If this kind of play is done correctly it will not only help exercise your dog, build stamina and strength but it will also help your dog to learn to focus and engage with you even when it is in prey drive. It is all about it being on your terms, not theirs and it is also important that if your dog is pulling up sore, or is starting to age, that you shift to games that are more gentle on their joints like tug-o-war or treat treasure hunt to help avoid osteoarthritis and other joint pain. Finish – and mean it! When you stop the game always ends with the same cue like or “finish” and PUT THE TOY, BALL OR TUG AWAY! Otherwise you or someone will give in and you are back to step one and your dog learns to ignore what you say as you don’t seem to really mean it anyway.