To be clear, the issue here is not recall, or dropping. My dog (a 5yo golden retriever) is quite good at coming back when called, and she is also good at dropping toys when asked.
The problem I'm having is that, when playing fetch, she will eagerly chase the ball to where it lands, pick it up, and then lay down and start chewing on it. Then, when I call her back, she will come back without much trouble, but she will drop the ball and leave it behind. It's like she completely forgets the ball exists as soon as I give her something else to focus on.
She is honestly quite good at learning stuff, but I just genuinely have no idea how to teach this concept to her. As soon as I give her any kind of reward (like treats, or another ball), she immediately forgets about the one she's holding and drops it on the spot.
Which, like, it's good that she isn't possessive of her toys, but this means that I constantly have to walk back and forth while playing fetch to pick up the toys she leaves behind. I really wish she would bring the ball back to me, and THEN drop it, but I can't figure out how to teach her that concept. I can't even reward her for doing it sometimes, because she literally never does it, she always leaves the ball behind every single time. What should I do? She loves to fetch, it's her favorite game. It's just like she never learned to do the "retrieving" part of her breed name, lol, just the chasing part.
submitted by /u/pieceoftost
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