Do Great Pyrenees play fetch?

For many, retrieve is a game you play with your Great Pyrenees. In fact, some people have the Great Pyrenees so they can go out and get some fresh air and play ball games. Others like it because it can make the dog tired without consuming too much of your energy. However, not all dogs catch things naturally. Many Great Pyrenees may love to chase, but they don’t bring all the dogs back. Or they didn’t bring it all back. They want the Great Pyrenees to fetch things as a simple form of exercise, or as a retriever subject to a test. The good news is, you can teach your Great Pyrenees to get back. The bad news is that if you have a dog that isn’t toy driven at all, it may take a while.

Build a toy drive

If your Great Pyrenees’ problem is a lack of interest in toys, join an athletic puppy class or ask a local professional coach to help you. You may need some one-on-one training to match your dog’s personality and the reasons why they are not interested in toys (e.g., fear, stress, lack of energy, never playing like a puppy, etc.). However, if your dog is well-adjusted and seems interested in toys, but not so interested in them, here are some tips to help you build momentum.
Try different types of toys. Your Great Pyrenees don’t have to get the ball. Most the Great Pyrenees have a preference for certain toys — here’s a list of common types of toys that dogs like: Reward your dog for interacting with the toy. If your dog is more food-driven than a toy, reward them with some food when they interact with the toy — this will tie your dog’s favorite item, food, together. You can praise/reward them for looking at the toy, touching it, grabbing it, picking it up, etc. Move toys. Some dogs like this move. Pull the toy in front of your dog’s nose and see if they chase it. Don’t go so fast or so far that they can’t catch it — make it easier for them in the beginning. You want them to succeed and to be interesting.

Let the big Pyrenees retrieve the toy

Once your Great Pyrenees are playing with a toy (if they’ve already played), the next problem is retrieving it. As mentioned earlier, some dogs like to chase but never pick up the toy and bring it back. Or, once they have toys, they prefer the “away” game. To do this, you need to do something called “backlinking” — starting with the end action you want and working backward until you have a complete action. In this case, you want your dog to pick up the toy and drop it on your hand or foot (decide how you want your Great Pyrenees to look before you start training).