How to Train a Greyhound to Fetch

It is not usually so clear what a dog was made for at first glance, but a Greyhound shows its purpose in every line of its body: Greyhounds were made for speed. Greyhounds originated in ancient Egypt and developed as hunting dogs that operated independently of their handler. They hunt by sight, keeping their fast-moving quarry in view as they chase it down across wide expanses. It is no surprise that these speedy dogs were then used, and have been used until modern times, for racing. 

With all this speed, your Greyhound should be a natural at fetch, right? Not necessarily. Greyhounds are not retrievers, and getting your Greyhound to bring back a toy can be challenging.

Greyhounds, like all hounds, sometimes struggle with call back training. Once a Greyhound is locked in on a quarry, it can be difficult to break her focus. If you throw a ball but your Greyhound sees a rabbit--she may be gone before you know it. Get ready for a long pursuit, you're not going to catch up to her. For this reason, you should only play with your Greyhound in a fenced area. Greyhounds were made to see and follow motion, so stationary objects can be hard for them to focus on. If the ball falls before your Greyhound sees it she may have trouble finding it. Similarly, she may have trouble finding you again if you are standing still, so try waving your arm while you call her back.

To encourage your Greyhound to return a thrown object, have better things available to motivate her. Keep plenty of yummy, highly desirable treats and good toys on hand and make sure she knows you have them. Frisbees and other relatively slow-moving, long flying toys are best, as your Greyhound will be able to stay focused on the toy until she catches it in midair. 

Throughout training, remember that fetch is a fun activity, though one that Greyhounds may not be particularly well suited to. So be patient and have fun with your Greyhound, whatever her fetching abilities.