What is the actual point of fetch?

I mean, how, why and when did somebody decide that throwing a thing, gettting the dog to go and get it, bring it back and repeat was a 'thing'? I'm not talking about retrieves for either sport (obedience, etc) or work (gundogs), but what I'll refer to here as recreational fetch.

This thought originally came into my head a couple of weeks ago when asking a question that comes up often in a group that I'm in. It went along the lines of 'how can I teach my dog to give me back the thing when we're playing fetch?'

Short answer here is that you're not actually playing fetch - your dog is being quite sensible, really. If all you're going to do when you get the thing back is throw it away again, then why would they want to give it up? You clearly can't be trusted to with it!

Does your dog 'need' to play fetch? I would argue that in most cases the answer is 'no'. Does your dog 'want' to play fetch? Again, often 'no' (hence their reluctance to relinquish the thing) Remember - I'm talking about recreational fetch here, not retrieving or trading items that could be dangerous (or stolen - I'm looking at you, Peak 😉)

I do think that recreational fetch is sadly overused by many people - it saddens me on a walk seeing an owner trying to persuade their dog to chase a ball that they clearly have no interest in. Why? What's in it for either of you? Then there's the dogs that are so obsessed with the thing that they're not interacting with the environment at all; basically like us walking through the most beautiful scenery whilst staring at our phone. That level of obsession/addiction isn't healthy - can we all agree on that?

Recreational fetch is fine... For SOME dogs, not all. Peak has the potential to be too fixated on the game, to the exclusion of everything else. Yes, sometimes I use that to my advantage, but I also have to be aware of it; I am strategic about using toys on walks, and they are not available at all on nearly all walks. I never throw very far, and aim for him to be able to catch the thing at head height. There are rules. But I'm also perfectly capable of throwing something such that it lands behind me, so occasionally he ends up doing random stuff in his pursuit of the thing. This is clearly countered by the fact that I take care of his fitness, and am able to monitor for injury, etc. For the most part, he is a dog that just likes to carry something - possession is more important for him than the chase. Like many gundogs (in my experience), carrying something is soothing for him.

Overall, my observational skills are better than most. Whether that's observing awkward catches, or my dog's behaviour to understand where his brain is at. This is the important thing - recreational fetch is fine, as long as you're not overdoing it. Think about why, and also whether you're doing it for you or your dog. Ripley would 'fetch', but he's only doing it because it's a trained behaviour! He'd rather just sniff, please and thank you very much.

Take time to get to know your dog's thoughts and feelings about toys, and recreational fetch in general. There is no reason whatsoever that your dog 'has' to play fetch. None. Zero. Yes, teach trade games and a retrieve (one of the most useful things I taught Ripley) - these can be useful for safety and welfare reasons, but that's all you need. There are way more fun ways to play with toys than fetch; better for your dog, better for you and often safer as well. You know I mean scentwork related games 😂

This was originally a Facebook post which you can see here.