The AKC Fetch program launched early in 2024, and shortly after, I was recruited by a facility I teach at in the Chicagoland area to write the curriculum for a 6-week series focused on preparing dogs for AKC Fetch trials. I thought of many things that had prepared me for this moment: years of teaching cooperative toy play skills to pet dogs, teaching formal retrieves (both as a cute trick and as a competition obedience exercise), and finally, training my own Dutch Shepherd for Schutzhund/IGP, which could be seen as bona fide toy play skills.
I knew it would be challenging to create a unified curriculum that applied to a class of dogs with different personalities and genetic traits—for example, a shy mixed breed with more food drive than toy drive, versus a retriever who loves to fetch but won't bring the toy back, or a bully breed who loves to tug vigorously and is tempted to shred the toy. Through trial and error, I discovered the core skills that were useful for most dogs aiming to play AKC Fetch. I learned what was necessary to customize for the individual dog, too.
When this program first came out, the popular opinion seemed to be that it was just another money grab by the AKC, much like the 10,000 levels of the Canine Good Citizen test that now exist. Even some students in my class shared this belief at first! However, as time has passed, our perspective has shifted. This "sport" is uniquely challenging and fun for many teams.
In terms of its true origins, upper-level AKC Fetch is essentially a simplified version of Field Trial work, or at least clearly draws inspiration from it. The beginning levels of AKC Fetch resemble a multi-throw dumbbell exercise seen in competition obedience, but with a toy instead of a dumbbell.
So much of dog training emphasizes getting a dog to calm down and suppress their instincts. AKC Fetch, on the other hand, allows teams to focus on increasing a dog’s desire to play, while also strengthening the relationship between dog and handler through structured toy play—specifically retrieving, although other forms of play such as tugging and "personal play" (wrestling and running with the dog) can be used to help build the retrieve. (More on that later!)
My AKC Fetch class frequently bursts into cheers and applause—both the handlers cheering for their dogs and the other training teams cheering for one another. They run, they play, they tug, they chase, they pet, and they overall have a blast. The dogs leave fatigued and satisfied, both mentally and physically. It’s a great class!
But what standard are we training for? Well, let’s dive into it.
The Levels
AKC Fetch offers four Titles: Novice (FTN), Intermediate (FTI), Advanced (FTA), and Retriever (FTR). To earn a title, you need two qualifying legs at each level. Trials often offer two runs in a single day, so it’s possible to earn a title in just one day.
We’ll get into the nitty-gritty of the specific skills required for each level later, but here’s a brief preview of what the trials look like:
The first two levels, Novice and Intermediate, focus on a “standard” retrieve, with one toy thrown at a time by the handler (or by a helper, at the handler’s request).
The last two levels, Advanced and Retriever, introduce the toy being dropped behind a “blind” (a large object that hides the toy) by helpers from much further away. In addition to the toy being out of sight, the helper also drops multiple toys behind multiple hides (one toy per hide), and the dog must be directed to retrieve just one toy at a time, in order. (There is a, in my opinion insane, caveat that you can choose to throw these as well, but you would have to throw exactly behind the blind from 80 ft away.)
The Exact Criteria and Rules
Distance of Toy
Novice: 30 ft (most will throw)
Intermediate: 50 ft (most will throw)
Advanced: 70 ft (most will have helper drop)
Retrieve: 80 ft (most will have helper drop)
Exercises Performed
Novice: 3 singles (to the left, right, and center)
Intermediate: 4 singles (to the left, right, center, and 1 more left or right again)
Advanced: 2 singles and 2 doubles behind blinds
Retriever: 2 doubles, 1 triple behind blinds
Stuff on the Course
Novice: 4 obstacles (chairs, boxes, etc.), used to guide the “left versus right versus center” thing
Intermediate: 8 obstacles
Advanced: 3 blinds
Retriever: 3 blinds
Stay Criteria
All levels: Dog may be doing a stand, sit, or down at the handler’s side before being sent
Novice: You may hold the collar with your full hand (though the dog should not be struggling against you)
Intermediate: You may hold the collar with one finder
Advanced: No collar hold allowed
Retriever: No collar hold allowed
How Close Must the Ball Be Dropped
Novice: 3 ft or “2 steps” from the handler
Intermediate: 2 ft or “1 step” from the handler
Advanced: Delivered to hand (or dropped directly at feet)
Retriever: Delivered to hand (or dropped directly at feet)
Toy Used
Novice: Toy, ball, or bumper (no squeakers)
Intermediate: Toy, ball, or bumper (no squeakers)
I wrote a question mark on my chart below because I read something somewhere that seemed to suggest that in Intermediate they might prefer more “official” toys, but I didn’t see it specified as a rule.
Advanced: Bumper or “tennis ball equivalent”
Retriever: Bumper or “tennis ball equivalent”
At all levels, the toy must stop moving before the dog is sent.
In Novice and Intermediate, you may restart a bad try twice per run (the time you’re on the course). In Advanced and Retriever, you may restart once.
At all levels, you will not receive a qualifying score if the dogs runs off the course, eliminates on the course, refuses to participate, or does not finish within several minutes. (There used to be “3 minutes” written in the rules somewhere, but I think they took that out and replaced it with the judge’s discretion!)
Video Examples for Each Level
More example videos: https://www.akc.org/fetch/videos/
A Summary of the Skills Needed, in Order
Your dog needs a stay while seeing you throw the toy and while seeing a person drop a toy.
Your dog needs enough motivation to run out to the toy and grab it.
Your dog needs to be happy or at least content with bringing the toy back – preferably to your hand.
For the upper two levels, your dog will be better off if they pay attention to where the toy is being dropped. I teach this by teaching a “mark,” meaning the dog knows on cue to stare forward with focus and anticipation.
For the upper two levels, your dog needs to go to one blind and thus one toy at a time, in the order you call. I use a “mark” for this skill, too. I also teach the dogs to pivot in heel so one can face the dog in the direction they want them to go more easily.
I haven’t messed with this much yet, but you can certainly do some fancier things for your directional send. Since the handler gets to pick the order the dog retrieves in, you could pattern train the dog to work from left to right, etc. You could also have different verbal and/or body language signals for left versus center versus right. This would bring you closer to the Field Trial spirit!
How to Train These Things
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the right answer for how you should train your dog to fetch in this one article. Seminars, books, and full online courses abound on this subject because there are so many different techniques available both for formal retrieves and informal toy play skills.
For my own amusement, I did make this flow chart on what I have commonly been doing in my AKC Fetch class:
In Conclusion
AKC Fetch is fun! You should consider doing it, as an opportunity to bond with your dog and proof your engagement in new situations.
If you’re interested in training with me one-on-one, I am available virtually and in the Chicagoland area. If you’re interested in my group classes, you can read more about them here.
If you want to learn more about dog training and behavior, consider subscribing to my Patreon. I try to save my most interesting ideas and subjects for there.
Happy fetching!