Tod had no idea what to do with the ball. At first he didn't even pay attention to it. We managed to get him excited about going AFTER the ball, but he wouldn't bring it back. Then when we saw Tod had the ball in his mouth, we'd call him to 'come' excitedly. Once he dropped the ball by our side we gave him a treat (beef liver). It took only 5-6 tries before he got the idea. Smart dude!