My German shepherd would catch the ball but drop it.
We started using two balls, she'd run up with the first one and drop it.
Finally got down to one and we can say "too far" and she'll nudge it closer.
Her teeth are ground down to half their original size from all the sand on the ball (like sandpaper). She's only 2.5 years old.
Gotta get some replacement teeth.
Heh, my dog would just rip all the fuzz off the tennis balls. Half the time accidentally tearing it apart. So we switched to racquetballs and he's yet to tear one up. Best part is he gnaws at it so hard sometimes that the ball shoots right out of his mouth sometimes, funny as hell until he almost hits something fragile with it. (Little Dachshund/Shih Tzu mix though.)
Aaaand that's when I tell my dog that it's kind of hard to throw anything when he's attached. He'll let it go, I'll throw it, he'll go get it, and bring it back for another round of the same.
thats incredible you taught your dog how to play fetch i bet nobody else has ever done that before you're really amazing and so interesting please tell me more