My dad hunted ducks so I grew up with retrievers (Labradors), I just didn’t want to get too deep into the weeds since actual trained retriever behavior is a lot

My dad hunted ducks so I grew up with retrievers (Labradors), I just didn’t want to get too deep into the weeds since actual trained retriever behavior is a lot more advanced than just playing fetch. Though like any sort of behavioral conditioning, the hook that gets the animal initially started with the behavior (getting to chase a thrown toy) can be gradually changed to the desired behavior (retrieving game). My dad actually had a training tool for retrievers, it took a blank .22LR cartridge and launched a foam dummy for the dog to fetch. That way the dog gets accustomed to the sound of the gun going off and starts learning that it can be related to the retriever behavior. Eventually you get the dog trained so when you shoot the duck, the dog will wait patiently, you signal the dog to fetch the duck, and the dog brings the duck back to you. Retrievers also have the incredible instinct of carrying game in their mouths very gently. But yes, dog behavior is much more deep and interesting than that. If you’ve ever been at a barbecue with herding breeds, even if they aren’t really trained they still instinctively don’t like letting people wander off, for example. But I think the chasing game is probably the primary hook that gets most dogs into playing fetch.