How to teach a dog to catch a ball

Catch: 

Most dogs find this easy to learn as long as they have decent vision.  Let you dog sniff a treat; you may even want to feed him one or two to get him interested.  Toss one lightly up in the air.  It will probably fall on his face or body, because he doesn’t know what you want, yet.  This is ok; don’t get discouraged.   Repeat a few times, then stop.  Hopefully he will get used to treats raining around him. 

Once the dog gets comfortable with treats falling around his face, be careful to prevent the dog from getting the treats after they fall.  Move quickly; cover them with your foot.  Remember:  dogs do what is easiest for them.  If you simply let him pick the treats up after they fall, he won’t bother to grab them.  I have two dogs that are not food-aggressive, so I found it easiest to train them together.  If Aqua missed a treat, Terra was quick to grab it before Aqua could, and vice-versa.  This really sharpened their efforts!  If Fido starts to seem too frustrated, ask for a behavior or trick he already knows, reward him, then quit.  Try again later in the day or tomorrow.  Dogs have excellent coordination and reflexes, and most will start to grab the treats pretty quickly once they figure out that this is the way to get the food.  Put the behavior on cue (“Catch!”)

Once the dog is catching treats well, it is time to train the dog to catch a ball.  The dog should be used to balls and like them.  Tennis balls work well.  Dog-balls come in different sizes.  Be sure yours is sized properly for the dog:  light and small enough to catch, but not so small that he could swallow or choke on it.  Have Fido catch several treats in a row in rapid-fire fashion.  Substitute the ball at the end of the rapid-fire sequence.  Fido will probably catch it without thinking.  Click and jackpot.