Hi there, I have an old girl, Tawny and when she was 8 weeks old, on her first night at her new home she retreived, we thought it was just a fluke. So when we saw the vet the next day we mentioned it and all she said was she better retreive, its natural. How small is the ball , make sure its not too small, just small enough for your furbaby to carry and don't let her/him keep it. Be sure to make it a big game and lots of fun. It will come.