play ball!

this is Pip, my 8 1/2 yr old lab.  have taught "play ball" to both Pip and Lucy, the youngest of the crew.  Skills needed? 
catching
retrieving back to me
holding the ball
targeting (the basketball hoop)

Pip, she's my throw everything at you queen.  It did not take her long at all to figure this out.
throw the ball
retrieve the ball to hand
retrieve the ball to hand over hoop
retrieve the ball to hand under the hoop
take hand out of the picture

the hardest thing?  Once my hand was removed, ensuring that Pip understood that the ball had to go INTO the hoop, it was confusing since regardless of where she "dropped it", it would still fall down and roll away.  So,   thats why the plastic container inside the basketball hoop.  So she truly understood when she heard that "plunk" that the ball was where it was supposed to be. 
Check it out,...