before you ask for it, and don't let him sit.
now comes the hard part. hold the dowel in front of the dog's mouth, grasp his collar and ear with one hand, lay his ear over the buckle on his collar and press his ear into the buckle with your thumb. then say "fetch." he's not going to like this and will probably fight you; that's why you have his head tied to the post. when he finally opens his mouth to complain, push the dowel in and immediately release the pressure on his ear. follow that with the "hold it" command while you stroke his chin, and follow that with 