Playing ball gives dogs a brilliant outlet for energy while offering several training benefits at the same time. The game taps into natural chase and retrieve instincts and strengthens ‘recall’, ’emergency stop’, ‘drop’, leave and lure cues. Building good foundations through ball play is a vital starting block for off lead walking where you need your dog to be sound and predictable around wildlife, joggers, livestock and other unexpected distractions that might suddenly appear.
But beware!
Wet, slippery balls can get stuck in a dog’s throat and cause them to choke. People often suggest using balls that are too large to swallow, but some dogs find these awkward to carry which reduces their enjoyment of the game, drawing against the levels of motivation you want for training solid reliable behaviours. Dumbbell and baton shaped toys overcome this risk but don’t tend to travel so far.
Fast, repeated throwing is also tough on joints, especially in puppies and young dogs, and can create dogs who rely on adrenaline and find it hard to settle.
We recommend balls on ropes!
When threaded on to ropes the rope creates some degree of drag which means that they not travel as quite as fast through the air, so leading to a slightly lessened amount of exertion on the dog’s part, and should they get stuck in the dog’s mouth, the hole that the rope is threaded through offers some air way. The rope can also be pulled to release it if it has gone too far down in an emergency.
Soft balls and rubber spikey balls are great for teaching puppies, and squeaky balls can help inspire dogs that are harder to motivate. Some dogs prefer an over size ball if they can pick it up easily.
We recommend never to throw a ball for more than 5 times in succession without a good break to recover. Dog’s may appear to have endless energy, but just like us, they can sustain injuries if they push themselves too far, and we do not want that for our best buddies.
Here’s a hand picked selection that I would be happy to carry out in my dog bag for everyday play and training games.
