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My dog Ace was a retrieving fool as well as had no off switch.

Once when my sibling stood in the lawn holding a ball, my dog did not notice a BEAR run across the lawn or the truth that my parents’ dog was chasing the bear.

Oblivious.

When I very first embraced Ace, I believed perhaps I might break his tennis sphere obsession – HA!

Instead, I discovered methods to handle his habits around a ball, as well as the complying with are my top administration tips.

I understand we have a few other ball-obsessed dogs among us, so please share any type of extra tips if you have them.

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How to handle a tennis-ball consumed dog

1. Don’t get mad at your dog for having a tennis sphere obsession.

2. Don’t keep toys out all time for your dog consumed with a ball.

3. have a command to signal when play, or “work,” is done.

4. Play fetch in a structured way, with time limits.

5. Ask people not to throw spheres or sticks for your dog consumed with a ball.

6. develop solid obedience skills.

7. protect your dog from injuries.

8. limit fetch to 5 minutes or less for your sphere consumed dog.

9. Be additional cautious at the beach.

How to handle a tennis-ball consumed dog

1. Don’t get mad at your dog for having a tennis sphere obsession.

I utilized to get irritated with Ace when we visited the dog beach as well as he wouldn’t interact socially with the other dogs. Instead, he just ran around looking for a sphere in a near panic.

I discovered to accept this about my dog. He would always have that drive to retrieve, as well as I couldn’t modification that about him.

Instead, I looked at the positives:

My dog would not run away as long as I had a ball
My dog would do just about anything for a ball, so he was extremely simple to train
Lots of people desire their dogs would play fetch since it’s an simple method to exercise a dog

2. Don’t keep toys out all time for your dog consumed with a ball.

I’m amazed when people tell me, “My lab never stops bringing me his ball.”

Well, put the sphere away!

I kept Ace’s toys put away, as well as I set rules for indoor play. Fetch was mainly saved for outside, other than a few, unusual games started on my terms.

3. have a command to signal when play, or “work,” is done.

I utilized the command “That’s enough!” to tell my dog under no circumstance am I throwing that sphere again. I have to state it in a stern, almost mean, voice.

This command only worked since I was serious as well as my dog understood it. If he was additional wound up, such as when several “ball throwers” were present, sometimes I just had to take the sphere away.

4. Play fetch in a structured way, with time limits.

I tried to keep the hyped-up, mindless fetch throwing to a minimum. Instead, I made my dog take breaks, as well as I included structured rules or commands. For example, I would make Ace sit up until I released him to retrieve the ball. as well as sometimes I had him wait while I hid the ball, complied with by the command “Find it!”

You may want to try disc dog classes, flyball or other sports with your dog. Ace as well as I took a disc dog class for fun as well as he of program liked this. We likewise did great deals of fetch playing in the water whenever possible.

5. Ask people not to throw spheres or sticks for your dog consumed with a ball.

People like when a dog will fetch, as well as they couldn’t seem to assist themselves from throwing a sphere or a stick for Ace, even when he was near exhaustion.

If you have a dog like Ace, I’m sure you’ve heard things like “Wow! He likes to fetch!” Or, “Wow, exactly how did you get him to do this?! He’s trained so well!”

Um … he just does it. Not trained.

I discovered that sometimes I had to step in as well as ask people not to throw spheres or sticks for Ace, particularly at the dog park or dog beach. With buddies as well as family, I asked to limit it to one or two throws. If they didn’t listen the very first time, I asked again.

When necessary, I discovered to step in to protect my dog from exhaustion or injury, particularly when he got older.

6. develop solid obedience skills.

All ball-obsessed dogs requirement to discover a solid come, sit as well as stay at minimum. It’s a lifelong difficulty to keep working on these skills around serious distractions such as two people playing catch.

Ace just about loses his mind when he’s not enabled to run back as well as forth between two people throwing any type of kind of round object. Managing this will always be a work in progress, as well asthat’s OK.

The commands “drop” as well as “leave it” are likewise important, for obvious reasons.

7. protect your dog from injuries.

Some examples of fetch-related injuries might include:

injured knees or shoulders from unexpected stopping as well as starting motions over time
worn paw pads from retrieving on pavement, ice, gravel or difficult dirt
nails used down as well as bloody for the exact same reason
heat stroke

8. limit fetch to 5 minutes or less for your sphere consumed dog.

A great rule of thumb is to limit fetch playing to five minutes for most dogs under most circumstances. At the extremely least, just pause for a minute to make sure your dog is doing OK. Take a look at his paw pads. Take note of exactly how heavy he’s breathing.

If somebody else will be watching your dog for the day or for the weekend, make sure they are likewise conscious of the requirement to set limits.

Make sure to mention this to a pet sitter or dog daycare service provider as well. Some people just presume dogs will stop playing on their own, however that was definitely not the situation with a dog like Ace.

9. Be additional cautious at the beach.

I saw my dog swimming out into the ocean to retrieve a toy that was as well far gone, as well as I say thanks to God he handled to have the sense to turn around when he realized exactly how far out he was.

This was frightening for me as well as him, as well as it’s of program my fault for putting him in that setting to begin with.

Be safe!

What are a few of your tips for managing a dog with a sphere obsession?

Let me understand in the comments! tell us about your dog’s tennis sphere obsession!

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