Obsessed with the ball!

[Karen Kramer]

Our 1.5 year old labradoodle is OBSESSED with fetching the ball and we do not know how to make her stop.  It seems her obsession is just in her--even as a puppy she went crazy for the ball--that's the lab part of her I guess.  We cannot even have people over outside without her being pestering people to throw the ball.  When she is inside, we take the ball away from her and she is fine.  But outside, she just won't give it up!  Outside though, she does have free rein and plenty of tennis balls laying around....do we just need to take them away from her to get her to call down?  She won't ever just go into that calm state when a ball is around.  Do we need to "Ceasar Millan" train her to be ok with being around the ball and not be excited?  I think if we take them away from her outside, she will go into panic search mode--it's actually quite funny to watch...but annoying with company over. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Kim]

My Doodle Nephew is obsessed with the ball too!!!  To the point where he will stare at a ball in the house in a standing position all day long waiting for someone to throw it!  He lives for that ball!

[BG and Gavin]

Tennis balls are pretty high value around here too.  Especially squeeky tennis balls.  So like any high value treat, the people control the balls.  They are kept out of reach and out of sight unless the people decide to take them out and play.  I would say for a while you need to play ball with him while he is on a long line (you can just let him drag it) so you can still control the ball and reel him in.  With this kind of focus, he should be great in training.  Good luck!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I absolutely agree....the people control the ball.  You decide when the game begins and ends.  I use it as a reward the same way I would use treats.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

My Gracie Doodle is a Goldendoodle and at four years old is still absolutely obsessed with her tennis balls.  When there is a ball around she ignores all the dogs she is supposed to be playing with and just keeps coming to you and banging you in the crotch to throw the ball again.  She is a two ball girl.  I use the chuck it and send it flying.  She lets it bounce and then jumps high up in the air to catch it.  Then she looks back at me and waits for the second ball.  She does the same thing and catches it with the first ball still in her mouth.  If I only have one ball then I have to signal with my arms up that there isn't a second ball.  She loves to squeak them but usually kills them in a day or so.  She will spend hours just "nushing" them.  She squishes them with her mouth over and over, rolls them in her water bowl and moves them around to rinse them off and also fills them up with water.  Then she brings them to you with her dripping snout and tennis ball and drenches you if you are sitting down...the ball gets plopped in your lap.  If I am weeding she drops it in the weed bucket.  If my DH is working on a car she drops it on the floor of the car, the seat, the bumper or where ever you are focusing on so you can't miss it.  She also will just stand there for hours and stare at the ball.  If you look at her she makes eye contact and then points her eyes to the ball as if she is telling you "here it is so throw it".  I take the balls away and she only gets them when we take them out.  Also, I had heard they can wear down their teeth because tennis balls have a sandpaper like cover to withstand the tennis courts...YES, that is really what the balls are used for!!!  ha ha   So I started buying the Kong tennis balls that squeak because they are advertised as being safe for the teeth.  They don't hold up as well as a tennis ball and are easier to squish.  But, any opportunity Gracie has to exchange her Kong ball for the Penn ball she will do it in a heart beat.  Here is the really bad down side of the tennis ball...even with the Kong ball that touts it does not wear down the teeth, Gracie's bottom canines are worn down and are flat across the top.  She favors the right side of her mouth so that canine is the worst.  I am now seeing a brown spot on the flat top which I fear may be the pulp or nerve starting to show.  NOW WHAT???  Do they do bonding or crowns on dogs?  Yipes...what is she going to look like in a few more years?  If I had known all of this I never ever would have introduced her to the tennis ball!

[Adina P]

Sounds a bit like my Boca!

 

I think your best solution is to pick up the tennis balls and only bring ONE out when it's time to play and you are controlling the game.  Also what kind of obedience does she have under her belt?  You can use that to control her while she wears a long line. For example, company comes over and you put her in a down stay or sit stay by your side for a bit.  As soon as she starts bugging people, call her to come to you and put her in another down stay or sit stay.  Perhaps if she knows that tennis balls aren't ALWAYS outside she will calm down about going outside.

[Jane Smith]

We got jipped in the retriever department.  Neither Lucy or Ethel will retrieve a ball, or frisbee or anything.  In the house they might fetch a stuffed animal if tossed, but as for balls they have no interest.  When we are at the park and other owners throw balls form their dogs, my girls will run with their dog down to the ball, but never touch it.  Then they run back.  They get tired out not even really playing fetch.