# Does your Poo play ball?



## Jack Spaniel (Jul 6, 2012)

So how good is your poo with a tennis ball?

My lovely Jack the Spaniel was great fun at the park with a ball. I always used a ball slinger and Jack got 10/10 for chasing and retrieving his ball. However he only got 2/10 for returning it to me. We had a 2 ball strategy where Jack would fetch the first ball but would not return it until he saw the second ball in the slinger ready to throw. Then he would drop Ball 1 and chase Ball 2 but........
The game as Jack saw it was for him to get both balls, he would drop Ball 1, show great interest in Ball 2, but if you threw it he would try to grab Ball 1 and then race after Ball 2. Jack thought the game was won when he had both balls and he would lay down with both balls between his legs and bark at you to try get them back. If you went toward him he would pick up both balls and run off with them. The trick was to walk toward him slowly, get close and then make a sudden rush, he would panic, make a mess of picking up both balls in his mouth and the game was back on.

Oscar is a different story altogether. He will chase a ball, retrieve it but then seems to lose interest. He may bring it halfway back before dropping it and going off to sniff more interesting things. If you go and get the ball yourself he then decides the game is back on and will chase again but quickly forgets he is playing ball.

Do poos like ball games? Does your poo chase and retrieve or does he/she have their own version like Jack?


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Betty is tennis ball bonkers!! She is generally very good at bringing the ball back until she gets more tired when she will lie down with the ball and play with it on the floor so I usually throw the ball ahead of me then so she can lie by the edge of the path til I get there and throw it again.


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## SPCnut (Apr 25, 2012)

Daisy plays ball All day long. We play in and out doors non stop!!! Her life revolves around her ball.


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## dmgalley (Aug 19, 2012)

Jake will run for the ball, get the ball and then drop the ball and run back to us! 

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


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## ElaineR (Apr 5, 2013)

Bobby loves his ball... His favourite thing is when we play on a hill... I throw the ball down, he retrieves it and runs back up, but past me to the top of a slightly higher hill, he has a little chew then let's it roll down for me to catch and then throw again... And again... And again lol!!! He has a toy box and if you send him for a toy he will choose a ball every time!!! Also when I come home he runs to collect his ball as a 'gift' ... Dancing around as if 'yeah!!!! You came home!!!!' When he was a puppy I used little treats for him to bring the ball back.. Didn't take him long to work out that it was worth it to bring it back lol!!!


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

SPCnut said:


> Daisy plays ball All day long. We play in and out doors non stop!!! Her life revolves around her ball.


Daisy sounds like Betty!! I have to take her ball off her in the evenings and put it away as if its out she will never stop!!!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

I've had to work to get Dudley interested, he does enjoy the chase after the ball but will only bring it back to me when he knows I have a treat for him, otherwise he wonders off with the ball and drops it elsewhere whilst sniffing around, I'm always having to walk over to get it, he obviously doesn't think chasing after the ball is reward enough to bring it to me. The only time he seems to really love having the ball is if another dog is interested in it (especially if he has pinched their ball!) he will run up to them - almost putting it in their mouth, before running away again, in fact he and a lab managed to both hold onto the ball for quite a while last week - it did look funny.


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## Anita (Jan 5, 2012)

Frisbee is more of a football kind of dog. We have to use 3 at a time though to have any hope of getting one back. The first one he carries in his mouth and never lets go of, the second one he dribbles with his front paws and tries to sit on when the third one comes along.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Max loves a ball to chase, but when he gets it in his mouth he then runs round doing the whimpering thing and looking for somewhere to hide it. He also loves being the piggy in the middle. I think that's his favourite. We can play that anywhere, indoors or out!


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## NikkiB (Jan 16, 2013)

ElaineR said:


> Bobby loves his ball... His favourite thing is when we play on a hill... I throw the ball down, he retrieves it and runs back up, but past me to the top of a slightly higher hill, he has a little chew then let's it roll down for me to catch and then throw again... And again... And again lol!!! He has a toy box and if you send him for a toy he will choose a ball every time!!! Also when I come home he runs to collect his ball as a 'gift' ... Dancing around as if 'yeah!!!! You came home!!!!' When he was a puppy I used little treats for him to bring the ball back.. Didn't take him long to work out that it was worth it to bring it back lol!!!


Samson runs to get me a 'gift' when i come home too. I love it. He's so desperate for a cuddle but he runs looking desperately for the first thing he can find and brings it to me and then has cuddles with it in his mouth!  
He also loves playing ball. Have just managed to get him to learn to drop the ball when he brings it back but then as soon as i go to pick it up he grabs it quick!!!


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## Skyesdog (Jun 7, 2012)

Lola loves her balls too, any type but especially squeaky kong tennis balls. She loves to chase them and bring them back but then she gets so excited that she yodels with them in her mouth or just forgets to drop. If I carry on then she will drop the ball in front of me once she has remembered the game! She is also a big fan of greeting people with gifts and some more yodelling!!


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

Like Daisy and Betty, Obi is totally obsessed with balls, both tennis type and footballs. I have to hide the tennis balls or he wont rest although he usually manages to sniff them out and then sits and cries by the hiding place...sometimes its a pain in the bum! 

I use two tennis balls as he too didn't want to drop the ball. I make him come right up to me before i say "drop " as he knows I wont throw ball 2 until he's really close to me. When he does drop ball 1 I put my foot on it (I have to be quick or he will snatch it back) and then I throw ball 2 etc.... It took quite a long time to get to this stage and sometimes on the way back he also drops the ball if he has picked up a scent. If he runs back to me without the ball I tell him "go find it" and he will go back and get it. you have to be really firm and not go after the ball yourself or throw the other ball (reward) until they've done exactly what you want them to do. A little tip my trainer gave me to ensure the dog returns to you is to throw ball number 2 behind you instead of forward. this makes then have to run to you and then go past you. So pick a good spot and go back and forth over and over. Once you've got the return working you can go back to regular walking and throw in the occasional reverse throw to keep them on their toes!


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## mairi1 (Mar 12, 2012)

Molly is another ball lover.... As soon as her lead is taken off on a walk she leaps around waiting for her ball to be thrown... She will gladly drop it at your feet every time but will expect something for it most of the time!! I sometimes take 2 balls out but not enough pocket space half the time 

She sometimes likes to just lie with it in between her paws having a nibble on it when she's tired 

Indoors she likes to have the small kong ball in her mouth as she dribbles another one with her feet which she more often than not swipes under the sofa and muggins here ends up on the floor trying to retrieve it...this of course she loves...she has to get down as well of course licking our faces while we're at it ...

She also likes to come to you, ball in mouth, nudging you to get the ball from her...then when you make an attempt to retrieve it..she turns away...LOVING EVERY MINUTE 

Just as an aside, I got the 'Calming Signals' book by Turid Rugass (? Spelling) and it was talking about how its good manners for dogs to walk towards each other in a curved fashion and not straight on and I often notice this when Molly brings the ball back she'll do exactly this...I initially thought "where's she off to"?!!  

xxx


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

mairi1 said:


> Molly is another ball lover.... As soon as her lead is taken off on a walk she leaps around waiting for her ball to be thrown... She will gladly drop it at your feet every time but will expect something for it most of the time!! I sometimes take 2 balls out but not enough pocket space half the time
> 
> She sometimes likes to just lie with it in between her paws having a nibble on it when she's tired
> 
> ...


Hi Mairi, I had to laugh at the ball under he sofa because Obi does that too. It drives me nuts  and he does the nudge but its usually with a toy because I've taken the balls off him and hidden them! Why do they like to sling them under the sofa??? 

Glad you got the book, it's really insightful isn't it.


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## mairi1 (Mar 12, 2012)

Jedicrazy said:


> Hi Mairi, I had to laugh at the ball under he sofa because Obi does that too. It drives me nuts  and he does the nudge but its usually with a toy because I've taken the balls off him and hidden them! Why do they like to sling them under the sofa???
> 
> Glad you got the book, it's really insightful isn't it.


Molly definitely fires them under the sofa on purpose...my poor 6ft dad is often on the floor of an evening with a golf club trying to retrieve the 'wee balls' as we call them...they curse me for giving her these small kong balls!!!   
Molly of course loves every minute of it!!!

Yes the book really is great and its amazing what you notice that you would otherwise never pick up on. Very insightful indeed. 

Thank you for recommendation 
xxx


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## sugerlump (Oct 6, 2012)

well from what I read .all poo's are the same .they love to play ball .BUT they eather get side tracked or do not bring it back and just lay and chew on it or ,think of some thing else to do on the way back. ginger will chase the ball get it and then just stand there and wait for me to try to take it from her.she loves to play pull a toy though she will keep pulling and having fun till I give up.she does have her favorite toy which is a hotdog dog with a life preserver on .she loves that and will give it to people to hold for her for a shot time then she wants it back haa Haa she is really a fun puppy to be with


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## Fiver (Nov 26, 2011)

Milo is more of a footballer...loves a game of football and he's quite a nifty dribbler, a high ball he leaps quite high and brings it down with his paws.
Tennis balls he will chase but can't be bothered to bring back. Should he find a ball in the park and it's like he's found treasure....he's bought home some really grotty half eaten balls. Strange dog!

Val


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Jedicrazy said:


> Hi Mairi, I had to laugh at the ball under he sofa because Obi does that too. It drives me nuts  and he does the nudge but its usually with a toy because I've taken the balls off him and hidden them! Why do they like to sling them under the sofa???
> 
> Glad you got the book, it's really insightful isn't it.


Ha ha I'm laughing as this is my life too. My friend Kate and I spent half of yesterday evening lying on the floor with an arm under the sofa retrieving Betty's ball. What amuses me is how I canbe sat on the sofa and suddenly feel the ball hit my feet as she's nudged it with her nose from behind the sofa!!

It's lucky we love our spoilt dogs isn't it!!!!


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## calli.h (Aug 29, 2011)

Can your dogs catch ?? Arthur will fetch and loves playing ball, but get distracted outdoors when he favours sticks, but he can't catch......... Until recently. 

We have always had a little laugh at his expense as he sits and watches the ball right up to when it hits him on the nose when he look really surprised!!! However, we were showing a friend Arthur's inability to catch (mean i know) when out of the blue just to prove us wrong he caught it! We thought it was a 1 off lucky strike but no, he has got the knack and catches most of the time now! 

What do your do???


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## glitzydebs (Jun 10, 2011)

Jack Spaniel said:


> So how good is your poo with a tennis ball?
> 
> My lovely Jack the Spaniel was great fun at the park with a ball. I always used a ball slinger and Jack got 10/10 for chasing and retrieving his ball. However he only got 2/10 for returning it to me. We had a 2 ball strategy where Jack would fetch the first ball but would not return it until he saw the second ball in the slinger ready to throw. Then he would drop Ball 1 and chase Ball 2 but........
> The game as Jack saw it was for him to get both balls, he would drop Ball 1, show great interest in Ball 2, but if you threw it he would try to grab Ball 1 and then race after Ball 2. Jack thought the game was won when he had both balls and he would lay down with both balls between his legs and bark at you to try get them back. If you went toward him he would pick up both balls and run off with them. The trick was to walk toward him slowly, get close and then make a sudden rush, he would panic, make a mess of picking up both balls in his mouth and the game was back on.
> ...


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

calli.h said:


> Can your dogs catch ?? Arthur will fetch and loves playing ball, but get distracted outdoors when he favours sticks, but he can't catch......... Until recently.
> 
> We have always had a little laugh at his expense as he sits and watches the ball right up to when it hits him on the nose when he look really surprised!!! However, we were showing a friend Arthur's inability to catch (mean i know) when out of the blue just to prove us wrong he caught it! We thought it was a 1 off lucky strike but no, he has got the knack and catches most of the time now!
> 
> What do your do???


This made me laugh as Dudley is usually like this, its like he thinks what's the point, i'll just pick it up off the floor. We went on a flyball taster course and the first week the full hour was spent encouraging him to catch, the trainer said throw treats for him - moving your hand up and down until you see his head following the movement then throw, then when he has caught it to do the same with the ball but to try to get him really excited over it first - well Dudley had never caught anything but eventually that night he was catching treats and caught the ball twice - but to be honest has hardly done since, I expect if I spent ages again he would - the funniest bit is he usually tries to catch using his paws as well, I love watching him using his paws for things. Oh and if he is laying down and I roll a ball to him he will often nudge it back with his nose, that's cute.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Kiki is not allowed to play ball - balls are Inzi's!
That said she has all of a sudden got really cheeky and occasionally knicks the ball when Inzi drops it at my feet, she then hares off with great 'poo leaps and her tail curled over her back. You can almost hear her laughing.
Inzi shouts and complains until I get the ball off Kiki!

Actually I'm hoping this is a good sign as I've been having real problems teaching Kiki to retrieve her dumbell -she is like 'no, collies fetch things...'


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

DB1 said:


> This made me laugh as Dudley is usually like this, its like he thinks what's the point, i'll just pick it up off the floor. We went on a flyball taster course and the first week the full hour was spent encouraging him to catch, the trainer said throw treats for him - moving your hand up and down until you see his head following the movement then throw, then when he has caught it to do the same with the ball but to try to get him really excited over it first - well Dudley had never caught anything but eventually that night he was catching treats and caught the ball twice - but to be honest has hardly done since, I expect if I spent ages again he would - the funniest bit is he usually tries to catch using his paws as well, I love watching him using his paws for things. Oh and if he is laying down and I roll a ball to him he will often nudge it back with his nose, that's cute.


Betty does the nose nudge on the tennis ball. I'll sometimes sit on the stairs and throw the ball up to her on the top stair and she'll then nudge it back down to me!!


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Millie loves her ball, especially if we're walking on the beach. We have to use one of the Chuckit balls (rubber, good bounce), if we use a tennis ball she will just sit and chew all the fluff off 

With the Chuckit ball, she loves to chase it and then keep a hold of it. Its her prize possession and won't give it up until she is ready and wants to chase it again. The trouble is she becomes a little anti social with other dogs when she has her ball. She's not interested in the usual meet & greet and play, she's too worried they're after HER ball 

We also have to throw the ball in the direction she's running (she runs ahead and the ball has to overtake her). She is rubbish at tracking a ball.


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

MillieDog said:


> The trouble is she becomes a little anti social with other dogs when she has her ball. She's not interested in the usual meet & greet and play, she's too worried they're after HER ball


Betty is exactly the same which is why I try to not always take her ball put with me!! But it is difficult as she loves to chase her ball and if I have her ball I can distract her from anything else!!


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## Duckdog (Jul 23, 2012)

Just catching up on some threads...

Yes Binky too is ball crazy! I have a launcher thing I got from PAH for £1.99 and it is the best cash spent ever. We do have a back up ball with us on walks as we will inevitably lose one 

She runs full speed to get the ball, then brings it back to me and will drop it and then when I go to pick it up with the launcher she dives for it and runs off. The only way I can get it is to say 'drop' give her a treat and tell her to 'wait' while I get it. 

I agree she can get a bit focused on it in the park, but if there are other dogs there I sometimes put it away so she can play with them instead. She is a total ball thief though, and will steal other dogs at any given opportunity and has developed an incredibly fast run with agile manoeuvring so can't be caught..which can be embarrassing for me and has got her told off in the past by the dog in question. 

I went to the doctors a few weeks ago as I was having bad pains in my neck and shoulder and he asked if I had injured myself and it took a while to work out it was over use of the launcher!!


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## Scarlett (Dec 15, 2011)

Scarlett sort of comes and goes with her ball chasing. We do play a fair amount of fetch in the house and she usually will return the ball or toy to me. Once in a while she will just lie down with it and chew instead. Outside, she is less reliable. When we do play fetch outside it is usually not at home (our yard is fairly small and not completely fenced in) so there are a lot of distractions that take her attention away from the ball.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I think it all depends on the dog. Lola LOVES chasing the ball and catching it, I'm lucky if she brings it back! She usually drops it and expects me to pick it up. We have started training a bit harder, I shouldn't have to pick up her ball! She does seem to be getting better!


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

Echo has always loved her ball, but recently Delta has been pinching it and running off with it, so I started bringing 2 balls but then inca started pinching the 2nd one so I now bring 3 out with me, bit I can let inca carry hers as the rips it apart. 



http://youtu.be/JbQv5reVlNY


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Kiki has got fetch! 
Having had any interest in a ball beaten out of her by Inzi she has all of a sudden decided that balls are more fun than rabbit poo eating.
She bounces at me yipping until I throw the spare ball for her. She does have the habit of chucking it around - pouncing on it and chasing it with her nose or batting it with her paws, but eventually she brings it back with a very happy tail


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Mine both love balls, Wilf can sniff them out in the house even behind doors and knows when you've bought new ones  That said Wilf does the spaniel thing , I've got the ball and I'm not giving it you back, however he knows which one he wants so I have to pretend to throw the one he wants, he' ll chase it but may or not bring it back, once he gets the one he wants you've had it, he may drop it for a really tasty treat but you've got to be quick. 
Mable will run and retrieve a ball until she's ready to collapse, it's her favourite, she does a full sweeping run round to bring it back, she's quicker and more accurate than Wilf so more often than not she gets to Wilfs ball well before he does, got to keep that idle boy on his toes x


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