Ball Playing - Should You Restrict It?

[TigerJack]

From a flyball perspective, different reason not to throw a ball too often. You don't want to create a situation where the dog is more motivated by chasing the moving ball than they are by returning to you with a static ball for the tug or food motivation reward. Throw a ball too often and you get a dog who goes down fast to the box to get that wonderful tennis ball but returns more slowly as they have already gotten their reward, the ball.

Having said that, I didn't figure that out with jack till it was far too late so he still gets a ball thrown for him but only occasionally. My other flyball dog (kelpie) is not remotely interested in fetching the ball, she just wants to chase after the dog that is chasing the ball. Of my three bigger dogs, if I take them to the park and there is no ball then all 3 will stand there waiting for something to happen. If I throw a ball, Jack will go get it and the other two will run after him. Interestingly (to me) if Jack doesn't see where the ball went, the Kelpie will go to it and drop next to it to mark where it is and then bark at Jack to come get it. She won't get it herself.

These 3 dogs have done a fair bit of this chase the ball and chase Jack as well stuff. Jack is almost 8, all 3 are lean and muscled and virtually no fat on them and there is no sign of any joint issues at all. (The kelpie is the only pure bred, the other two are crosses.)

[4ArchieBoy]

While I'm no expert on limits, I have an 11 month old BC and he is absolutely ball mad too! When he was younger we were worried about the toll that bolting for ball after ball would have on his joints and started throwing the ball into the river at the local park. Took him a little while to warm to it but now he loves it. He still goes until the cows come home but he spends less time running and more time swimming, which of course is much better for his joints - and just as importantly, it rids him of his crazy energy as much as just the running.

Good luck with it!

[ness]

no fear of her not returning fast - her preferred method is as fast as possible back to me complete with forgetting to apply brakes until after you have crashed into human ball thrower. Pretty leathel combination when your a midget BC and forget to apply brakes.