Ball Obsessed

[Leema]

Clover is driving me mad.

I've decided that I am going to try to preserve tennis balls in this house, as they end up shredded and in pieces very quickly. We do go out and play ball in the park most days, especially if I'm going to be out most of the day.

Clover wants the tennis ball. If I put it anywhere out of her reach, she whines and paces, and often does tricks in front of wherever the ball is - and sometimes comes to me and does tricks in front of me to try to get me to go get it for her.

If I put it somewhere she doesn't see me put it, she finds it. She air scents and finds it eventually.

She will play with other toys when I suggest it, but eventually goes back to where her tennis ball is.

She will eat (of course!) but will eventually go back to where her tennis ball is.

We don't reward her with the tennis ball for this whining and annoyance. She does eventually stop, but will go back to it and continue at a later date. She also DOESN'T FORGET. The other night I threw it in the bathroom and locked her out. I had forgotten all about it, and went in there and she rushed in there to grab her ball.

She is absolutely obsessed and I am hoping her whining extinguishes as she learns that she can have toys not accessible to her sometimes... I really hope so otherwise I'm going to go insane.

[Vickie]

I feel your pain.

Trim could easily have been like this if I let her. She also finds balls anywhere & everywhere & HAS to have them, so that she can shove them at me & stare intensely at me. Luckily she generally respects my "that'll do". I put them up, somewhere that she can see them but not reach them. Shine is almost as obsessive, but not so pushy about it. If anyone has a tennis ball, she will take it from them, try to initiate a game with me, but if I ignore her, she will just sit with it.

I had to do zero tolerance with Trim. I put it up where she can see it, tell her "that'll do" & any whining earns her a trip outside. This seemed to work. she still manages to put it over most visitors who come to our house.

I remember going to someone's house once & she was whining at a cupboard. I told them there was a ball there. They said no, they didn't think they had any tennis balls. I said, I'm telling you there is a ball there. Sure enough we moved the cupboard & there it was.

Another time, we were walking past this manky lagoon & there was a tennis ball about 2 metres in. She saw it, looked at me in hope & then looked dejected when I said no. We kept walking & about 5 mins later I noticed she wasn't with me. Disgustingly filthy & stinking rotten, she appeared a minute later...with the ball of course .

[Scarlet]

I also have a "throw" obsessed dog but I do not give her tennis balls as previous dogs have had their teeth worn badly with tennis balls.

If she finds a tennis ball at a park she will chew it until it is in pieces but other toys she keeps for ages.

[Reddii]

LOL.....I feel your pain.

I have two ball obsessed Border Collies.

Mr CK fortunately just switches off when told to and there is no further discussion.

Xena on the other hand is a total PITA if any toy, but more particularly a ball is anywhere or might be anywhere she can get at it.

When she was a young pup she would literally stand and stare at a tennis ball for 15 minutes as if she were willing it to move. Sadly she has since worked out that if you throw a ball at most people (yes, throw) they will throw it for you.

I've had to implement a rule in our house that the only time a tennis ball can come out to play is at flyball - it's the only way we can remain sane.

I'm just lucky that both dogs understand once the toys are put away that is it, time to switch off - took a while to get that message through the little girl's brain though.

[Guest Clover]

Tinny is obsessed as well. I can put them up out of reach and the darn dog will climb book shelves to get to the ball . I just ignore her now, and tell others to ignore her and eventually she will go off with her ball and play by herself.

Reddi i have tried the same rule, but i swear balls keep on apearing from out of no where away from Flyball/ the park. I just chuck them over the fence now when i have had enough, my aunty was over one day and found my stash of about 20 balls and chucked them back over the fence not knowing i didn't want the dogs to have them... Tinny was in heaven (raining balls ).

Trims behaviour sounds very familar Vickie, i feel your pain .

Goodluck Leema, try to stay sane.

Edited October 30, 2008 by Clover

[Perry's Mum]

Perry is ball obsessed as well - if I don't throw the ball for her she will go to the high end of the garden, drop it and then chase it. At the moment she has bad arthritis and is banned from balls except chewy ones inside the house - I have never seen such a dejected dog. If she is not allowed to go back to balls this week I am not sure how either of us will cope.