Why the right dosage is crucial when playing with the ball
by Susanne Reinke
Playing together with your dog is always something special. It creates good memories, is good for both of you and keeps your dog busy. A game that most people immediately think of: throwing balls. In today's article I would like to show you what you need to consider and why balls can quickly become a “drug” for your dog.
Why throwing balls can become a problem
At first glance, throwing balls seems to be the perfect activity: your dog can run and really work out. Because he can rage and put all his energy into running and catching the ball, he should actually be responsive, concentrated and relaxed for subsequent training.
Surprisingly, the opposite is true: If you have a ball junkie-prone dog, their focus is solely on when you're going to throw the ball. Dr. Dolittle fans might be thinking of Eddie Murphy, who can barely talk to the dog in front of him because he's just waiting for a ball to be thrown. “Come on, throw it! Throw the ball! I want to catch it so much, please throw the ball quickly now!” he thinks excitedly and becomes very jittery. In fact, such a scene can quickly become a reality. This excitement stresses him out and he doesn't get the relaxation he was hoping for through exercise. But that's not all: once your dog gets a taste for it, throwing balls not only makes him restless and hectic, but downright addictive!
Running after a ball and catching it is a great feeling. It's like hunting game and he really enjoys it – just like with exercises after which he is rewarded, he wants to repeat the behavior here too. His body releases a whole lot of dopamine when he chases and catches a ball. Dopamine is a happiness hormone – actually something positive – and the fact that your dog always wants to get more balls just shows that he is enjoying it. Or?
That's true, but unfortunately your dog loses everything else besides this feeling: he becomes addicted to the stimulating hormones and is no longer interested in other stimuli or his surroundings. His entire focus is on the “Drug Ball”. When he plays, he no longer thinks about whether what he is doing could be dangerous. Then it can happen that he stumbles, falls or collides with trees or something similar because he only has eyes for the ball and rushes through the world as if blind.
If your dog has become a ball junkie, he is no longer interested in spending a good time with you – suddenly you are just the “ball dealer”. If you stop the game or don't even start it when your dog is expecting it, it can quickly happen that he jumps around you barking in frustration until you finally get the ball out.
Never balls again?
The good news: No, you don't have to keep your dog away from all balls in the future. It is and remains a great reward – but after training and in the right dosage, so no long-lasting alternation between throwing, chasing, catching and retrieving. And ball throwers don't have to turn your dog into a ball junkie, but can be a helpful tool in training. Used correctly, they can be used as markers or even used in frustration training when the balls are flying but you want your dog to focus on something else.
Play together instead of being “ball dealers”.
There are also many exercises that you can use to replace the classic ball throwing – ideally ones that require your dog to really use his head! This keeps him busy, makes him happy and also ensures that he stays approachable and with you in his thoughts. So you are no longer just the “ball dealer”, but a friend with whom your dog enjoys having fun.
Exercises that are particularly suitable for this include the large and small search from dummy training, which involves your dog finding something that you have previously hidden for him. But don't worry, even if you haven't had anything to do with dummy training yet, you can still simply hide an object for your four-legged friend.
Important to note: In order for your dog to actually have to make an effort, he should really search with his nose and not find with his eyes. It's best to lay out the dummies, balls, food bags or whatever you want to use where your dog won't discover them immediately.
For example, you can hide these things in tall grass or place them face down on a pile of wood and give your dog the task of getting them down. So he has fun, but at the same time he has to concentrate and think.
If you're looking for exercises with more movement but without the typical hunting kick, you can try the following:
Put your dog down and put something exciting in front of him. Then move away about 10 meters and call him over. If he has done this well, you can finally let him run to the laid out object. This means he can run, search and find without rushing and running around uncontrollably.
Conclusion
If throwing balls takes place without fixed rules and in a continuous loop, your dog can quickly become a ball junkie and you can unknowingly and unintentionally become a “ball dealer”. However, balls or ball throwers don't have to disappear from your life. If you use them consciously and with focus, they support training and become helpful tools.
As an alternative to throwing balls, you can use exercises that require your dog to think more instead of just reacting. Not only do you have fun, but you also get some energy out of it. You can get really creative here and incorporate a lot of movement into the exercises, as long as running and romping don't turn into rushing and chasing. Our free starter kit is ideal for this, helping you and your dog get started and creating a basis for future training.
Here you will find the relevant podcast episodes on the topic: Throwing balls is not an exercise.
Tip: Further contributions from Susanne Reinke