shortnsweet33

Racquetballs were probably fun to steal, I don’t blame Chaser!

We do hide and seek with her tennis balls actually, and other assorted toys or for treats too (treats under cups and selecting the right one or hiding inside a hidden treat toy with “decoy” empty treat toys). She’s learned “warmer” and “colder” as her cues. I’ve never considered trying to do it with one of the new balls that I want her to use for our fetch sessions but it could be worth a shot and would be a great way for her to interact with the object more.

Thanks!

Hi!! Thanks for doing this AMA and for all you and Chaser have contributed to the dog world!

Do you have any suggestions on transitioning a dog from tennis balls to other balls such as chuckit balls or any other option that’s better for their teeth and more durable? My dog (best guess GSD/pit) has crazy tennis ball drive, especially for one specific type of tennis ball that squeaks (the most obnoxious squeaking sound - she truly goes wild for these and will not let you sit still if it rolls under the couch or goes over a fence).

She’s pretty good about bringing it back because she wants you to throw it for her nonstop 😅 But, she often puts holes into in on accident when carrying/squeaking them and sometimes will try to de-fuzz a tennis ball if she takes a break. Thankfully she doesn’t eat any pieces. I mostly just put the tennis ball up when we’re done but sometimes you forget.

I’ve tried more durable options like chuckits or kong balls. No such luck with her picking them up even! Her toy preferences in general are a bit selective. Other than tennis balls, she likes carrying her plush toys/lambchops or doing puzzle toys and the occasional tug of war.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions on introducing a new type of ball and building engagement and excitement around it?