we have just bought a three and a half year old yellow lab. He is a rescue dog and has already swallowed two tennis balls the first they managed to get back by getting the vet to make him vomit the second had to have an operation.since then he has always been on a lead with a muzzle. The first thing we did was take the muzzle off but kept him on a retractable lead. on the whole he is very well behaved. We have now allowed him to go off lead but would like him to have fun chasing and retrieving balls etc we keep our eye on him to make sure he dosent pick up lost balls. so far ive spotted them before him. so the question i would like to ask can anyone suggest a way we can throw balls for him to retrieve but not eat and swallow them. Thanks for any suggestions they would be most gratefully accepted.
Hi there! At this point in time I would simply avoid tennis balls. It sounds like they are just too arousing for him, and "eating" them is just a symptom of this. Instead on walks I would focus on the behaviours you need with a young and new rescue dog, such as staying close, engaged and focused on you. There are lots of games you can play to help you with this.
If you want to play retrieving games, how about using toys other than balls, such as a rope toy, rubber ring etc.
Does he only need a muzzle to stop him getting hold of balls? I wonder if a dummy would be better for retrieving. I agree with Kate, having a rescue dog myself engagement and focus has been a massive challenge for us so working on this will pay dividends. Do you have any history, what's his name, when did you get him?
I was also going to suggest a dummy, look on the internet for them. You can also buy flat canvas discs you can throw or hide, or buy a dummy from a pet shop which is made of tennis ball material. You don't want to risk suffocation with a tennis ball.
thank you for all your ideas i am working on all the normal things with him he has got a bronze silver and gold award in behaviour training not that i know anything about them or who issued them. i am continuing to walk him and he just seems a bit sad at not running around around almost like he wasnt allowed to do that as a puppy he was born in april 2014 he has started to trust us now when my wife and i take him out we can seperate and call him back and forth which he loves and seems so happy running at full pelt over short distances he really is a pleasure to take out but we want it to be his time not ours. once again thanks for the advice.we have had him only two weeks perhaps i am trying too hard at this short period of time i have given up the idea of a ball till next spring.
Hi there and welcome, I would agree with the others who have suggested using a dummy for retrieving, instead of a tennis ball. Labs often love carrying things around in their mouths, so giving him something large enough that he cannot swallow it might be a way forward. Good luck with him!! What's his name?
I am thinking that what you are describing is him chewing the balls up and then swallowing the pieces? If he is chewing them up first you might want to try something different that cannot be chewed up so easily or that does not break down into pieces that cannot pass through. Not sure what that is myself? Murphy's tennis balls last him quite a long time, usually about three months. He insists on having at least two balls tossed every time. Eventually he will puncture them after they are getting pretty worn and the covers are getting a bit shabby. At that point, out they go! In our backyard there are usually between 6 and 10 balls rolling around out there. One other thing, you might try different types of tennis balls. Murphy does not like standard ones, he much prefers the "youth" type, which are lighter and softer. Now, if anyone can tell me how to get rid of the tennis elbow from using the "chucker" I would be delighted! Seriously. We play about 5 to 6 times a day and there is no avoiding it.
How 'bout a bigger ball? But if he's eating ball first then swallowing hard plastic is better, like a frisbee. Canvas dummy won't last long if he chews thru a tennis ball.
A Kong Safestix is a robust item. We got one for our old Lab Scooby to carry around, instead of stones. He loved to play fetch with it too.
I also agree with trying something else. We never allowed tennis balls. Dummy, frisbee, we even use a fake stick we call twiggy. Does he chew them up and eat the peices? We also have a huge indestructible egg that he can’t get in his mouth that constantly changes directions and he tries to mouth it. He chases it all around the yard and loves it.
Cooper and Tilly normally don't chew up Tennis Balls, but if they do they don't eat them. We are lucky that they don't swallow most of what they chew up. We would have huge vet bills.
hello everyone and thanks for all your advice and help we have had ben /(sven) now for a month have gained his trust and got over the ball swallowing he loves playing with the frisby and most of the other kong toys he has. the only thing that has come to light is that he really does not enjoy or like being groomed or brushed particularly his back end we go slowly and talk to him and if offered a trat he will allow the odd brush for a couple of strokes before getting anxuous and walking away any suggestions or just carry on and take it easy for now.
I would just avoid brushing or grooming his rear end! Does he mind being stroked along his back and down his legs? There are hand mitts you can buy that will gently remove excess hair, if it is just the brush he is nervous of.
Or you could stroke his coat with a wet Marigold glove, until he accepts a brush. Not so good for undercoat but gets dirt and dead hair off quite well.
thanks i have bought a glove and he is reasonably ok with it and will accept the brush used very gently i think the previous owner used a steel curry type combe on him perhaps a bit hard which has put him off he is getting better but it seems sad he doesnt enjoy being brushed
This is what I had to do with my boy , he was never ever a nervous dog but hated being brushed . I just got him used to the hand over all of his body and then used a very soft brush to start with . Glad that he is slowly accepting it even if he doesn't like it x
