I am keeping my fingers crossed about this post and hope I don't tempt fate by sharing : I know there are lot of owners that don't like the ball chucker but having tried so many other things I thought it was worth trying. I have for some weeks now being using the ball chucker to launch tennis balls over a very high Yew hedge in our garden. I stand at the back door Charlie is watching closely, I launch the ball he takes off like a rocket. The grass is a little long at the moment so he has to hunt out the balls and he comes back with the ball and a mouth full of grass too :, if he can't find the ball he comes back to me, I command him "get the ball" off he goes 2 or 3 times until he eventually finds it and gets his food reward. I do no more than 5/6 launches now and he gets really excited about it. I am going to keep going with this for a while yet before taking it to the next area. I assume this is progress with his retrieving? I hope so as I am ready to sell my soul or indeed one of my children for a retrieving Charlie ;D xx Thanks xx
Re: Ball Chucker Success Yes, you are definitely getting him keen to retrieve. When you first do it outside the garden, don't do it where there is pheasant scent
Re: Ball Chucker Success I've only just got back on line. We've had no Internet since Thursday night fault on phone line and this is the first thread I've read and its brilliant news. ;D Yes I'd say you are building Charlie's retrieving desire and he's doing really well by the sounds of it. The excitement is the important thing. ;D You say your chucking the ball over a hedge in your garden. Am I right in thinking then that Charlie is running into the 'exciting garden' and coming back with a retrieve without getting distracted or doing laps of honour ?!?! ;D. WOW Helen !!!! ;D
Re: Ball Chucker Success Brilliant news! Sounds like Charlie is enjoying channeling all that energy into that retrieve!
Re: Ball Chucker Success [quote author=Jen link=topic=8606.msg121502#msg121502 date=1415112671] You say your chucking the ball over a hedge in your garden. Am I right in thinking then that Charlie is running into the 'exciting garden' and coming back with a retrieve without getting distracted or doing laps of honour ?!?! ;D. WOW Helen !!!! ;D [/quote] Yes, yes, yes ;D I don't go into the garden and for some strange reason this works for him, running out finding the ball in longish grass and bringing it back to hand, hey whatever floats his boat!! Transfering this will be the difficult though so not sure how I will tackle that. Stacia, I will try not to throw it where there's Pheasant scent but extremely difficult at this time of the year, the blighters are in my garden some days, I hadn't realised the other day let Charlie out and he flushed quite a few but he did come straight back inside so a tiny result x
Re: Ball Chucker Success I am a secret ball chucker user ( don't tell any of my gundog training friends ) and all four of mine love it but only three of them will happily play it anywhere not just in the garden. Murffi adores the game but only in the garden or the part of my training field where there is not much going on in the form scent or cover. I have been playing the game for years now and he is by far the fastest to retrieve a tennis ball but sadly it has not turned him into a retrieverholic. I just enjoy it for what it is, a game I can play with him, that he loves and a quick way to burn off some energy.
Re: Ball Chucker Success Now you've let the cat out of the bag Heidrun. I agree though it's a great game all the dogs in my family love it and it's a quick way to use up energy and give them plenty of exercise especially when I've got 5 to exercise at lunch times ! :
Re: Ball Chucker Success [quote author=heidrun link=topic=8606.msg121525#msg121525 date=1415116542] I am a secret ball chucker user [/quote]
Re: Ball Chucker Success What's wrong with using a ball chucker! I thought it was a way to lob a tennis ball further than you can throw it! I don't use it often but this is how I taught my young Lab to stop on the whistle. I tried an experiment today. I lobbed the ball with a 'ready, teady, go' and let them both run in for it, did this three or four times. Then I lobbed it without that command and sent them one at a time on their names and they were both steady
Re: Ball Chucker Success [quote author=heidrun link=topic=8606.msg121525#msg121525 date=1415116542] I am a secret ball chucker user ( don't tell any of my gundog training friends ) and all four of mine love it but only three of them will happily play it anywhere not just in the garden. Murffi adores the game but only in the garden or the part of my training field where there is not much going on in the form scent or cover. I have been playing the game for years now and he is by far the fastest to retrieve a tennis ball but sadly it has not turned him into a retrieverholic. I just enjoy it for what it is, a game I can play with him, that he loves and a quick way to burn off some energy. [/quote] Ooh I'm in good company Your right Charlie burns off a lot of energy playing this game which he enjoys, infact he enjoys it so much whilst focusing on me and the chucker he ran into the brick shed wall I know it won't turn him into a retrieverholic, it's just wishful thinking. xx
Re: Ball Chucker Success [quote author=Stacia link=topic=8606.msg121564#msg121564 date=1415127936] What's wrong with using a ball chucker! [/quote] I don't think there is anything wrong with them, really. I suppose they are used badly - you see panting, mad, unsteady, ball obsessed pet dogs, no interest in anything else, running themselves into the ground chuck after chuck after chuck. You don't have to use them like that at all, of course. By the way, I have a panting, mad, unsteady, ball obsessed pet dog - and don't own a ball chucker! ;D ;D ;D
Re: Ball Chucker Success [quote author=JulieT link=topic=8606.msg121587#msg121587 date=1415133526] [quote author=Stacia link=topic=8606.msg121564#msg121564 date=1415127936] What's wrong with using a ball chucker! [/quote] I don't think there is anything wrong with them, really. I suppose they are used badly - you see panting, mad, unsteady, ball obsessed pet dogs, no interest in anything else, running themselves into the ground chuck after chuck after chuck. You don't have to use them like that at all, of course. [/quote] I have a friend who has two Springers and this is exactly what happens, his dogs aren't interested in anything else at all and when he doesn't have time to walk them he sits in his garden doing chuck after chuck, not good at all and they are from good working parents too
Re: Ball Chucker Success I use one if I go to the beach, mainly because I am rubbish at throwing : Both dogs know that this is a beach only game, so its a treat that we play for about ten mins, then it stops and we do other things, like getting wet
Re: Ball Chucker Success Is this odd? I have noticed that every time I open the back door Charlie looks at me all excited, I think for the ball chucker/retrieve so should I oblige? This has also stopped him running round the garden. Don't know if this is good or not :-\ x
Re: Ball Chucker Success Don't let him train YOU Helen, you decide when you want to throw the ball, not whenever he wants you to!!! Also you want it to stay exciting, so don't overdo it.. But isn't it wonderful that he wants to retrieve now? I think it's great!
Re: Ball Chucker Success Thanks Karen, that's just what I thought, so only doing 5/6 throws per day for now x
Re: Ball Chucker Success Great you've got his interest and attention Helen...well done. Friends of mine use them...I had to desentisise Dexter to the actual chucker,he was dreadful for leaping for it ....he's ok with them now ;D
Re: Ball Chucker Success Keep the excitement. It's lovely Charlie is excited for a retrieve. Brill. ;D
