Re: Ball Chucker Success Ooh had a little more progress with this. Charlie couldn't find the ball after a chuck (grass is a little long :-[) so I went with him into the garden to find it. Ball recovered he looked straight at me so I launched it right to the end of the garden he retrieved and delivered to hand with no treats involved so I took the opportunity to do a couple more with complete success and no running around the garden like a whirl wind just total focus on me, it was so lovely to experience x
Re: Ball Chucker Success Woo hoo! Methinks I have to get me one of those too. I would love to have something that will give Simba more exercise!
Re: Ball Chucker Success It certainly does give them extra exercise Lisa, although in the wrong hands they are not good, dogs just totally obsessed and running flat out like lunatics, but for dogs like Charlie and Simba they are the perfect tool and cheap too x
Re: Ball Chucker Success Im a bit late catching up at the moment. :-\ Well done Charlie. I can't believe it Helen you've managed to get him retrieving in the 'exciting garden' with no racing around. ;D. Actually I can believe it I've always had faith. . Well done. ;D
Re: Ball Chucker Success I bought one of these from the bargain bin in pets at home today, great for me as I have a slipped disc and can't throw a ball at the moment, gives Harley a stretch in the garden before bed
Re: Ball Chucker Success Another thing on the list for spring and no snow...I'll be interested to see if Simba likes it. He's okay with going out for the ball when I throw it, but not all that excited about it. So, we'll see how it goes.
Re: Ball Chucker Success I too admit to being a closet ball chucker but because a thrown ball is the most exciting thing in the world for Flora (apart from hunting) I've been using it to teach her to contain herself....so nothing happens if she starts leaping up and down when she sees me go to pick it up until she sits down, then she has to sit and wait while I go out of the door with it first, she's then out of the door like an Exocet so I whistle her to stop before a I throw the ball but as soon as I throw she's after it. I can't get her to wait at a distance...embarrassing... :-[ We don't do many throws or she gets into lap of honour mode so we then turn to other things like hunting from side to side to find balls I dropped when she wasn't looking.
Re: Ball Chucker Success We have a chuck-it that we used for our Izzy...great way to burn off some energy when we got home, as she was home all day alone. she was in no way anything more than a beloved pet...and chasing balls was her favorite pastime. She was great at "find it" if it went off in a direction she wasn't expecting...and could discern between several toys if we weren't playing with the chuck it and tennis balls. Squeeking tennis balls in the chuck-it were even MORE fun! ;D ;D We haven't gotten Bella outside with the chuck-it (weather mostly)- but we routinely play with toys and balls in the house. We have no intention of doing official gun-dog training, but are using a whistle for recall, and will probably work on a stop whistle for her too - just for the fun of it. As long as she will bring back whatever toy we throw for her, we'll be happy. We do throw any variety of toys for her in the house...balls, kongs, squeak toys, plush toys, soft Frisbees, plastic lids, etc. : When the weather gets better we'll probably do more outside off lead walks/adventures with her and allow her to play more outside and in the streams and creeks and puddles. And of course, we'll involve the chuck-it in those activities. All that being said, I can certainly see them being mis-used by the casual pet owner...and overused.
Re: Ball Chucker Success i have one of these the original chucker which has good solid bright orange rubber balls that can not be chewed milly chews ahole in normal tennis balls as soon as she gets one i use it only for a short time on our local playing field she keeps her focus on me fine when we have the ball which is what i need at the moment as am having recall problems
Re: Ball Chucker Success A couple of accidental benefits I've found using a the ball chucker is it helps reinforce the meaning of a couple of whistle cues; she has to stop on the whistle to get a throw including stoping when she is running away from me at a distance and secondly I blow the recall signal when she is belting back at full tilt with the ball..theory being the sound of the recall whistle is associated with running towards me....on the whole, apart from when in red mist truly over threshold territory, her recall is very good ...being an ESS she looks hilarious ... ears are streaming behind her, tail is going, feet barely touching the ground...
