Ball Games

To fetch or not to fetch? That is a great question!

Read some of the reasons why I don't play fetch that often 🎾

For many dogs and owners, playing fetch is their absolute favourite pastime. They spend endless hours throwing, chasing, and retrieving. While a little bit of fetch can be great fun, today I want to share with you exactly why it is a game I generally avoid to much of it with in Chester.

1. Intense Physical Strain

Dogs chase a ball at incredibly high speeds twisting, turning, sliding, and sometimes jumping awkwardly in mid-air to catch it. While dogs are naturally agile and robust, they usually launch into this high-intensity workout with absolutely no warm-up, putting them at serious risk of acute injury.

Repetitive, daily ball chasing with no opportunity for muscles to fully recover heavily contributes to long-term joint and muscle damage, including early-onset arthritis. Another major concern is that dogs who prioritise fetching a ball over any other reward become so flooded with adrenaline that they will blindly continue running even if they are actively injured, masking their own pain until they cool down at home.

2. Behavioral Obsession

Some dogs develop a severe fixation on playing with a ball, to the point where nothing else in the world seems to matter. These dogs can appear almost mesmerised, with their eyes permanently glued to the toy. They often exhibit highly anxious, obsessive behaviours such as heavy panting, spinning, whining, mouthing, or even destructive behaviour the second the ball is put away or they are told the game is over.

3. Missing Out on the World

When a dog is completely obsessed with a ball, it severely impacts their ability to learn about and process the environment around them. A walk should be an opportunity to decompress. The complete lack of opportunity to scent, explore, and visually process their surroundings (including calm interactions with other dogs and people) means they do not develop appropriate, mature coping strategies to deal with novel or challenging situations.

4. Resource Guarding

If the ball is your dog’s entire life, there is a very high probability that they will not want any other dog or human taking it away from them. This high-stakes value can quickly lead to defensive resource guarding, resulting in aggressive snapping or growling at other dogs or people who accidentally get too close to their prized possession.

5. Chronic Chemical Stress

When you throw a ball and your dog sprints after it, their body gets a massive surge of adrenaline, mimicking the exact biological state of being on a live hunt. Repeatedly throwing the ball keeps the body continually exposed to adrenaline, which eventually triggers the production of cortisol (a primary stress hormone).

Both of these chemicals are produced to prepare the body for 'fight or flight' making the dog faster, stronger, and less sensitive to pain. In the wild, after a hunt, a wolf would have sufficient time to sleep and rest, allowing these chemical levels to naturally reduce.

The domestic ball chaser rarely gets this recovery opportunity. Prolonged, daily exposure to adrenaline can contribute to heart strain, insomnia, and anxious, hyper-vigilant behaviours. Cortisol causes more frantic, impulsive choices. Because it can take a while for cortisol levels to return to a baseline normal, chronic ball-chasing leaves you living with a dog who has no off-switch, struggles to cope with minor challenges, and has a significantly increased chance of becoming highly reactive on walks.

6. Physical Exhaustion vs. Mental Fatigue

Many owners play non-stop fetch specifically to "wear their dog out." However, just like a human athlete, the more your dog trains, the fitter they become meaning you are now living with the canine version of Mo Farah! You will quickly find you need to throw that ball for longer and longer periods just to tire them out.

While they may return to the house puffing, panting, and utterly wiped out, there is a massive health and behavioural difference between a physically exhausted, chemically stressed dog and a genuinely calm, satisfied, and mentally tired dog.

DON'T PANIC! 🎾

I am absolutely not telling you to ban the ball and never play fetch again. My goal is simply to make you more mindful of the long-term physical and mental impact it has on your dog.

So, to keep enjoying your ball games, here is how you can dramatically reduce the risk and make fetch significantly safer:

• Warm Up First: Always go for a standard, calm walk first to warm up your dog's muscles before throwing anything.

• Keep It Low: Throw the ball short distances and low to the ground to completely eliminate high, twisted jumping and rough landings.

• Watch the Surface: Never play fetch on slippery mud, wet grass, or icy patches where sliding can tear ligaments.

• Mix It Up: Try throwing the ball randomly just once or twice throughout an enrichment walk, rather than a continuous 30-minute block, allowing them to naturally explore in between.

• Middle: Teach middle where your dog sit between your legs and waits. So you can throw out the ball and then send your dog out after it. This reduces twisting and turning onto the ball as it get thrown over their head.

Think About Your Breed!

Instead of a mindless chase, you can use your ball to tap into your dog's natural genetic traits through highly satisfying, low-stress games:

• Herding Breeds (Collies, Shepherds): These dogs love to control movement. Instead of a long throw, place the ball on the ground and lightly kick it forward; they will absolutely love sprinting to stalk and stop it. This provides a fantastic dopamine hit without the high-speed impact damage.

  
  

• Gundogs (Retrievers, Spaniels): These breeds live to retrieve and carry. Hide that precious ball in a hedge or long grass, then send them out to find it using their nose. When they track it down, let them proudly carry and parade it around the rest of the walk!

  
  

• Terriers: These fast little hunters love the thrill of the chase. Try switching to a Pawsmade long-handled tug toy with a ball attached to the bottom. Let them do a short chase, and their ultimate reward for bringing it back is an enthusiastic game of tug and a good rag with you.

  
  

• Sighthounds (Whippets, Greyhounds): These visual hunters chase movement. Try using a ball slinger to throw a Clam toy filled with tasty treats. Allow them to perform a few high-speed sprints to catch it, enjoy their food reward, and head home ready to relax on the sofa for the rest of the day.

  
  

Brain Games with a Ball

All dogs thrive on scent work. Try these low-arousal alternatives to build impulse control and focus:

1. Hide and Seek: Hide the ball around the house or garden in plain sight at first, using a "Find It!" cue to build their sniffing confidence.

2. The Lost Ball: On an off-lead walk, casually drop the ball behind you without your dog noticing, walk on a few paces, and then send them back to sniff it out.

3. Impulse Control Practice: Ask your dog to stay or sit while you actively place down, throw, or hide the ball. Teach them that they must offer calm eye contact before you release them to go and get their precious toy.

4. The Kong Switch: Switch your standard tennis ball for a rubber Kong. Because dogs are incredibly familiar with the distinct rubber odour, it makes the perfect target for advanced search games in long grass.

Please enjoy your ball games responsibly!

Cathy, BA (Hons) & Chester

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Need Help Helping Your Dog Learn to Settle?

If your dog has no off-switch, struggles with over-arousal, or has become reactive due to high stress levels on walks, you don't have to navigate it alone Teaching Tails provides fully qualified, mobile 1-2-1 training and clinical behaviour consultations across Belfast, County Down, and Antrim. Run by an academically trained BA (Hons) practitioner certified by both the IMDT and COAPE (Level 6).

Explore our tailored Adolescent Packages and behavioral services on our website to at www.teachingtails.co.uk

💬 Share Your Experiences!

We would love to hear from our amazing community! Is your dog a ball addict? What alternative brain games or scent work do they enjoy most on walks?

Drop your stories, tips, and photos in the comments below! 👇👇