Fetchaholic?

[Fluffypants]

Hi All,
I know there are lots of folks on here that have dogs who love to fetch, so I am hoping you can provide me with some perspective. Jackie has never had the slightest interest in fetch, so I have no frame of reference.

Ukee LOVES to fetch. I mean he LOOOOOOVES it!!! He wants to play fetch all the time. He wakes up in the morning, goes immediately to find a ball. I get home from work & let him out of his ex pen . . . goes for a ball. Fetchfetchfetchfetchfetch . . . it's never ending.

So . . . when does it stop being love and becomes OBSESSION? Do I need to take steps to curb this behavior now, or am I just being my usual, overprotective, worrywart self?

Thanks in advance!+WUBCLUB+

[Jespah]

Julie (Cammie and Colby's Mom) will be an expert on this as Cammie is obsessed as well.

I would say yes, curb it - as it is also the dog demanding attention and you giving it to them whenever they want. You are possibly creating a monster. It doesn't mean he can't do it - but you should initiate it and or use it as a reward. It is a great thing for them to love to do as it is awesome exercise. :BIGGRIN"

Deb

[Kassie]

A friend of our had a mini doxi who was fetch obsessed. If you didn't play with her she would get her ball, place it on your lap, and roll it down your legs! She could even do that for hours!:TWITCHY:

[Fluffypants]

I have been using it as a training reward - making him sit or down before I throw the ball, and I make him wait if I am doing other things, and never give in if he is demanding (luckily Jackie has given me plenty of practice dealing with a demanding dog - haha! She may not like to fetch, but she still has opinions about everything else!).

Yes - any tips and strategies are welcome!!!! I get bored of the same stuff over and over.

Thanks!

[Bobbie]

I say " Game over" and put the ball out of reach. He understands that means this is not the time to play. But he is rather obsessed.

[Fluffypants]

Thanks Bobbie. I have been putting the toys up when I am done.
But the "game over" cue is a great idea!

[thebeach.corgi]

My first corgi was fetch crazy but his temperment was such that he would wait. He was never far from his tennis ball and would bring it and drop it at your feet. He understood "enough" and "no more ball". It was hard to resist him.

With a pup, ending the game and putting the ball away is a good idea, so you maintain control and Ukee learns you are in charge of the game.

[peep_erz]

I fostered a search and rescue lab that had to be put on medical leave. His obsession was nurtured and amplified from the training. I used the same technique as Bobbie. I would put the toy away and say "all done". After about a week he got it.

[Fluffypants]

It's so comforting to know I have a reason to be concerned! Thanks everyone for the tips! I was worried that I might just be a party pooper!!:EEK:

[Redwood Corgi]

You're not a party popper. Timmy is also an addicted fetcher. He loses all sense of self control. Unfortunately surgery on his CCL (ACL) did not alter his craziness. I'm instead doing some nose (scent work) in the house this winter and having him chase birds when we go out. The only redeeming factor with an obsessed dog, is that I can get an almost 100% recall if I carry a tennis ball in my pocket and use the "Ball" word", when I want to have him stop mid stride and come back to me, if there is strange dog or some other hazardous situation approaching. (I need to transfer this to some other high value reward, but so far nothing comes close to "the ball".)

My vet jokingly said that tennis balls are an orthopedic vets "best friend". It's not running, but the sharp turning, twisting and quick stopping that are hazardous, especially receptively, like dogs that are crazy about fetching. So that's why the running after birds is okay, since he's just flat out running. So far no catches on his part! :BIGGRIN"

Ukee is sooooooo cute and fluffy too! How can you say no?:TWITCHY:

Sylvia

[Tlynn22]

Amadeus is fetch obsessed too, but he likes to fetch a stuffed penguin and cries when he has to play with other toys... weirdo... lol I say all done when he isn't supposed to play anymore and he will curl up beside me and grumble about it. He makes me think of grumpy old men... lol Since I started the all done (and all gone for food/treats) he has been getting much better with his obsessive behaviors. I think cue words work wonders!

[Bobbie]

My vet jokingly said that tennis balls are an orthopedic vets "best friend". It's not running, but the sharp turning, twisting and quick stopping that are hazardous, especially receptively,

Oliver actually flips his cart doing this.

[Jespah]

I'm pretty sure that Rupe hurt his back by running ahead and twisting back to get the ball. :REALLYMAD:

Deb

[Fluffypants]

Ok now I'm terrified! He does go nuts when fetching. He's a maniac!

And it is hard to resist his sweet little fuzzy face Sylvia! But if it's for his own good I uess I have to be strong!!!

Luckily he is pretty good about stopping when I say we're done. He just switches to something else. Good thing I asked now instead of in a year! He's still pliable!

:CUTE:

[travelers]

Tennis balls wear their teeth down. When my "fetchaholic" Quiddi was barely 2 the vet took one look at his teeth and said "no more tennis balls" they were worn already.
He is still a major ball obsessed dog but has one of those neat larger rubber balls that is very lightweight. Got it at Target, he even sleeps with it.
Beth

[Jespah]

Good point Beth - tennis balls are like sandpaper for their teeth and they are not good from a chemical standpoint either.

Maybe buy him a Chuck-it ball - then he'll get used to that and when it's time for your arm to get a Chuck-it you'll be good to go. :BIGGRIN"

Deb

[Fluffypants]

He actually likes the stuffed plush balls the best for fetch. Tennis balls are his current 2nd choice. So I think if I gather them all up (all 2 of them haha) he probably won't miss them too much.

He did get a "Snowball" from Santa . . . which he likes but he can't fit his little mouth around it (awwwwww). So maybe when he gets a little bigger he'll play with it more.

[dcole]

Trevor is also fetch-obsessed! Whenever we go out through the garage to go potty, he always stops to nose his toy box first, no matter how badly he has to go!

He responds really well to "drop it" so that's how I usually stop the game. I have to say, after reading the posts about hurt backs due to fetching ( he is also a maniac with the jumping and twisting for the ball) I am going to start toning it down a bit. Will also have to stop using tennis balls because, as I found out this Christmas, there are NO tennis balls made is the USA anymore! :MAD:

Oh, and don't make the mistake of tossing him a rolled up sock to play with. If Trevor can't find one of his indoor toys, he will still run into the bedroom and bring any sock he can find, throw it down and demand a game of indoor fetch!:TWITCHY:

[Dillydoodle]

My two have definate opinoins when it comes to which ball they want to play with.. their favorite is the JW I squeak ball - here is Dillon modeling with it! LOL

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w315/Dillydoodle/006-15.jpg

and Gus:
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w315/Dillydoodle/009-12.jpg


My boys LOVE to play ball.. Dillon loves to retrieve, and Gus loves to run after Dillon barking encouragement while he fetches the ball... or if Dillon misses, Gus will grab it.. only he is not a very good retriever.. he usually just runs around in circles happily squeaking the ball LOL!

Anyway, I cannot leave these balls laying around or they will pester me to no end for a game of ball. I initiate it .. i tell them when it is over. Also, I am now incorporating it on walks. In the last few months Dillon has not felt like walking ... it has been a struggle to get him interested in walking with me.. he spends his time, pulling, dragging and eating dead worms and grass... rather than walking.. I realized a few of the changes that i made that probably led to him not being happy, 1) I have not been bringing treats on walks for a while 2) I have been greatly limiting the mid day ball play to where i only do it about 3x a week due to Dillon's on-again, off-again limp/stiffness. So recently , I started binging some treats AND their ball.. Dillon happily carrys it. He must drop it on command.. if he doesnt, I take it away and make him work to get it back ( heeling, eye contact, sits, fronts, etc) Now even if i dont bring a ball on the walks, he is so happy to walk with me again - I have my happy boy back! +WUBCLUB+

Anyway, i think you can channel that LOVE of the ball that Ukee has into a great training tool.

Oh and thanks for the info on tennis balls.. i have gotten the boys those kong squeaker tennis balls and they do like them, but i had no idea that they were so hard on the teeth... I learn something new here every day!! Oh and I have seen some of the crazy twists and turns that my boys make while fetching.. and it makes me cringe sometimes.. this is part of the reason we cut back on the ball play.. they just don't go at a casual pace.. it is ALL out and i worry that they will hurt themselves ( Dillon has a few times recently).

[mtoy]

Link is tennis ball obsessed. But luckily, he knows its only for outside during certain times. I would suggest doing some training so they know just where and when they get to play fetch, otherwise the obsession will rule their (and possibly your) life. Corgis are so smart, and sometimes too smart.:ARG:

[Jaxerspal]

On the plus side, wouldn't that enhance their recall abilities, if you used ball as a way to get their immediate attention to come? You could also share some of that obsession with Jax...He couldn't care less about a ball. "NO:":

[colbycorgi]

as soon as i read the title and saw it was from you, i knew what this post was all about and as Deb said, i have serious experience with this, thanks to mizz thang, cammie. Fetch is ALL she ever thinks about...as soon as i am up, something is brought to me, even in the bathroom :) and she is relentless...she will keep bringing things until you play, you will wake up from a nap on the couch, covered in toys and sometimes she will bark an annoying shrill bark if you don't play, shes a brat! we used to think it was cute when she would bring toys to us in the hot tub, not anymore, we sometimes can't enjoy cuz shes such a pain in a you know what. she does know to drop it so we can pick it up but she follows that command at her own choosing, jamie makes her put the toy in his hand and she usually does that, but as i said, its just constant....we have been working on "no more-take a break" and she is pretty good about stopping but only if you have at least played for a bit first.....wish we had the time and money to get her into flyball cuz **** is she fast and i bet she would love it....bottom line advice....NIP IT IN THE BUNNY BUTT NOW

[colbycorgi]

and forgot to add that because she runs like the wind, and will play until the cows come home, she will sometimes overdo it and will have to rest the next day as she will seem sore and sometimes limpy cuz as i said, she just doesn't quit....i feel bad as she seems to get soooo much joy out of it, but we cant have her hurting herself...shes also just turned 4 and this has been the way just about all of her life....no slowing down for this girl...probably how she keeps her girlish figure, compared to Colby :)

[Penutsma]

I used to have a corgi named Delilah that was fetch obsessed! She would fetch anything, but her favorite was any ball. The BIG balls you can buy at a discount or grocery store - she would run those around the yard until she was able to pop them. They would usually last long enough to get the groceries in and put away!:ARG: My Dad had a basketball in the backyard that his dog would play with (on command). Delilah played so long and hard with that (trying to pop it probably) that she wore the skin off her nose! Tennis balls - omg - got rid of those - she wore the skin off the pads of her feet with those. Her last ball that I loved, even tho the giggle drove me nuts, was a Wiggly Giggly ball. I always knew where she was! LOL Until the day it went under my daughter's house, then it was no more Wiggly Giggly ball. I bought one of those for Gwydion, but he doesn't seem interested in balls. Just obsessed with chewing on Kiri! http://www.amazon.com/Multipet-Wiggly-Giggly-Ball-Large/dp/B00005OMX5

The best was for Justin's birthday one year. Cheryl had filled a couple of large closets with balloons for him. When the party was over, you could not walk around her house for the balloons. So....she invited Delilah over to help the boys get rid of the balloons. That was doggie heaven for her! I think she popped every balloon in the house within 15 minutes! LOL Cheryl can tell you! The boys thought it was funnier than **** to give her a balloon to pop. We watched her closely to make sure none of the balloon parts got in her mouth. She was so busy biting the balloons that she wasn't interested in eating them! It was bite - "oh man, there's another one" - bite and repeat!

She did do the Course A'lure once. If I had more money and time - we would have gotten really involved in that. She loved it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kp7s5bm7no&noredirect=1

[CorgiMum]

You already have lots of great ideas here, and I will add that I'm sure Dylan blowing his ACl was due to too much twisting and turning during fetch games when he was 7.

Danny too is fetch crazy. I encouraged it when he was a wee pup in preparation for some of this obedience trial exercises. Fetching & especially Tug are his training rewards. I can Not leave a ball down, in fact the only things that are in their constant reach are hard chew bones, & all 'soft' toys are put away until I give them out. But, Danny will offer me any toy at all to play fetch. I try and think of ways to engage games with him without toys.

[Tobysmom]

Toby is fetch obsessed and will bring toys to me all day long to throw for him. He has a Chuck It ball which we play with, but I'm pretty careful with him now when we are outside as he was on a 6 month rest break last year from Lyme and a small tear in the cartilege in his shoulder from a quick turn he made to get his ball. I've taught him the command for Time Out and Game Over. He would gladly play fetch all day if given the chance.

[Fluffypants]

Thanks again everyone. Now that I know I am not overreacting, I will make sure that I get him under control. It is very useful for practicing our sits & downs. He wants me to throw that ball, he has to follow my commands, and he does it immediately!

One good thing though - it is great for burning off that puppy energy.:BIGGRIN"

[funnyfarm]

Sorry this response is so late, but in the fetch-aholic case it is never too late lol!:ARG:
I would look at it as a good thing that he is so engaging and has the desire to create and control movement - like a corgi should lol. Remember they ARE a working breed and need to be stimulated physically and mentally.
What YOU do with that information is what is key. You have to look at it this way if you can; how can this behavior be used?
Well if you control the play and keep the proverbial ball in your corner then you and Ukee will have a great relationship full of respect and admiration.

See, YOU become the fetch god.
So in other words, you decide what, where and how the fetch game is played. You initiate it and you end it. When you cannot be "in the game" with him, he should not be allowed to obsess over the fetch toys. Provide him with appropriate toys that he can play with on his own. Keep the fetch toys away from him.
The one thing I would highly recommend is that you should focus on at his age is developing an "on and off" switch. Once you have that, the sky is the limit. You are on your way to a wonderful and fulfilled relationship.+JIGGY+