How to stop a dog from chasing balls?
Adrien Klein
2025-06-27 20:13:55
Count answers: 8
To stop a dog from chasing balls, play on your terms, the toy should always come from you and you invite the dog to play with it, not the other way around. When we’re done, I say ‘finish’ in a firm voice and calmly put it away. He now knows that the game is done and settles down nicely so I reward that calm behaviour as soon as it is displayed. You can also teach a solid give or take, by making the toy / tug come to life and then making it go very still, as soon as they let go say “give” so they begin to understand that cue. Make eye contact, wait for, or encourage, eye contact before you throw the ball or invite tug play and mark with “yes” or “ok” as soon as they look and the reward with the ball or play. Finish – and mean it, when you stop the game always ends with the same cue like or “finish” and PUT THE TOY, BALL OR TUG AWAY. This helps ensure they are keeping engaged with you and watching and listening for your cues. Be careful what you reward, do not inadvertently teach unwanted behaviours, like barking, lunging, biting, circling or always being in front of you by giving up the toy or throwing the ball when they are doing any of this.
Nelson Emmerich
2025-06-27 19:02:39
Count answers: 15
If your dog is never seen without their ball in their mouth, and likes to constantly drop it at your feet to be thrown, it might help to put some limits on their time with a ball and play with it on your terms, not theirs. Try keeping their favourite balls in a box and bringing them out once or twice a day for a play session. If you want to address your dog's ball obsession, then reducing the time they spend practising and reinforcing their ball addiction will help a lot. Have a ‘finish’ time – and mean it. After your dog has enjoyed playing with their ball for a period of time you’re happy with, tell them with your choice of command that the game is over and then put the ball away. Lowering your dog’s arousal level by switching to an alternative ball game such as ‘find it’, tug or rolling the ball along the ground gently to help bring your dog’s obsession levels down a notch so they can give the ball up. Teach your dog to drop the ball, you can try holding their ball and when they let it go say ‘give’ and reward them with a treat. Make sure when you’re training your dog to drop the ball, you frequently reward with another game of fetch so your dog doesn’t begin to expect the ball being packed away the second they give it up. Introduce alternative games to fetch, balls can be great fun, but their use as a training aid for learning new skills and behaviours is limited.
Emilio Goodwin
2025-06-27 14:48:24
Count answers: 9
He runs full speed for the 1st 15 min, then begins to slow down, not return with the ball, etc- but will continue chasing it as long as I throw it. I stop him altogether at no more than 30 min. Today, he only lasted about 20 min, as he began laying down between throws. That told me he had enough. Am I right to pay attention to his behavior when determining each play session. Some days he apparently has more energy than others.
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