# how to make a dog love tennis balls



## kaianuanu (Jan 4, 2008)

hi i have a jack russell she is 2 years old. she loves to play w/ stuffed animals but not tennis balls. i want her to like them so shecan burn some energy, JR's are notorious for being super hyper. so how can i make her love tennis balls like she loves squeaky stuffed animals. (i have some normal tuff balls that are smaller than a normal tennis ball but larger than a golf ball)

feel free to put down wild ideas


thanxxxxxxxx,
Kai



P.S.: i'lle buy any special balls


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Are you wanting her to fetch or just rip them apart?

Instead of throwing a ball, try rolling it along the ground. Maybe your dog will think it's a fuzzy yellow rat.

I'm just taking a stab here. The first time I displayed a tennis ball in front of Esther, she did a couple somersaults and then ran 50 yards down-field in anticipation of me throwing it. She'd rather chase tennis balls than eat, and that's saying something for a hound.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Some dogs just don't like them. My dog doesn't like it and I think its because he can't fit his mouth around it. For the longest time he never played with his rope toy then as he got bigger he started to like it, because he could get his mouth around it.


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## kaianuanu (Jan 4, 2008)

she can fit her mouth over it easily they are smaller than normal tennis balls


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I bought a ball, about the size of a tennis ball, that would flash on and off when it moved or hit the ground. It was a big hit with Esther but, when she trashed it, it looked like a spy satellite inside and I suspect it might have been nuclear powered.

And Durb's right. The dog needs to be able to get the ball comfortably in her mouth, but also needs to have NO chance of being able to swallow it.

My vet warned me not to encourage my late late lab to play with tennis balls since he was big-enough to swallow one.

Esther can carry two standard tennis balls, BTW. I knew a Rotti mix that could carry three. He had a head like a basketball.


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## kaianuanu (Jan 4, 2008)

i found a toy she likes that i can throw farther than a tennis ball. it is a bouncy ball w/ a piece of yellow cloth around it and a rubber band holding it on.



this kinda looks like it: O<


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## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

I also found that some dogs only like certain balls. I used to get the tennis balls from Petco, and they were fairly hard and hollow. Betty didn't like them too much, probably because they were just too hard. But she would rip them apart in an hour. Then I found another tennis ball at Petco, it's a little smaller, but is solid all the way through. It is also quite a bit softer as well, and she loves playing fetch with these balls, as they probably don't hurt when they catch them like the other hard balls. Might also try a frisbee. They have a Kong one at Petco, and it's fairly soft, not hard like a normal frisbee. I'm thinking of getting it, it's also very flexable.


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## mom2kdg (Jan 12, 2007)

Try rubbing some peanut butter on the ball, that might work!


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Tennis balls are great for dogs that have high prey drives...dogs with high pack drive don't like them so much. However, you can get almost any dog interested in the game of chase and fetch. Roll it slowly just a few feet and encourage your dog to get it. Make it exciting..make it fun..lots of praise for just looking at it and moving toward it. He doesn't have to pick it up....you've successfully completed the 
1st step...he showed some interest in it.
2nd step...roll it again..hopefully he will move closer to it...maybe bump it with his paw or nose....again, lots of praise...he still doesn't have to pick it up...you're getting closer to an actual chase and retrieve. 
3rd step....now, raise the bar...you want him to mouth it...so, encourage him to get it but, don't praise until he has it in his mouth. 
You can see where this is going so, I'm sure you can finish the last few steps on your own.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Some dogs just don't care for actual ball type toys; however, now that you got her interested in the one with the rope attached, she may eventually go for the regular ball.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Esther's interest in tennis balls, which can only be described as an obsession, is very specific. They need to be REAL tennis balls. I buy a few dozen at-a-time from Play It Again Sports and they are slightly used.

If I give her one of the fake tennis balls from a pet store (and they're usually much more expensive) she will dismantle it immediately.

Playing fetch in deep, soft snow is a special challenge - more like throw, search, dig, search, dig, search, dig, get another ball out of the bag, throw, search, dig . . .


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

RonE said:


> Playing fetch in deep, soft snow is a special challenge - more like throw, search, dig



You might want to try the flattened ones...I think they're called Frisbees'.


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## shewolf4 (Feb 24, 2008)

Start by throwing it away from her and you ' chase" it to get it back- small distances. As she gets interested, let her sniff it, praise, then play "your game" with the ball. As she chases the ball and touches it, praise. When its the most fun, quit until later in the day- basically keep the ball in your court  start with small distances and always quit when its the most fun- that way you dont burn them out. In the beginning it may just be a few time where your pup shows interest, but thats enough. Praise - lots of praise - each time she touches the ball


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## corgi_lover (Jan 4, 2008)

you could buy a pack of like 5 kon squeeky balls. they are tennis balls but they are squeeky lol


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

TooneyDogs said:


> You might want to try the flattened ones...I think they're called Frisbees'.


She has no interest whatsoever in Frisbees.

But, yeah, it sounds like a perfect winter solution. I get LOTS of exercise retrieving them myself.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

RonE said:


> She has no interest whatsoever in Frisbees.
> 
> But, yeah, it sounds like a perfect winter solution. I get LOTS of exercise retrieving them myself.


I only use the old fashion white tennis balls the colored balls can be detrimental to dogs health. The coloring itself can be harmful to some dogs. It's just what I've heard, may be an old wives tale. Something you can try is drilling a hole through the tennis ball and string nylon cord through ball so it can actually be dragged along the ground, by playing with dog as you would a cat. Lots of teasing etc. Dogs like people sometimes like what they can't have, hence the teasing jerking along ground program.


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

I read somewhere that you can cut open a tennis ball just enough to squeeze a treat into the opening, and it can help the dog become interested in the ball, just by mouthing it trying to get the treat out... couldn't hurt lol...


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## Doggy in the window (Nov 19, 2007)

Get these soft squeaky tennis balls, my dog loves them.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Dog-Sq...2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1203920865&sr=8-2

They are the same size as tennis balls but are made of soft fleece with a squeaker in them. And they are much better to throw around the house as they wont break anything.


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## sakeshotz (Feb 11, 2008)

My dog loves the tennis balls ($1) and shows no interest in the interactive toys ($10) so although I'm disappointed that he doesn't like the expensive toys I bought, moving forward I'm much happier that he loves the tennis ball.

One trick to make your dog love the tennis ball is play soccer with him and he will love the interactiveness of chasing a little ball with his owner.


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## ara28 (Feb 18, 2008)

My dog likes any kind of ball unless its bigger than him. However he only likes to eat them or play chase, which may be fun for him, but not so fun for me. He doesn't understand the whole fetch thing. I throw the ball and he runs to go get it and he'll bring it back but as soon as he gets 5 inches away from my hand, he turns around and runs as fast as he can to the other end of the yard and then looks at me like, "why didn't you chase me??" and then he walks back and the cycle repeats. After about 5 or 6 times he'll eventually give me the ball but then as soon as I throw it again, we're back to square one.


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## matthewa (Jan 17, 2008)

rolling along the ground works the best, i do it with my lab pup because its funny 
when he bounces rather than run for the ball


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## Patches' Pet (Feb 25, 2008)

As nutty as it sounds, Patches won't play with the yellow ones. Only pink or green or any other crazy color they have at PetSmart. She completely ignores the yellow ones. Maybe she can't see them very well...? LOL


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