fetch balls or never ...bad idea ...use only bumpers

dottie · Post by **dottie** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 6:13 pm

Complete NOVICE....question....

A training book I am currently reading says " never teach fetch/ retrieve using balls"....use only bumpers.

I use both....tennis balls in a hook because I can pitch them a greater distance and because dog has more fun running to get them......and bumpers because it seems more formal and dog ....sits and holds better for me with bumpers.

So should I stop using balls?

Dog is 2y/o Brittany.....I am training to hunt.
Thanks

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab® S

MJB64 · Post by **MJB64** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:10 pm

Hi Dottie,
What book is that?

Mike

Yuma.Az.Hunter · Post by **Yuma.Az.Hunter** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:25 pm

MJB64 wrote:Hi Dottie,
What book is that?

Mike

What he said.

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 3:07 am

I read where some guy's teaching fetch require their dog's to pick up and carry anything they feel like using. How could a tennis ball hurt. I've used them and sticks pretty much what ever I feel like throwing.

EvanG · Post by **EvanG** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:33 am

DonF wrote:I read where some guy's teaching fetch require their dog's to pick up and carry anything they feel like using. How could a tennis ball hurt. I've used them and sticks pretty much what ever I feel like throwing.

Dobbs advocates forcing dogs on a wide variety of objects. I'm with you. Dogs have been injured eagerly fetching wrong objects, including tennis balls. I believe they need to focus on fetch objects like a paint roller, bumper, and/or bird.

EvanG

gundogguy · Post by **gundogguy** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:02 pm

There should be some difference between play items and work items. I do not mix play things with bumpers or birds
Though my guys tend to enjoy work more than just play. Risks are greater and so are the rewards!

GmanHawaii · Post by **GmanHawaii** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 6:03 pm

Don't use tennis balls, the material on the outside is like sandpaper on your dog's teeth, I use rubber balls (chuckit's). My dog fetches balls, bumpers, sticks, etc. doesn't seem to affect his bird fetching.

Vispar · Post by **Vispar** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:15 pm

I've heard people say that tennis balls can lead to hard-mouth. That hasn't personally been my experience.

I use bumpers for training and a variety of things for play time, tennis balls included.

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:32 pm

Problem with tennis balls is, the dog can swallow them resulting in a blocked intestine. This is why they are not particularly good ideas. I also believe this happens when they are UNATTENDED with tennis balls, not just when they are thrown. I think regular soft balls are also bad. They're large and round and I BELIEVE can result in hard mouth because of how hard a dog has to grip them on a retrieve. On the other hand, the soft balls could benefit a dog with a very soft mouth. You can throw a plastic bumper with a rope a LONG way, I'd bet about as far as a tennis ball with a thrower. The bumper well promote a significantly better carry.

polmaise · Post by **polmaise** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:53 pm

Everything in context !
The military dogs ,sniffer dogs,search and rescue and even dogs competing in 'Flyball' don't swallow them :roll:
For a puppy they are great fun and amusement as they hold scent (human hand) and they 'move' on landing

- chase !

......
I have absolute steady dogs to bumpers and game! ..I can throw a tennis ball and every one of them will definitely 'run in' !..

...
Deeper than that?....

..If I continued to use them as a 'find' article I perhaps would be encouraging a flushing dog to 'Peg' ..catch the bird ?
...
Overall , they are a cheap and invaluable tool in any dogs development , but like anything else ,I wouldn't leave them lying around

singlemalt · Post by **singlemalt** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:54 pm

I kind of figure of I am going to throw something, it may as well be a bumper. It takes me longer to find a ball than a bumper anyhow. I subscribe to "working is playing, playing is working". Although I don't think a ball is going to hurt anything. If that were the case they would only retrieve bumpers and not ducks, geese, quail, fox.

polmaise · Post by **polmaise** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 1:23 pm

singlemalt wrote: It takes me longer to find a ball than a bumper anyhow.

I've never found one in cover yet. I use the 'Ball finding terraspaniel gundog' for this

..It's a very rare breed.There is a ball under her 'Honest' !!

trueblu · Post by **trueblu** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 3:58 pm

Anything a dog can crunch is a bad idea IMHO. Watch most dogs with a tennis ball and they love to adjust, crunch, adjust, crunch, leads to the same thing in birds. I have always used small paint rollers for puppies, then on to small then large bumpers. Why create an issue you may have to fix later? Same principal as using a hard frozen quail versus softer freshly killed. Soft fresh could lead to chomping in some cases.

However, I do think the argument can be made that if a dog is gonna be hardmouthed he's gonna be hardmouthed no matter what.

polmaise · Post by **polmaise** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:12 pm

trueblu wrote:Anything a dog can crunch is a bad idea IMHO.

Like a bone ? :roll:

polmaise · Post by **polmaise** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:19 pm

I wonder why a mammal such as a fox or a lion or a Tiger ..or even a dog! ...(just a thought) doesn't crunch or roll a puppy when it carries it ?.Or even ?..just throwing this in for the mix?> ...When a mother Cheetah' brings home an injured fawn for the 'pups'/'cubs' to ''practice'' prey-chase-catch ?..She Isn't ''hard mouthed'' with it , yet She can 'Kill' ?

Gun Dog Forum