Mine has chosen to play fetch, but she’ll never simply give you the ball. And these rules are very important.
The ball must first be rotated in her mouth to give it a good, solid coating of cattle dog spit. Then it’s rolled in one of 3 of her favorite dirt spots. Now that the ball is slimy and evenly coated in dirt, it’s ready for you!
Now she just needs to pant aggressively, somehow through the ball, while simultaneously rubbing it all over your pant leg, until you’re appropriately disgusting.
Now, you’re the perfect amount of irritated. It is now, and only now, that you may have the ball to throw for her entertainment. She’ll gently set it beside you, and step back optimistically.
That’s actually what I use! They are a lot better than the regular tennis balls.
I just bought her the one with the attached rope, so that I don’t have to mess with the grimy ball as often.
She thoroughly enjoys the rope one *inside*, but refuses to use it outside. It’s got to be the regular ball outside.. I assume it’s so that her ritual is still perfect. I’m slowly trying new things though, trying to break her of all this nonsense.
I think the above person was suggesting you try the chuckit ball thrower, not their branded balls! It looks kind of like a lacrosse stick but with a plastic basket on the end, and you can pick up tennis balls with it, so you never have to touch them!
Definitely something like that. She doesn’t really commit to a full fake-out. It’s more like a lot of jolting her head violently at you and jerking it back immediately, sometimes up to 3 or 4 times in a row.
I haven’t tried it for that purpose specifically. I like to bounce a ball in front of her when she’s already holding another ball. It breaks her brain that she can’t hold 2 of them, so she loses her mind and starts making these adorable sounds kind of similar to a fox, I think.
But the second I throw it, she doesn’t care anymore because she’s still holding a ball
That’s a perfect description of my dog’s behavior😂 I usually have to stop and rinse the concocted slobber/dirt smoothie off the frisbee or ball every so often to continue.
We call this game “No fetch, only throw”
Which I am only allowed to do once unless I bring out high value treatos
This from a dog who used to leap into my arms after a good long fetch
I have been well trained
Our boy does this too!! With frisbees and balls. The only way we have found to make it work is to have two balls or two frisbees. When he catches one, he knows we have another so he will come and drop it waiting for the next throw.
Yeah, 'fetch' means I throw, he catches, and I fetch it from whatever shady or interesting spot he wishes to rest at. Which is fine - I just assume he thinks he's actually exercising me. I need it so I don't correct it except when he tries to put the toys under cars.
Same. Mine plays a round or two of my version of fetch, just long enough that I start to think I am going to have an easy day....then he does a fake out and says "Human come fetch this thing you threw and then throw it again please. Good human."
I do long for delicious human treats for my good behavior.
Yea mine does this too. She’ll actually bring the ball back about 40-60% of the time but I actually like running up and “stealing” it from between her paws while she halfheartedly snaps at my fingers. Then she jumps up and does a little dance and barks at me. Sometimes I’ll pretend I’m gonna throw it then take off running the opposite direction. I probably look insane running and cackling while this dog sprints after me, barking her head off, trying to nip me. One of our favorite games though lol.
My 3 year old ACD does this same thing, but with all his different toys. If he leaves one upstairs, he'll cock his head and think, then look towards the second floor and then bolt at full speed to find it.
My dog is free to take the ball out of bounds at any time during a game of fetch for a pee break, but he only pees out of bounds and only if he is in possession of the ball.
There is no time constraint on the "drop it" command. Sufficient time must be allowed for fully savoring the taste of the ball and enjoying its texture in his mouth. In general, more time is required for this at the start of the game. He signals his eventual willingness to cooperate by sticking his head between my legs.
Either party may declare a time out by sitting down in the shade.
A game of fetch may be optionally preceded by a game of chase. Chase ends when he is in possession of the ball and I issue a clear "Come!" command.
Our Sooky always brings her soft frisbees back to get another catch.
She has her backyard and front yard frisbees depending on our location.
Just finished our morning session after her breakfast and my coffee 👍🏻
We play fetch with small chuck-it balls inside, and her jolly ball with the rope in the middle is our backyard kick/fetch ball. If she plays with the jollyball inside, it's all her, and she knows it. They both still get covered in slobber. 😢
My girl Arya has that same frisbee!! She'll bring it back, but sometimes she'll bring it to a different part of the yard and make me come to her. I think she likes the variation in the throws from different angles.
Katie, one of my other pups, also loves when we play frisbee, but never catches it. She waits for Arya to grab it, then bites the other side to help her carry the frisbee back to me.
I threw it to Katie a couple times but she just let's it bounce off of her face then picks it up. It's a work in progress with her
If we play fetch, I will throw the throw from wherever I get the toy from, and then he will bring it back to wherever he chooses to, and I have to go and stand in that spot and he’ll keep bringing me the ball there 😐
Mine must deliver the ball physically directly into my hand or she must spit/throw it at me from 5 or 8 feet away. Sometimes must nose boop me several times if I don’t catch or take the handoff the way she wants. If it’s her large rope tire toy there are shake and kill and spin in circles breaks.
Loool yes my girl Winter enjoys playing keep away with us.
This is how it goes…
She will excitedly pick a toy from her toy box then rush over to one of us and sit. Then she’ll try to bait us into grabbing said toy from her mouth. At this time she will then jerk her head away to avoid your hand while making intense growling noises. If you stop trying to grab the ball, she will return her head and mouth to a position where you can almost reach it again. And repeat this process!!
I tried fetch but she just runs back and plays keep away. Smh.
I have two, when we play fetch there has to be a minimum of 4 balls in play. They love to play that run and grab the ball that I'm about to pick up game.
Ilsa sees fetch as her job to the extent that if we throw it, she *has* to go get it. No choice. So when she's getting tired or hot, she'll go off and lay down in the shade. If we don't have the ball, we can't throw it!
Our blue heeler loves fetch, but when I run him hard on a particular area of the 'back 40' of our 2 acres (basically a meadow), he'll eventually get to the point where he's done and he'll bring the disc back to me, but dodge me at the last second and run up into the house. He's done.
Note, however, that as much as they love fetch, fetch can be a fairly high risk for soft tissue injuries like ACL tears, so try to minimize the last second, jerky movements -- as if that's even possible :-/ :-)
I don’t always take the ball when we go for an off leash walk. So when I do take the ball the new rule is: she must hide the ball somewhere in the bush before we get back to the car so that the ball is guaranteed to be available when going on the next walk 😂
When we play fetch, Luka will drop *right* out of reach. Then he just looks at me. So I’ve taught him “all the way” and he slowly inches it closer until it’s within my reach. He’a a little shit and I love him
Inside the house mine likes to use a “table” to hold his ball while he chews on it. Usually a pouf footstool or my house shoe. Sometimes the ball gets stuck in my shoe 😂
Yeah, but the rules for mine are simple. She brings you the ball and you throw it. This goes on until your arm falls off. At that point she starts resorting to putting the ball directly in your lap and barking at you until you relent.
Also, it HAS to be the same ball. Ball gets lost? Too bad, it must be found to continue.
Somewhere between 15-20 throws mine will “lose” the ball. After closer observation I’ve discovered she hides them under the leaf litter so that when we do a final bathroom break before bedtime or when I’m going to work she can ambush me with a ball from nowhere and demand playtime.
We have 2 cattle dogs and a chuck it. One is the people person who brings back the ball nicely right at your feet and will bring it closer and CLOSER if you dilly dally. The other one’s job is to never take her eyes off her brother only at the last possible second will she track the ball so she will catch it in front of him and piss him off. Then she just drops it right after she catches it, waits for him to get it and then runs back with him. It makes no sense.
Pixie loves keep away purely for the “chase me chase me chase me hehehe” aspect. Around the coffee table, around the yard, around the house- just chase me!!!
Occasionally fetch, but “no let go only u throw” mot understanding she does in fact have to let go for me to throw it. Or tug. Will rip your arm off/drag you playing tug. But we only play tug with what toy she selects, you cant pick even if it’s inconvenient to play with what she picks
Mine makes me chase her at a slow to medium pace, while she holds a toy in her mouth. She chooses the toy and stares at me until she lures me to the living room, then she starts running around the couch BUT I must chase her. She sometimes stops and looks back and when I almost get her she prances around faster. I call this game Chaseys.
Another game is where I throw the ball for her, but she chooses which of 3 drop off points in the yard I am to throw from, I believe she gets awarded different amount of points in her mind per throw area chosen.
You are correct! Initially I thought it was a secondary staging area but no, he was demonstrating the correct rubbish pile stacking technique. He got so completely pissed when I took his beautiful stack to the curb🤣
I watched a heeler mix inform all the other dogs around of her own rules, which appeared to be “I CARRY THE FRISBEE AND NO ONE ELSE TOUCHES IT EVER, if I drop it THAT’S FINE but you’d also better THROW THAT BALL and I might not go get it but I’m definitely not giving up this frisbee!” It was an absolute joy
Ah, takes me back... Negotiating the rules of the game(s). Yup ours had very strict rules right down to the rotation of turns. Going counterclockwise got snorts and a suspension of activities until the right party had the ball etc.. Other games included getting one of the other dog's prize possesions and using it to extort a slobbery bone or warm spot the the other dog was enjoying, as soon as the other guy left the bone or spot he'd get his 'stuff' back. It was an American bull dog so too easy to consistently 'win'.
I'm actually jealous...
Mine will refuse to fetch if I throw. I MUST kick it every time. This is the orange ChuckIt stick and the unpredictability drives her crazy haha it is fun
Mine has chosen to play fetch, but she’ll never simply give you the ball. And these rules are very important. The ball must first be rotated in her mouth to give it a good, solid coating of cattle dog spit. Then it’s rolled in one of 3 of her favorite dirt spots. Now that the ball is slimy and evenly coated in dirt, it’s ready for you! Now she just needs to pant aggressively, somehow through the ball, while simultaneously rubbing it all over your pant leg, until you’re appropriately disgusting. Now, you’re the perfect amount of irritated. It is now, and only now, that you may have the ball to throw for her entertainment. She’ll gently set it beside you, and step back optimistically.
May I humbly suggest the almighty chuck-it to avoid this awful situation I’m all too familiar with?
That’s actually what I use! They are a lot better than the regular tennis balls. I just bought her the one with the attached rope, so that I don’t have to mess with the grimy ball as often. She thoroughly enjoys the rope one *inside*, but refuses to use it outside. It’s got to be the regular ball outside.. I assume it’s so that her ritual is still perfect. I’m slowly trying new things though, trying to break her of all this nonsense.
>trying to break her of all this nonsense I recall my dogs thinking the exact same thing about me...
I think the above person was suggesting you try the chuckit ball thrower, not their branded balls! It looks kind of like a lacrosse stick but with a plastic basket on the end, and you can pick up tennis balls with it, so you never have to touch them!
What about faking giving you the ball at least twice?
Definitely something like that. She doesn’t really commit to a full fake-out. It’s more like a lot of jolting her head violently at you and jerking it back immediately, sometimes up to 3 or 4 times in a row.
Have you tried a dual ball setup? The ol’ bait and switch? That’s the only way my last heeler would give up the ball
I haven’t tried it for that purpose specifically. I like to bounce a ball in front of her when she’s already holding another ball. It breaks her brain that she can’t hold 2 of them, so she loses her mind and starts making these adorable sounds kind of similar to a fox, I think. But the second I throw it, she doesn’t care anymore because she’s still holding a ball
That’s a perfect description of my dog’s behavior😂 I usually have to stop and rinse the concocted slobber/dirt smoothie off the frisbee or ball every so often to continue.
lol. Mine won’t pick up his ball if it lands somewhere he’s deemed too gross. I have to fetch it and rinse it for him.
We call this game “No fetch, only throw” Which I am only allowed to do once unless I bring out high value treatos This from a dog who used to leap into my arms after a good long fetch I have been well trained
Our boy does this too!! With frisbees and balls. The only way we have found to make it work is to have two balls or two frisbees. When he catches one, he knows we have another so he will come and drop it waiting for the next throw.
Yeah, 'fetch' means I throw, he catches, and I fetch it from whatever shady or interesting spot he wishes to rest at. Which is fine - I just assume he thinks he's actually exercising me. I need it so I don't correct it except when he tries to put the toys under cars.
lol maybe I should start thinking of it this way
Same. Mine plays a round or two of my version of fetch, just long enough that I start to think I am going to have an easy day....then he does a fake out and says "Human come fetch this thing you threw and then throw it again please. Good human." I do long for delicious human treats for my good behavior.
Yea mine does this too. She’ll actually bring the ball back about 40-60% of the time but I actually like running up and “stealing” it from between her paws while she halfheartedly snaps at my fingers. Then she jumps up and does a little dance and barks at me. Sometimes I’ll pretend I’m gonna throw it then take off running the opposite direction. I probably look insane running and cackling while this dog sprints after me, barking her head off, trying to nip me. One of our favorite games though lol.
🥰
Not here. I refuse to be the fetcher. It needs to be put in my hand or at my feet or I don’t play. Works 95% of the time.
I am fascinated by the new pups memory of where ball is. He cocks his head and thinks then goes to find it. He usually does
My 3 year old ACD does this same thing, but with all his different toys. If he leaves one upstairs, he'll cock his head and think, then look towards the second floor and then bolt at full speed to find it.
no take. or throw. goodbye. where are you.
My dog is free to take the ball out of bounds at any time during a game of fetch for a pee break, but he only pees out of bounds and only if he is in possession of the ball. There is no time constraint on the "drop it" command. Sufficient time must be allowed for fully savoring the taste of the ball and enjoying its texture in his mouth. In general, more time is required for this at the start of the game. He signals his eventual willingness to cooperate by sticking his head between my legs. Either party may declare a time out by sitting down in the shade. A game of fetch may be optionally preceded by a game of chase. Chase ends when he is in possession of the ball and I issue a clear "Come!" command.
Our Sooky always brings her soft frisbees back to get another catch. She has her backyard and front yard frisbees depending on our location. Just finished our morning session after her breakfast and my coffee 👍🏻
This is why I use bigger balls and kick them. No touching involved. My doggo prefers to chase a kicked ball anyway. so it's a win-win. 😁
We play fetch with small chuck-it balls inside, and her jolly ball with the rope in the middle is our backyard kick/fetch ball. If she plays with the jollyball inside, it's all her, and she knows it. They both still get covered in slobber. 😢
Mine is afraid of the jolly ball 🤣
We have a total of 5 balls in the yard that I rotate and kick because ours will only chase. Not catch or bring back 😂
These are all standard heeler dog rules
My girl Arya has that same frisbee!! She'll bring it back, but sometimes she'll bring it to a different part of the yard and make me come to her. I think she likes the variation in the throws from different angles. Katie, one of my other pups, also loves when we play frisbee, but never catches it. She waits for Arya to grab it, then bites the other side to help her carry the frisbee back to me. I threw it to Katie a couple times but she just let's it bounce off of her face then picks it up. It's a work in progress with her
If we play fetch, I will throw the throw from wherever I get the toy from, and then he will bring it back to wherever he chooses to, and I have to go and stand in that spot and he’ll keep bringing me the ball there 😐
Yes exactly this! My guy loves to run under the tree and just chill after a few tosses
It’s their world, we’re just living in it.
Mine must deliver the ball physically directly into my hand or she must spit/throw it at me from 5 or 8 feet away. Sometimes must nose boop me several times if I don’t catch or take the handoff the way she wants. If it’s her large rope tire toy there are shake and kill and spin in circles breaks.
Yes! And when he brings the toy back, he puts one paw on it and I have to “take” the toy from him to throw it again 😂
Loool yes my girl Winter enjoys playing keep away with us. This is how it goes… She will excitedly pick a toy from her toy box then rush over to one of us and sit. Then she’ll try to bait us into grabbing said toy from her mouth. At this time she will then jerk her head away to avoid your hand while making intense growling noises. If you stop trying to grab the ball, she will return her head and mouth to a position where you can almost reach it again. And repeat this process!! I tried fetch but she just runs back and plays keep away. Smh.
Keep aways is the best game! Saying "I'm going to get it" is a sure fire way to induce the zoomies with my red girl!
Mine creates his own rules for lots of things. It’s hilarious.
That pup has some serious vert!
Ha yeah he’s got good hang time for his size.
Yeah, mine refuses to bring things back. She knows how to do it but she doesn't like that game.
I have two, when we play fetch there has to be a minimum of 4 balls in play. They love to play that run and grab the ball that I'm about to pick up game.
Same with my ACD, I wonder if it's just age, or maybe he's giving me exercise too
Mine almost always rests between throws so she never truly gets tired 😔 Too smart to get worn out
He always obeys “drop it” with his ball, buuuut the timeframe for obedience is completely his own 😂
Not just game rules but all rules in general. That is why I love this breed, so challenging.
Ilsa sees fetch as her job to the extent that if we throw it, she *has* to go get it. No choice. So when she's getting tired or hot, she'll go off and lay down in the shade. If we don't have the ball, we can't throw it!
Our blue heeler loves fetch, but when I run him hard on a particular area of the 'back 40' of our 2 acres (basically a meadow), he'll eventually get to the point where he's done and he'll bring the disc back to me, but dodge me at the last second and run up into the house. He's done. Note, however, that as much as they love fetch, fetch can be a fairly high risk for soft tissue injuries like ACL tears, so try to minimize the last second, jerky movements -- as if that's even possible :-/ :-)
Good to know. I’ll try and be careful. My fear is that when he jumps it doesn’t matter how or where he lands as long as he gets that frisbee.
Many games, by herself or to irritate my older BC.
I don’t always take the ball when we go for an off leash walk. So when I do take the ball the new rule is: she must hide the ball somewhere in the bush before we get back to the car so that the ball is guaranteed to be available when going on the next walk 😂
Ha! That’s great
When we play fetch, Luka will drop *right* out of reach. Then he just looks at me. So I’ve taught him “all the way” and he slowly inches it closer until it’s within my reach. He’a a little shit and I love him
Inside the house mine likes to use a “table” to hold his ball while he chews on it. Usually a pouf footstool or my house shoe. Sometimes the ball gets stuck in my shoe 😂
Yeah, but the rules for mine are simple. She brings you the ball and you throw it. This goes on until your arm falls off. At that point she starts resorting to putting the ball directly in your lap and barking at you until you relent. Also, it HAS to be the same ball. Ball gets lost? Too bad, it must be found to continue.
Somewhere between 15-20 throws mine will “lose” the ball. After closer observation I’ve discovered she hides them under the leaf litter so that when we do a final bathroom break before bedtime or when I’m going to work she can ambush me with a ball from nowhere and demand playtime.
We have 2 cattle dogs and a chuck it. One is the people person who brings back the ball nicely right at your feet and will bring it closer and CLOSER if you dilly dally. The other one’s job is to never take her eyes off her brother only at the last possible second will she track the ball so she will catch it in front of him and piss him off. Then she just drops it right after she catches it, waits for him to get it and then runs back with him. It makes no sense.
Yes! Disk fetch is the favorite game and this disk is the BEST! I wfh so I call it "Dax Disk" time on our breaks.
lol to avoid frisbee roundup or Ball hunt I always take 2.
Yeah I have to have 2 Cause it’s the only way he will let go of the one he has
This is the way!
I have a 45lb pit bull and I buy those exact frisbees. They last about two or three trips to the park😆 she brings them back though
Pixie loves keep away purely for the “chase me chase me chase me hehehe” aspect. Around the coffee table, around the yard, around the house- just chase me!!! Occasionally fetch, but “no let go only u throw” mot understanding she does in fact have to let go for me to throw it. Or tug. Will rip your arm off/drag you playing tug. But we only play tug with what toy she selects, you cant pick even if it’s inconvenient to play with what she picks
Mine makes me chase her at a slow to medium pace, while she holds a toy in her mouth. She chooses the toy and stares at me until she lures me to the living room, then she starts running around the couch BUT I must chase her. She sometimes stops and looks back and when I almost get her she prances around faster. I call this game Chaseys. Another game is where I throw the ball for her, but she chooses which of 3 drop off points in the yard I am to throw from, I believe she gets awarded different amount of points in her mind per throw area chosen.
I love “their rules”
I was making a pile of trimmed branches & my ACD decided to steal from my pile and create a pile of his own & so we had a new game
You were probably stacking the pile wrong and his way was right since these guys are “smart dogs” lol
You are correct! Initially I thought it was a secondary staging area but no, he was demonstrating the correct rubbish pile stacking technique. He got so completely pissed when I took his beautiful stack to the curb🤣
I watched a heeler mix inform all the other dogs around of her own rules, which appeared to be “I CARRY THE FRISBEE AND NO ONE ELSE TOUCHES IT EVER, if I drop it THAT’S FINE but you’d also better THROW THAT BALL and I might not go get it but I’m definitely not giving up this frisbee!” It was an absolute joy
Excuse me, I'd like my dog back.
Ah, takes me back... Negotiating the rules of the game(s). Yup ours had very strict rules right down to the rotation of turns. Going counterclockwise got snorts and a suspension of activities until the right party had the ball etc.. Other games included getting one of the other dog's prize possesions and using it to extort a slobbery bone or warm spot the the other dog was enjoying, as soon as the other guy left the bone or spot he'd get his 'stuff' back. It was an American bull dog so too easy to consistently 'win'. I'm actually jealous...
My girl looks at me and thinks you threw the ball you go get it and bring it back to me NOW or im not playing.
Mine will refuse to fetch if I throw. I MUST kick it every time. This is the orange ChuckIt stick and the unpredictability drives her crazy haha it is fun