๐ง “๐๐ฅ๐๐๐” ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐?
adjective
๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ “๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ” ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด?
๐ a dog that becomes obsessed with throwing some sort of toy (usually a ball) and will kill oneโs self before having a rest.
๐Often creates tunnel vision in the presence of a toy or ball.
Have you ever experienced a dog like this? That one at the park, usually a working type breed, that just does not stop and despite practically gasping for air, will continue to bring that toy back to you for just ONE MORE THROW. The kind of dog that loses complete sense of the world around them when that ball or toy is in sight, almost like a trance.
I own one of these dogs; Yogi Bear; a Border Collie cross that will literally KILL herself before she will stop. Full confession, before I became a dog trainer, I thought this was great. It only took 15 minutes of serious ball thrower throwing before Yogi was absolutely smashed. She was the โeasiestโ dog to physically exhaust. I used to think, โOh if she was really that tired, she will just stopโ. I couldnโt have been more inaccurate in my thinking.
What I didnโt realise is that Yogi had actually become obsessed with the act of throwing that tennis ball, at any opportunity she would bring us a toy and ball and stare at it until we threw it, sometimes she would be waiting hours. This obsession grew more intense over time until I realised the physical impacts that repetitive ball throwing has on a dog.
๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ก’๐ง ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ
From training working breeds to owning three of them, let me tell you, they donโt and wonโt stop, even if their body is failing them. Iโve watched a dog strain or tear a cruciate ligament and still chase a ball at the dog park. The owner was absolutely baffled that the dog was capable of continuing to run around. The truth is, that these dogs will work through pain and not give off any indication that they are physically exhausted and possibly injured. This is a key component of being a โcrack addict dogโ.
๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ
Just like adrenaline junkies becomes addicted to the adrenaline dump when they are doing an intense or risky activity, dogs can become addicted to the high adrenaline state they are in when they constantly chase that ball. It is important to recognise when your dog is becoming a โone more timeโ dog and ensure you break the behaviour chain by stopping the behaviour or doing something else. If your dog is bringing you toys and staring at you for hours on end, it may be an indication they there is an obsession looming.
๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐
Overstimulation + Addiction + Fatigue = Injuries. Most dogs donโt have body awareness on a good day, this is something we have to teach them, let alone when they become fatigued. The MSD Veterinary Manuel describes fatigue:
โFatigue is a normal consequence of exercise that is continued at high intensity or for prolonged periods of time. It describes the inability of muscles to continue to perform at the same level of intensityโ (1).
ย At the point of fatigue, a dogโs muscles are unable to perform at the same level required to support the body, which means that once fatigue sets in, the dog is placing their body at injury risk should they continue to perform high intensity activities. This coupled with addiction and overstimulation to ball throwing is a muscle strain time bomb waiting to go off.
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ต
I get it, this is literally your dogโs favourite thing in the whole wide world to do and you couldnโt fathom not playing again. If you have read this and thought, my dog is a total crack addict, there are some things you can do to make the game more fun, relationship building and of course safer.
๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ
This was a massive game changer for us. By having a start and finish cue it allowed Yogi to understand that the game wasnโt always on. She had a clear parameter for when we were going to play with her and this helped her relax outside of that window. From bringing us toys constantly to relaxing on the couch, we noticed that she became a much more relaxed dog. This doesnโt happen overnight and is certainly something you have to do continuously to form new habits. If Yogi brought us a toy outside of that play window, we would ignore her and give her an incompatible behaviour such as being on a bed.
๐ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐
Our dogs just donโt automatically know how to use their body; they totally suck at it and you have to teach them how their rear ends work. Getting your dog used to walking over unstable surfaces or a bunch of pool noodles on the ground are super easy ways to teach them when to place their limbs. Checking out online conditioning courses such as the Do More With Your Dog Course (2) is also a great way to start teaching your dog how to use their body. You will learn how to warm your dog up, stretch them and build muscles to support their crazy addict life.
๐ ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ป’๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ
ย Donโt let your dog run until they are on the ground gasping for air, stop well and truly before that. You should be looking for any signs of fatigue; panting, slower returns. For Yogi, I set a limit; she is only allowed 3 throws and then we switch to a different game such as tug.
๐ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ด
ย The thing I didnโt realise about ball throwing is that your dog just uses you (RUDDDDEEEE). You arenโt actually part of the game but just a slave ball thrower. What I like about tug of war is that the game is between me and my dog and because of this our relationship grows! Having a good play game is something I am always trying to improve with my dogs because it becomes a useful training reward system and a great biological outlet. Yogi actually prefers to tug than fetch these days. Tug of war, when played in a safe way takes away that repetitive impact that fetch has on the joints.
โ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ป’๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ
ย One day I actually forgot the toy in the car and my dogs were left to entertain themselves at the dog beach (insert eye roll emoji here). After about 5 minutes of Yogi trying to find anything for me to throw, they eventually all started playing with each other and other dogs, which was something I honestly had not seen. Having a ball around all the time creates a sense of tunnel vision where the dog zones out on the world around them. Not only is this not safe but it doesnโt teach your dog how to cope with the world. When you go out, donโt take a toy, take some food to reward your dog and just observe how comfortable your dog is with the world around them.
๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐๐ผ๐บ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ
ย I could stand in front of you as your trainer, vet, expert or whatever professional and say ball throwing is the worst, but the reality is that youโll probably still do it, because your dog loves it. Thatโs okay, but if you are going to play with a crack addict dog learn how to keep them safe. Your wallet health, and their body and mind depends on it.
ย References
- https://www.msdvetmanual.com/dog-owners/metabolic-disorders-of-dogs/fatigue-and-exercise-in-dogs
- https://domorewithyourdog.com/DogTricks/canine-fitness/learn-canine-conditioning-fitness/
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