This two-tone 6cm Soft "football" is made of solid foam/rubber and has a 1m long rope with a handle. It is suitable for small to medium dogs who prefer a soft object in their mouth.
This is an ideal
motivator for ball mad dogs! The 1 meter long rope on the ball is sufficiently long enough that the ball can be dragged along the ground (bumping along in a random bouncy fashion) for the dog to chase and "kill" (see
Instincts) and the black and white pattern on the ball stimulates the dog's interest even more. This long rope keeps the handler in control of the motivator, as the dog cannot run off with it as a prize even though it is on the ground.
Handlers can easily "catch" their dogs by the handle of its
harness, as the dog is intent on playing with the ball while they are holding the other end of the rope*.
By keeping the ball on the ground the dog is able to focus on it and is less likely to be influenced by the handler's distracting body movements. This is particularly useful when the dog is doing our
Dog Game Bounce, as the dog runs and jumps over the jumps in a straight line while concentrating on the ball on the rope in the centre of the lane between the handler's feet, or watch it being dragged along as the handler runs away.
As well as chasing the ball, the dogs can have a great time playing "tugger" with their handler at the other end - an added bonus to earning the motivator for doing the Game correctly.
*IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE HANDLER ROUTINELY TAKES HOLD OF THE HARNESS, AND LETS IT GO AGAIN, WHILE THE DOG IS PLAYING TUGGER WITH THE BALL ON A ROPE. This prevents the dog anticipating that the only time that the handler takes hold of its harness will be the end of the tugger game. By desensitizing the dog to having the harness held and let go of while it is playing with its handler, it begins to associate being held as all part of the tugger fun. It then becomes quite keen to be "caught" in the hope of another tuggy game.
If you have trouble getting your dog to let go of the ball on the rope ready for the next run, do not make a big issue to trying to get it otherwise thedog will begin to see the toy as a prize possession that you obviously want as well and will keep running away from you. In these circumstances, it is best to use a variety of different motivators as a reward (such as the
Treat Box with tiny pieces of
food inside for the dog to "steal") so that it drops the first motivator (ball or toy) to get at the other motivator (the treat in the box). You may have to become rather cunning and quick witted to out fox this sort of dog, but you'll both have plenty of fun!
It may be worthwhile reading
Problems with Retrieve and
Hand Starters as well.
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