Let's Play Ball

There has to be balance in training. An hour can be a long time for a dog (and not just the dog) to have to be focused, so Chili would get a play break about every 10 minutes. It didn’t take long for us to see that she didn’t really know how to play. You may wonder how I didn’t notice this before. Didn’t I play with her? Well, our previous dog, Ruby, didn’t play. I believe she thought she was above it. She would only fetch sticks that met her strict criteria for size and shape, and she would only fetch them if they were thrown into the water. She wouldn’t quite fetch them as chew on them and maybe bring them back to you, if you were lucky. So, I wasn’t used to playing with a dog. Chili had some toys that she chewed on but she didn’t really play with us.

I quickly learned that play is another opportunity to become a team with your dog and show them that you can be fun too. In the beginning, when we would throw a ball for her she would just stand there and kind of watch it roll away. We had to draw her into the game and get her excited by being animated and pushing on her and bumping into her while getting her attention on the ball. At first she didn’t know what was happening, then she started to catch on and it became fun. Even though we were playing, we were also training. With Chili, this is important because when she sees an opening to get her own way and be the boss, she takes it. Kind of like her mom.

So, playtime was also training time. In the beginning, we had a hard time getting her to give up the ball. She’s very headstrong so when she had it, she didn’t want to let go. To get her to let go, I would fold her top lip under her teeth, and tell her to either ‘drop it’ or ‘out’. (This is meant to be uncomfortable, not painful. She had to know that when I said ‘drop it’ or ‘out’ that she has to listen, no matter what’s in her mouth.) Then when I throw the ball sometimes I let her just go after it, and other times I throw it and make her stay until I say ‘ok’. This helps her practice self control. Just because something moves, it doesn't mean she has to chase it. We’re at the point now where if she gets a little overexcited, I just give her a simple voice command or a look and she's back in line. The bunnies that hang out in the yard really appreciate this. When she gets 'the look' it’s funny to watch her and hard for me to keep a straight face because when she looks back at me you can see the wheels turning in her head as she realizes that she not getting her own way.

We all have fun when we play and she’s such a goofball to watch. No matter how many times she does the same stupid thing, I can’t help but laugh. She especially loves playing with the soccer balls. As soon as we go near them, she does a few leaps like she’s some kind of gazelle. Then she grabs a ball, runs over to you and just throws it at you and looks from the ball to you to the ball, until you kick it. She’s great at blocking kicks and if one gets by her, she’ll usually jump around and snatch it out of the air. You can see the focus on her face and how she’s anticipating your moves. She’s so fast and ends up with a soccer ball off the side of the head sometimes but she doesn’t care. She’s a happy girl and as far as she’s concerned, it’s all good.