02/07/2024
IS A GAME OF FETCH REALLY THE BEST WAY TO TIRE YOUR DOG OUT?
🏓 With Wimbledon 2024 underway, we thought it was the perfect time to address whether or not it’s a good idea to share your tennis balls with your pups.
A game of fetch can be great fun for your dog and a relatively easy way for you to tire them out when you’re short on energy or time 🥱
Fetch is brilliant for:
🎾 Physical Exercise
🎾 Mental Stimulation
🎾 Behaviour Improvement
🎾 Teaching Obedience and Impulse Control
🎾 Strengthening Your Owner/Pup Bond
There are, however, several risks that you need to be mindful of, including:
❗️Over-arousal
❗️Ball Obsession
❗️Muscle Strain and Joint Injury
❗️Torn Paw Pads
❗️Dental Damage
At Wellness for Woofs, we’re not saying that throwing a ball for 10 minutes once a week is likely to cause your pup any major issues, but there are ways to minimise risks to provide your dog with both the physical and mental stimulation they need to be happy and well-balanced:
✅ Replacing the tennis balls with rubber balls (on the large side to reduce any risk of choking)
✅ Encouraging your pup to sniff when out on walks - as little as 5 minutes spent sniffing can tire your dog out as much as an hours physical exercise
✅ Physically engaging in play with your dog, play fighting and playing (responsible) tug of war. We make use of lots of Tug E Nuff toys to keep Amber entertained!
✅ Vary the location of your walks so that your pup gets to explore new sights, sounds and smells
✅ Play “find it” with their ball - this time of year is perfect for hiding it in the long grass (just don’t forget where you’ve put it 🤦🏻♀️)
🦮 Amber is a Labrador / Cocker cross from working stock so we know the thrill a ball game can provide. But making responsible choices on your pups behalf means you can still enjoy play time in the sun with your best friend 🥰
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