There’s nothing like a ball to get the tail wagging, is there? Whether heading out on a long hike, or just going down to the local park, a good ball is the must-have accessory for every dog. When you produce a ball from your pocket, your dog’s eyes will light up as they know this means that the fun times are about to (appropriately) roll. Why do our four-legged friends enjoy balls so much? Let’s find out…
The greatest invention ever
We humans, when asked what the most revolutionary (no pun intended) invention ever was, will likely point to the wheel as a very strong contender. All those who suffered before its invention must have had to drag or carry heavy things everywhere, not knowing how much easier it was with those round wheels going, well, round.
And speaking of round things, if you were to ask a dog what the greatest invention ever was, they are almost certain to say “the ball”. Why are they such fans of the spherical plaything? Because it has nothing but good sides to it! Humans can throw it for a game of fetch, and so they can get their fun exercise in. It bounces and so does funny things in the air making it even more fun. It’s got great mouth feel because there are no sharp corners to hurt their gums, and, provided it’s not camouflaged, they can see it easily enough too (which is great when you consider a dog can’t see many colours). And we have it on good authority that they taste and smell great as well, so dogs get nothing but wins when it comes to balls.
There are few things we humans need to be mindful of when it comes to picking out the best balls for our dogs. We need to make sure that the ball isn’t too small, or that it has pieces that can easily be broken off as this presents a choking hazard to our pooches. It shouldn’t be covered or coated in anything harmful to dogs, and it needs to be tough enough to withstand a lot of chomping and chewing. Once we’ve covered all of these bases though, a dog will adore any ball it’s given to play with, so everybody is happy.
Occasionally, we humans throw the ball a little too far, and so our dogs have to put in a lot of effort to retrieve their favourite plaything. In order to maintain the levels of energy needed for their ball games, and especially for chasing down our long throws, your dog needs a good diet, and with the tailored dog food from tails.com, you can be sure that they’re getting all the nutrition and energy they need to keep up with your best lobs and hurls.
Great article and content for new dog owners especially.
I buy balls which are made particularly for dogs. Sandy loves ball games even at the age of 11.
Keep the information and topics coming.
Many thanks tails.com
Thanks for your kind words, Lisa! We hope you and Sandy are having a great week.
Barney. Has a ball and he’s obsessed with it. He takes his ballie to bed with him. During the night 3am he will often wakes us up so we can go downstairs open the doors and we throw it, he then runs after it (just once) comes back in and goes back to bed. Flippin dog!
Barney just can’t wait all night for a game of fetch 🤪 Oh, dogs – they really do keep us laughing!
I thoroughly recommend ‘Giggle Ball’ to any older dogs out there. My beautiful 12 yr old BlueBird, a Border Collie is constantly playing with her 2 Giggle Balls. One indoor and one for the garden. Even after a 3 mile walk, she sees her ball and launches herself on it. Throwing it around!
I say older dogs because not only are they becoming ‘old’ but lazy. What’s more the Giggle Ball is what it says on the label. It giggles. It engages the brain. They can’t leave it alone. Lol
Interesting to note you say dogs can see few colours. Which are they and what is the best colour.
Hi Wendy, dogs primarily see shades of blue and yellow, along with various shades of grey. They’re considered dichromatic, meaning they have two types of colour receptors in their eyes (compared to humans who have three). Because of this, they can’t distinguish certain colours like red and green – these likely appear as shades of grey, yellow, or brown to them.
Within the last 6 – 8 weeks, we have adopted a Rescue Roan Blue bitch. Due to genetic defects from birth, she has very poor eyesight. She is unable to see balls that are in flight, but can detect a very bright ball being rolled along the ground. She was taken to a secure field where she experienced freedom off a lead. One mishap where she ran into a plastic chair was overcome by recognising the problem in advance, and summoning her on recall. The look of joy was unforgettable. Work is ongoing with her retrieving the ball, but I will not give up. From a history of cruel confinement and being subjected to a ‘ shocking collar’ to stop her barking is thankfully in the past. The reasons for the barking are either happiness or uncertainty. This too has almost stopped.
Thank you for giving her a second chance at life, Brian! It certainly sounds like she’s landed on her paws, finding you. We hope she continues to go from strength to strength 💙
My border collie loves to take his ball up a slope and watch it trickle down.
This can be a sand dune or slide in the park or the stairs at home.
He likes to carry a ball and run after another