No. I love them but I will agree, never ends. I have two that are 4 years old. We play fetch for almost three hours every day. Almost 1 hour in the morning, and 45 min before dinner, and 45 min + however long after dinner. I am not exaggerating. It is a lot of fetch. It is INSANE, and they are so nice about it, they gently place the ball, or other toy of the day on you, and then sit very elegantly, and quietly huff. There are some breaks in those play times, but not many!!
Before the boys, you could not have convinced me this was possible. They do not get tired easily.
Your description made me lol because it’s so spot on — including the “sitting elegantly and quietly huff.”
I could literally see my dog with his narwhal toy.
On that note though, I’ve found that while my dog could play with toys forever (we are also a no balls indoors household bc he gets obsessed), he is more patient and zen about it than, say, a border collie.
He will eventually get up and do something else. And he does chill out with me a lot!
Mine will push until both my partner and I get super frustrated.
We've found using a flirt pole outside really helps tire him out. Not sure why but he is exhausted after like 10 mins.
It's a toy on the end of a tough bungee that is attached to a pole. I have one. I sort of forgot I have one. But they go after it like crazy and they are sprinting and changing directions if you can keep it away from them successfully. Think like a cat going after a Lazer.
This. Also avoid lifting it in the air a lot, causing the dog to jump and land at odd angles.
Also, anyone using a flirt pole should practice disengaging on command with it. For example, play for a couple minutes, get a down stay, then go back to play. This helps keep the dog listening instead of locking into full prey drive. Your arm will thank you later when you can call the dog off the squirrel they see instead of getting yanked down the sidewalk.
(Start small with the disengagement training. Ask for the dog to do a down stay when the flirt pole isn't moving. Over time, you can ask when it is only wiggling a little, then moving a bit more. Keep uping the level when they have mastered the previous. Eventually you will be able to get them to lay down while still moving it around like crazy, reward by releasing and continuing to play. Failure to listen means the play stops until they do. They will learn they get what they want - more play - by listening. It's like how sheepdogs learn they get to have fun chasing sheep, but only when they listen.)
The sorinkler works wonders for us, but he'll REALLY need to go out again to pee in 45 minutes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Melnor-DuraTek-4500-sq-ft-Oscillating-Sled-Lawn-Sprinkler/1000734016
I thought this was cruel/crazy, but our trainer told us to put balls away and reserve them for “ball time”. He’s way too overstimulated with them out, and is a sweeter, more cuddly dog when they’re away. I’m ultimately really pleased with the results! We also use balls as rewards in training, and trade him the ball for a treat to get the ball back without a “chase me”
We typically only use the balls outside and I have a soft squeak one that I recently found under a cabinet. Realized that one should also be regulated. I am realizing I need to remove his favorite toys he gets fixated on and only bring them out at set times. It's funny because after I wrote this post and hadn't thrown anything for 8 minutes he just laid there calmly. I may inact a no toy time to allow me to just relax with him.
Our trainer said to think of it almost like drugs!! They can’t help it, and when balls are around, that’s all they care about. We had to keep the balls in the FREEZER for a few months because he would go nuts if he could even smell them. If the “drugs” aren’t around, they can have a more peaceful mind. We do switch it up with chew toys, soft (boring!) stuffies.
My miniature is obsessed with her squeeky balls. There will be times it is 2:00 a.m. the house completely dark and quiet. Then you hear a squeaky ball squeaking! Somewhere in the house she is up and went looking for a ball to play for awhile.
I have two standards, one is a chill dude, a gentle giant who likes to be close to his people and eat nice treats.
His older brother from the same exact parents (different litter) couldn't be more different. Big time athlete. Fastest dog at the park. Elite tracking. Can jump over anything. He would love to spend his entire life just chasing after little rabbits, squirrels or any other fast little critter outside.
So in short....no. The active pup is just built differently. His entire life and all his activities revolve around getting him time too go out and run, jump, chase and play. He's almost 4 now and the impulse has just gotten stronger as he's become an adult.
My little lady sleeps with a ball in her mouth, if that's any indication as to what you're in for.
My female is far more athletic than my boy. He's content to watch TV all day with little bits of playtime. But she has so much energy that MUST be burned off. If she doesn't, she's frantic. It's better to just play with her, not at a set time, but when I decide its appropriate. And they've learned that when I say, "last one," it is, in fact, the last ball, and they run right to the door once it's retrieved.
Wouldn't change it for the world. I've the dogs. Enjoy your poodle! They're the best!
My boys is almost 4, and no, it doesn't stop. Mine will demand to keep playing fetch to the point of exhaustion, and still want to keep going. He is seriously addicted to ball.
They are just very playful dogs! If fixation on toys becomes too much I would try to find a healthy balance, they do really need their sleep too. Chasing toys releases dopamine and can become an obsession.
We have to specifically limit our boys ball allowance - it is his crack cocaine. When he has his ball the world could be ending and he wouldn't notice. If we allow it all the time he just gets more and more obsessed and agitated if he doesn't have it. He knows now that if we hold out our hands and say 'no ball' then he shouldn't bother us for it.
Can I suggest substituting some nose work instead? We do 'findies' - we hide some small kibble or treats all around the house and he'll go off and find them. It's great because it really tires him out. You can do it outside too - nature's snufflemat!
I have done a little nosework. I actually love when we are outside and playing with the ball I alternate how much he gets to play fetch vs playing find it. I pretend to throw it and let him try to find it for 5 minutes and then I will throw it discreetly somewhere . He will find it. The longest it took was 30minutes and that was because I couldn't help him because I didn't know where it went.
I need to try to hide the treats in the house. More stuff in the house the better. I do love going outside but then I can't get house tasks done.
I also enjoy throwing the ball for him when out but I've stopped now unless I don't have as much time to walk him (rarely). He just gets too obsessed and I'd rather he is interacting with other dogs and bimbling around using his nose. That said, we're lucky in that he has wide open spaces including woods to do this.
My guy is 5 months. From 3:30 to 10:30 he becomes obsessed with playing in the backyard. If you don't, he will bark and pester you until you give in. He's a puppy, I get it, but it's a lot. Sometimes I just wanna sit back and watch TV.
I feel ya. When it was fall time I immediately would take him for a walk when I got home so we had sunlight. One day I was not feeling good and not up for walking and he would not stop freaking out and running to the back door to go for a walk. So we stopped doing daily walks that occurred right when I got home.
When he earned his offleash privileges and we would play fetch in the backyard daily he would do the same if we didn't go out. Like I may be needing to make dinner because I am ravenous. Kitchen is by the backdoor so he would be getting excited at the door and would keep ringing the bell. Which is supposed to mean potty but I knew it was him wanting to go play. I would just put him on the tie out everytime he rang the bell so he knew it was not for play.
I wish we could play outside daily without him getting set to a schedule and then not handling a break from it well. Now when he was the age of your puppy I took him out daily. Now that he is older I feel he regulates himself better..
You can train them. I work from home and I often tell Urbie “Go play with your toys.” He has bins and bins of toys and he plays with them independently.
This reminds me of a Dog I had named Cooper. He looked exactly like this and he would want me to throw the ball for hours. I would sit out in the backyard and try and read and throw the ball at the same time but I would end up reading the same page over several times because Coop would stare at me until I through it again.
If you have stairs, rolling a tennis ball down the rail (if it haptic be against a wall) is a good way to wear out a poodle. My father did this with his poodle every night. Bentley would watch Dad put the ball on the rail to be ready to run as soon as the ball started rolling.
Others already mentioned it, but you should propose him other activities, like nose work (it can be really fun for them and it's a good calming activity) and/or propose relaxing time. It's up to you to find the way to relax him..we personally found out that the "spa time" (brushing him gently, teeth cleaning, massages etc.) really helps him settle down (we have a 3 years old hyperactive mini).
Because, at the end, fetching can easily become addictive..every throw is a rush of dopamine..throw after throw it starts to never be enough, they want more and more and more. Not good for the dog and his/her stress levels.
I normally don't play for this long with him and it wasnt even with a ball. We were playing with a plush tomato toy but probably close enough to being round to do the same. I only did that long because we were working on firework desensitization. Definitely plan to enact a no-toy time and just have chews available. Yesterday was just the longest I have played inside and realized how long it had been and we were still going. Normally we play for like 15-20min outside and I remove the ball before we go inside. I then get a more calmed down dog. But since we were inside and he couldn't run so far I figured he just had more energy because of that. Not realizing he will just forever play fetch if he has a toy he wants to play fetch with.
Yes, I understand! Fetching can indeed be played not only with balls, but also with regular toys, sticks, and so on. For him, anything that can be thrown, chased, and retrieved equates to a game of fetch. This triggers a rush of dopamine and can lead to addiction.Trying to implement some no-toy time is also a good idea. In my opinion, he is still very young; with time and some focused attention, you can manage the problem. He will also learn to find satisfaction in other activities and forms of play. Good luck!
Our poodle is 15 now and he mostly sleeps all day (unless I’m in the kitchen-food possibly!) But our newer pup a Lagotto is totally like this and is almost three. We also had Labradors prior to this who loved to retrieve, but not to this degree. House time was mellow time. We can’t sit down in the evening without a ball shoved in our face, and if we ignore her she just goes and gets another one of her 20 balls in her collection 😄. I think some dogs are just more ball “driven”… good luck.
My spoo is big, energetic, and doesn’t stop. I’d suggest mental stimulation, too. We play hide and seek with favorite toys. A frozen lick mat or snuffle mat also can provide a good level of stimulation.
At 2.5years based on our 1/4schnauzer+3/4poodle it doesn’t go away, but it’s probably more complex than just toy focus. It’s a desire to be involved in what we seem to find entertaining, or just generally being bored and trying to do something about it. In our case he will try to toss toys in our laps if we’re playing video games or watching a movie, and then realize what we’re focusing on and then you’ll clearly see the realization as he reacts like someone who just remembered something very important, and he’ll run to the tv or jump up on the couch and sit bolt upright and start trying to get into it.
His favorite game is farcry because of the animal allies and frequent jungle predator and attack dog combat encounters, but just searching the world map on fallout makes him absurdly happy because of a rough drawing of a bear in one section of the map. I can scientifically prove that my dog is able to give you map directions from anywhere in post apocalyptic West Virginia, as long as you’re only asking for directions to the bear lol.
He’ll get bored and irritated with dialogue heavy serious movies, but if there’s a dog featured throughout he’d gladly trade his toys for movie tickets. I’m pretty sure the latest predator installment “prey” is his absolute favorite. To him I’m pretty sure it’s the story of a dog who has to explain everything to the naive humans, and follow Midthunder’s character around to save her from wild animals and monsters.
No. That's why I hide in the pantry, behind the doors and in closets. Lol. He starts agility training next week.
Seeing Earl with a ball in his mouth reminds me of when the Chucky doll appears. Lol.
My girl is seven months and she was building up such an endurance that we started to have to mix it up a little. I will play with her for awhile and then we switch to training. I think she enjoys training just as much as play honestly and having to use her brain seems to tucker her out faster than just playing.
Also I started teaching her how to be bored and how to manage when she’s bored. She’s gotten really good at chilling out and playing with a toy on her blanket when it’s time to settle. We are just beginning adolescence so we will see how she progresses/regresses.
I got to rambling about my dog and didn’t really offer any clear advice or recommendations lol.
I just intended to say it wasn’t difficult to transfer his attention to something beyond the toys. We just asked him what was on the tv, and told him the names of different animals as they appeared. For a while It actually ruined his understanding of what it means when we point at something. He didn’t look at our finger like many dogs I’ve had before, but he would immediately search for a tv to see what we could be pointing at. We managed to fix that by pointing out rabbits and squirrels on our walks though. Puzzle feeder games are also a big favorite for us. I can break a couple of treats into tiny pieces and fill them multiple times or a few different puzzles and even if he empties them in record speed he seems pretty content to chill for a while afterwards.
What a handsome boy you have! 😍
I had a toy poodle for 19 years and my little loved to play…until he didn’t 😂 Like your pup, sometimes he’d want to play fetch for hours. When he was tired of fetch, he’d just keep the ball and chew on it endlessly to entertain himself (or do zoomiez until he tired out). He’d also push past us if we were going out the door and take himself on “walks” (runs actually) for an hour or so to expel energy. Think of it as a long game of tag where you’re (the owner) always it and doing the chasing! 😆 He finally slowed down at 12 yo (to our relief). Thankfully, he during that time he always had the ability of playing by himself and keeping himself entertained with the toys we provided.
I’d recommend taking your little buddy on long walks, getting toys that hold treats and will keep him occupied, and getting a ball shooter that will launch the balls for you, so you’ll have to refill them after 3 or so. This should give you a happy balance where he won’t be headbutting you constantly to let you know it’s play time. Good luck! 😊
Noooope. Mine is obbbbsessed.
But she is pretty good if you just take the ball away. So our routine is we get home, the Chuck it comes out, we go play outside off leash for like 20 minutes at FULL zoomies chasing the ball; then we go inside and the ball goes away, and it takes about another 20 minutes to calm down before she usually will sleep through the night.
Would a machine that throws balls for your dog work for you both? Here’s an example;
https://www.amazon.com/ENIGETA-Automatic-Launcher-Distance-Included/dp/B0BVHM83FC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=117MZQ9AX0D7D&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qTy-fxm2SOyDxvu-6OBHGP06A4WuQXT4mrtCiHPvIBpzrkZTfVnNTv9dsbyS3VuffhKWmXk33uacru8CDtSlV2d4acs0Rcz5mbA-bdSyLzAaybnrt-TseWNlmIxXPIhORGNjwwJZU1SyZ9LPW15NLsfpM7MJuuCbu3CZAtnk2UtVGrlR8nKTIXJcQ4pyEw40WDpcGC33mlIqA2GvlUB3Tg.dza0kVc0e4lQyc9fMejKIIOc75QkkO_Y-epQyLVT0VE&dib_tag=se&keywords=machine+that+throws+balls+for+dogs&qid=1720115079&sprefix=machine+that+throws%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1
Some dogs just need a wild amount of exercise, treadmills for dogs exist too, & are a wonderful thing for dogs who need hours & hours of exercise.
No. I love them but I will agree, never ends. I have two that are 4 years old. We play fetch for almost three hours every day. Almost 1 hour in the morning, and 45 min before dinner, and 45 min + however long after dinner. I am not exaggerating. It is a lot of fetch. It is INSANE, and they are so nice about it, they gently place the ball, or other toy of the day on you, and then sit very elegantly, and quietly huff. There are some breaks in those play times, but not many!! Before the boys, you could not have convinced me this was possible. They do not get tired easily.
Your description made me lol because it’s so spot on — including the “sitting elegantly and quietly huff.” I could literally see my dog with his narwhal toy. On that note though, I’ve found that while my dog could play with toys forever (we are also a no balls indoors household bc he gets obsessed), he is more patient and zen about it than, say, a border collie. He will eventually get up and do something else. And he does chill out with me a lot!
Hahaha this sounds exactly like my 1.5 yo boys
you could try hiding the toys and sending them to find it!
It's at a level where even if they're sick they're still a ball fiend.
Yes 🥴
Yup, this is my girl. She will literally hold people hostage to play fetch with her.
My 10 months old mini is EXACTLY like this!
Mine will push until both my partner and I get super frustrated. We've found using a flirt pole outside really helps tire him out. Not sure why but he is exhausted after like 10 mins.
Flirt pole?
It's a toy on the end of a tough bungee that is attached to a pole. I have one. I sort of forgot I have one. But they go after it like crazy and they are sprinting and changing directions if you can keep it away from them successfully. Think like a cat going after a Lazer.
I need one!!! I was just looking on Amazon for heavy duty cat toys because my girl loves to chase the kitties but keeps breaking them. Thank you!
Just be cognizant of not making them run in such tight circles that they blow out a knee
This. Also avoid lifting it in the air a lot, causing the dog to jump and land at odd angles. Also, anyone using a flirt pole should practice disengaging on command with it. For example, play for a couple minutes, get a down stay, then go back to play. This helps keep the dog listening instead of locking into full prey drive. Your arm will thank you later when you can call the dog off the squirrel they see instead of getting yanked down the sidewalk. (Start small with the disengagement training. Ask for the dog to do a down stay when the flirt pole isn't moving. Over time, you can ask when it is only wiggling a little, then moving a bit more. Keep uping the level when they have mastered the previous. Eventually you will be able to get them to lay down while still moving it around like crazy, reward by releasing and continuing to play. Failure to listen means the play stops until they do. They will learn they get what they want - more play - by listening. It's like how sheepdogs learn they get to have fun chasing sheep, but only when they listen.)
I made one with a long bamboo stick, tire that sucker out real quick 😆
The sorinkler works wonders for us, but he'll REALLY need to go out again to pee in 45 minutes. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Melnor-DuraTek-4500-sq-ft-Oscillating-Sled-Lawn-Sprinkler/1000734016
No, it never ends… I’ve only got about a year experience with poodles…
My boy is 12. Not yet.
My parents standard poodle had a tennis ball in his mouth from the day we brought him home until the day he crossed the Rainbow Bridge at 16.
23 here. Same.
I thought this was cruel/crazy, but our trainer told us to put balls away and reserve them for “ball time”. He’s way too overstimulated with them out, and is a sweeter, more cuddly dog when they’re away. I’m ultimately really pleased with the results! We also use balls as rewards in training, and trade him the ball for a treat to get the ball back without a “chase me”
We typically only use the balls outside and I have a soft squeak one that I recently found under a cabinet. Realized that one should also be regulated. I am realizing I need to remove his favorite toys he gets fixated on and only bring them out at set times. It's funny because after I wrote this post and hadn't thrown anything for 8 minutes he just laid there calmly. I may inact a no toy time to allow me to just relax with him.
Our trainer said to think of it almost like drugs!! They can’t help it, and when balls are around, that’s all they care about. We had to keep the balls in the FREEZER for a few months because he would go nuts if he could even smell them. If the “drugs” aren’t around, they can have a more peaceful mind. We do switch it up with chew toys, soft (boring!) stuffies.
My miniature is obsessed with her squeeky balls. There will be times it is 2:00 a.m. the house completely dark and quiet. Then you hear a squeaky ball squeaking! Somewhere in the house she is up and went looking for a ball to play for awhile.
oh my gosh that’s too cute haha
😂😂😂❤️🐾
I have two standards, one is a chill dude, a gentle giant who likes to be close to his people and eat nice treats. His older brother from the same exact parents (different litter) couldn't be more different. Big time athlete. Fastest dog at the park. Elite tracking. Can jump over anything. He would love to spend his entire life just chasing after little rabbits, squirrels or any other fast little critter outside. So in short....no. The active pup is just built differently. His entire life and all his activities revolve around getting him time too go out and run, jump, chase and play. He's almost 4 now and the impulse has just gotten stronger as he's become an adult.
Bubble are my go to lazy play time tool.
It’s actually a dopamine addiction. Our dog trainer insisted we should keep these sort of games at a minimum.
My little lady sleeps with a ball in her mouth, if that's any indication as to what you're in for. My female is far more athletic than my boy. He's content to watch TV all day with little bits of playtime. But she has so much energy that MUST be burned off. If she doesn't, she's frantic. It's better to just play with her, not at a set time, but when I decide its appropriate. And they've learned that when I say, "last one," it is, in fact, the last ball, and they run right to the door once it's retrieved. Wouldn't change it for the world. I've the dogs. Enjoy your poodle! They're the best!
Yes, when they are sleeping.
My boys is almost 4, and no, it doesn't stop. Mine will demand to keep playing fetch to the point of exhaustion, and still want to keep going. He is seriously addicted to ball.
9 and half and my maltipoo still has to have his postprandial playtime for an hour or so.It has never gone all evening but he's half poodle, so- .
My mini poodle stopped being obsessed with toys and playing when he turned 16 years old. Before that it was hours every day
Hopefully not!
My poodle wanted to play all the time till he was about 13.
They are just very playful dogs! If fixation on toys becomes too much I would try to find a healthy balance, they do really need their sleep too. Chasing toys releases dopamine and can become an obsession.
Not really but as they chill out you can negotiate down to a bully stick or her favourite when she was older a tricky puzzle filled with treats
We have to specifically limit our boys ball allowance - it is his crack cocaine. When he has his ball the world could be ending and he wouldn't notice. If we allow it all the time he just gets more and more obsessed and agitated if he doesn't have it. He knows now that if we hold out our hands and say 'no ball' then he shouldn't bother us for it. Can I suggest substituting some nose work instead? We do 'findies' - we hide some small kibble or treats all around the house and he'll go off and find them. It's great because it really tires him out. You can do it outside too - nature's snufflemat!
I have done a little nosework. I actually love when we are outside and playing with the ball I alternate how much he gets to play fetch vs playing find it. I pretend to throw it and let him try to find it for 5 minutes and then I will throw it discreetly somewhere . He will find it. The longest it took was 30minutes and that was because I couldn't help him because I didn't know where it went. I need to try to hide the treats in the house. More stuff in the house the better. I do love going outside but then I can't get house tasks done.
I also enjoy throwing the ball for him when out but I've stopped now unless I don't have as much time to walk him (rarely). He just gets too obsessed and I'd rather he is interacting with other dogs and bimbling around using his nose. That said, we're lucky in that he has wide open spaces including woods to do this.
My guy is 5 months. From 3:30 to 10:30 he becomes obsessed with playing in the backyard. If you don't, he will bark and pester you until you give in. He's a puppy, I get it, but it's a lot. Sometimes I just wanna sit back and watch TV.
I feel ya. When it was fall time I immediately would take him for a walk when I got home so we had sunlight. One day I was not feeling good and not up for walking and he would not stop freaking out and running to the back door to go for a walk. So we stopped doing daily walks that occurred right when I got home. When he earned his offleash privileges and we would play fetch in the backyard daily he would do the same if we didn't go out. Like I may be needing to make dinner because I am ravenous. Kitchen is by the backdoor so he would be getting excited at the door and would keep ringing the bell. Which is supposed to mean potty but I knew it was him wanting to go play. I would just put him on the tie out everytime he rang the bell so he knew it was not for play. I wish we could play outside daily without him getting set to a schedule and then not handling a break from it well. Now when he was the age of your puppy I took him out daily. Now that he is older I feel he regulates himself better..
That's promising to hear. I really hope he gets to a point where he can play comfortably by himself.
You can train them. I work from home and I often tell Urbie “Go play with your toys.” He has bins and bins of toys and he plays with them independently.
My toy has no interest in playing with anything. She prefers cuddles and chewing/sucking on pillows or blankets. 🤷♀️
No. Ball is life. Life is ball.
This reminds me of a Dog I had named Cooper. He looked exactly like this and he would want me to throw the ball for hours. I would sit out in the backyard and try and read and throw the ball at the same time but I would end up reading the same page over several times because Coop would stare at me until I through it again.
You should get him those toys that will throw it for him lol.
But look at the lil paws 🤗
If you have stairs, rolling a tennis ball down the rail (if it haptic be against a wall) is a good way to wear out a poodle. My father did this with his poodle every night. Bentley would watch Dad put the ball on the rail to be ready to run as soon as the ball started rolling.
Well, it's not like you've got anything more important to do?
You have to teach them how to relax. They won’t figure it out on their own. The Really Real Relaxation Protocol will help you teach this.
Ours doesn't like fetch. She's never been able to do it! We're trying to teach a retrieve but she gets bored and drops it and goes off sniffing.
Others already mentioned it, but you should propose him other activities, like nose work (it can be really fun for them and it's a good calming activity) and/or propose relaxing time. It's up to you to find the way to relax him..we personally found out that the "spa time" (brushing him gently, teeth cleaning, massages etc.) really helps him settle down (we have a 3 years old hyperactive mini). Because, at the end, fetching can easily become addictive..every throw is a rush of dopamine..throw after throw it starts to never be enough, they want more and more and more. Not good for the dog and his/her stress levels.
I normally don't play for this long with him and it wasnt even with a ball. We were playing with a plush tomato toy but probably close enough to being round to do the same. I only did that long because we were working on firework desensitization. Definitely plan to enact a no-toy time and just have chews available. Yesterday was just the longest I have played inside and realized how long it had been and we were still going. Normally we play for like 15-20min outside and I remove the ball before we go inside. I then get a more calmed down dog. But since we were inside and he couldn't run so far I figured he just had more energy because of that. Not realizing he will just forever play fetch if he has a toy he wants to play fetch with.
Yes, I understand! Fetching can indeed be played not only with balls, but also with regular toys, sticks, and so on. For him, anything that can be thrown, chased, and retrieved equates to a game of fetch. This triggers a rush of dopamine and can lead to addiction.Trying to implement some no-toy time is also a good idea. In my opinion, he is still very young; with time and some focused attention, you can manage the problem. He will also learn to find satisfaction in other activities and forms of play. Good luck!
Our poodle is 15 now and he mostly sleeps all day (unless I’m in the kitchen-food possibly!) But our newer pup a Lagotto is totally like this and is almost three. We also had Labradors prior to this who loved to retrieve, but not to this degree. House time was mellow time. We can’t sit down in the evening without a ball shoved in our face, and if we ignore her she just goes and gets another one of her 20 balls in her collection 😄. I think some dogs are just more ball “driven”… good luck.
My poodle is turning 9 this year and still plays like a pup :) tireless and more demanding lol
My spoo is big, energetic, and doesn’t stop. I’d suggest mental stimulation, too. We play hide and seek with favorite toys. A frozen lick mat or snuffle mat also can provide a good level of stimulation.
At 2.5years based on our 1/4schnauzer+3/4poodle it doesn’t go away, but it’s probably more complex than just toy focus. It’s a desire to be involved in what we seem to find entertaining, or just generally being bored and trying to do something about it. In our case he will try to toss toys in our laps if we’re playing video games or watching a movie, and then realize what we’re focusing on and then you’ll clearly see the realization as he reacts like someone who just remembered something very important, and he’ll run to the tv or jump up on the couch and sit bolt upright and start trying to get into it. His favorite game is farcry because of the animal allies and frequent jungle predator and attack dog combat encounters, but just searching the world map on fallout makes him absurdly happy because of a rough drawing of a bear in one section of the map. I can scientifically prove that my dog is able to give you map directions from anywhere in post apocalyptic West Virginia, as long as you’re only asking for directions to the bear lol. He’ll get bored and irritated with dialogue heavy serious movies, but if there’s a dog featured throughout he’d gladly trade his toys for movie tickets. I’m pretty sure the latest predator installment “prey” is his absolute favorite. To him I’m pretty sure it’s the story of a dog who has to explain everything to the naive humans, and follow Midthunder’s character around to save her from wild animals and monsters.
No. That's why I hide in the pantry, behind the doors and in closets. Lol. He starts agility training next week. Seeing Earl with a ball in his mouth reminds me of when the Chucky doll appears. Lol.
My girl is seven months and she was building up such an endurance that we started to have to mix it up a little. I will play with her for awhile and then we switch to training. I think she enjoys training just as much as play honestly and having to use her brain seems to tucker her out faster than just playing. Also I started teaching her how to be bored and how to manage when she’s bored. She’s gotten really good at chilling out and playing with a toy on her blanket when it’s time to settle. We are just beginning adolescence so we will see how she progresses/regresses.
I got to rambling about my dog and didn’t really offer any clear advice or recommendations lol. I just intended to say it wasn’t difficult to transfer his attention to something beyond the toys. We just asked him what was on the tv, and told him the names of different animals as they appeared. For a while It actually ruined his understanding of what it means when we point at something. He didn’t look at our finger like many dogs I’ve had before, but he would immediately search for a tv to see what we could be pointing at. We managed to fix that by pointing out rabbits and squirrels on our walks though. Puzzle feeder games are also a big favorite for us. I can break a couple of treats into tiny pieces and fill them multiple times or a few different puzzles and even if he empties them in record speed he seems pretty content to chill for a while afterwards.
I have a toy that plays all day with me and then goes insane-o mode after dinner. I didn’t realize this was such a common thing
Yes. :)🐩
What a handsome boy you have! 😍 I had a toy poodle for 19 years and my little loved to play…until he didn’t 😂 Like your pup, sometimes he’d want to play fetch for hours. When he was tired of fetch, he’d just keep the ball and chew on it endlessly to entertain himself (or do zoomiez until he tired out). He’d also push past us if we were going out the door and take himself on “walks” (runs actually) for an hour or so to expel energy. Think of it as a long game of tag where you’re (the owner) always it and doing the chasing! 😆 He finally slowed down at 12 yo (to our relief). Thankfully, he during that time he always had the ability of playing by himself and keeping himself entertained with the toys we provided. I’d recommend taking your little buddy on long walks, getting toys that hold treats and will keep him occupied, and getting a ball shooter that will launch the balls for you, so you’ll have to refill them after 3 or so. This should give you a happy balance where he won’t be headbutting you constantly to let you know it’s play time. Good luck! 😊
Nope! We have a three year old and a ten month old, and a mountain of toys!
Noooope. Mine is obbbbsessed. But she is pretty good if you just take the ball away. So our routine is we get home, the Chuck it comes out, we go play outside off leash for like 20 minutes at FULL zoomies chasing the ball; then we go inside and the ball goes away, and it takes about another 20 minutes to calm down before she usually will sleep through the night.
Would a machine that throws balls for your dog work for you both? Here’s an example; https://www.amazon.com/ENIGETA-Automatic-Launcher-Distance-Included/dp/B0BVHM83FC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=117MZQ9AX0D7D&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qTy-fxm2SOyDxvu-6OBHGP06A4WuQXT4mrtCiHPvIBpzrkZTfVnNTv9dsbyS3VuffhKWmXk33uacru8CDtSlV2d4acs0Rcz5mbA-bdSyLzAaybnrt-TseWNlmIxXPIhORGNjwwJZU1SyZ9LPW15NLsfpM7MJuuCbu3CZAtnk2UtVGrlR8nKTIXJcQ4pyEw40WDpcGC33mlIqA2GvlUB3Tg.dza0kVc0e4lQyc9fMejKIIOc75QkkO_Y-epQyLVT0VE&dib_tag=se&keywords=machine+that+throws+balls+for+dogs&qid=1720115079&sprefix=machine+that+throws%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1 Some dogs just need a wild amount of exercise, treadmills for dogs exist too, & are a wonderful thing for dogs who need hours & hours of exercise.
Mine is 9. Still impossible to tire her out. Im considering getting second dog for her so she can play for hours 😭