Fetch is a fun game to play with your dog. It provides them with a healthy dose of exercise as they chase and retrieve a ball. However, too much ball play isn’t good. The stopping, turning, and jumping that they do can be hard on your pet’s legs and strain their joints. Also, playing fetch requires a wide open space like a park or backyard, especially if you have a large and energetic pup. If you don’t have access to such a place or if it’s too hot to play outside, then playing fetch isn’t an option. You’ll need to come up with other ideas to entertain your tennis ball-loving pet.
Before you begin, make sure to use balls that are specially designed for dogs, like these customizable dog tennis balls. Compared to ordinary tennis balls, these ones can take the strength of your dog’s powerful jaws and won’t easily split open. At the same time, they’re soft and rubbery enough for your dog to comfortably carry them in their mouth.
There are plenty of ways you can incorporate the yellow, bouncy ball into engaging activities that can give your pet a good workout without straining them. If you want to change up your dog’s playtime, here are six new tennis ball games to try with them:
Digging Game
The digging box game is a fun outdoor activity and a healthy outlet for your dog’s digging instincts. It is also a form of exercise, as the game engages your pet’s forelimbs.
In your backyard, prepare a sandbox or a large basin filled with sand. Then, bury small dog balls or other PrideBites dog toys in the sand. You can expose parts of the toys to give your dog a clue about what’s hiding underneath. Let your pet explore the sandbox and watch them dig through it to find all the hidden surprises.
Remember to give your dog some tasty dog treats each time they find a toy. It will help encourage them to keep digging through the sand and finding all the buried toys.
Ball-Bobbing Game
Dogs can feel overheated during warm days. Incorporating water into their playtime can turn it into a cool and refreshing experience for your pup. One way to do this is to organize a ball-bobbing game for your furry friend.
Fill a shallow basin with water and grab a bag of pet-friendly tennis balls. Place the balls in the basin and encourage your dog to pick them out. They can enjoy splashing the water as they fish out the balls, and you can toss the balls back into the water after your pup retrieves them. It’s best to set this up outdoors to lessen the mess and have dry towels ready to dry off your dog afterwards.
Find the Ball
If you’re looking for an exciting indoor game to play with your pet, “find the ball” is a good choice. Get several boxes large enough to hide your pet’s tennis ball. As your pup is watching, put one ball under one of the boxes. Shuffle the boxes and encourage your pet to pick the box where the ball is by pawing or nudging their choice. You can help your pet by pointing to the correct box. Once they nudge the box, uncover it to reveal the ball.
Start the game again and help your pet once in a while until they get the hang of the game. Also, make sure to give your pet lots of praise or reward them with treats each time they find the hidden ball.
Muffin Ball
Aside from entertaining your pup, you can also use playtime to strengthen their sense of smell. For the muffin ball game, you will need a regular muffin or cupcake tray used for baking and enough tennis balls to fill the wells in the pan. Place several dog treats in some of the wells while leaving the others empty. Then, put a tennis ball in each of the spaces so that the treats and bottom of the tray are covered. Your dog’s goal is to sniff out which cup has a treat and unearth the tasty reward under the balls.
Busy Box Game
Enrichment activities are good for stimulating your dog’s brain. An easy one that you can do at home is to organize a box filled with your dog’s favorite items. This is also a fun way to present new and old toys to your pet.
Take a cardboard box, a few dog treats, and some of your pet’s toys. Make sure to have different kinds of toys, such as tennis balls, chew toys, plush dog toys, and beer can dog toys, to keep the selection interesting for your pet. Then, scatter the treats in the box and add the toys. Once you have this prepared, let your pup go through the box and enjoy the treats and toys as they like.
While fetch is a fun game to play with your pet, there are other exciting activities that you can do with their favorite yellow bouncy ball. If you want to add variety to your dog’s playtime, try any of these other tennis ball games. Introducing your pet to these new activities will keep them happy and entertained and sharpen their minds and senses as well.