Why do dogs love tennis balls so much!?

A Dog’s Best Friend Is A Tennis Ball!

Tennis balls are a classic, time-tested toy for dogs that can provide hours of fun and excitement for your pup. A simple game of fetch is great fun for a dog, it will improve their fitness and also build an unbreakable bond of trust and friendship with their owner. There is something rather magical about the special connection between canines and human beings. That loyal bond of love and affection that once established lasts a lifetime. Spending quality time with one another is the best way to strengthen this beautiful connection. Playing fetch with your dog is an extremely enjoyable experience for them, and seeing them so happy can be enjoyable for you too. Most dogs would do anything for a game of fetch, what a joy it is to see that happy gleam in their eyes as they spot a tennis ball! Countless dogs find the colourful fuzzy globes so addictive they will do absolutely anything to chase one. Tennis balls bounce erratically, fit perfectly between most jaws and are so much safer than that other dog toy staple, the stick. They are perhaps the most fun and versatile dog toys available, and have been popular for generations of pets. But beyond this perfect way to exercise, bond and play, what is it about the tennis ball that makes them so irresistible to our four-legged friends?

Where Does The Instinct For Dogs To Chase A Ball Come From?

In order to better understand why dogs like tennis balls so much we need to take a trip back into their ancestral past. Their instinct to chase and retrieve dates back to ancient times. We need only look at the dog’s oldest relative the wolf to learn get insight into our pet’s behaviour. The wolf’s instinct is to bring back their prey to their den to feed their pack, and this behaviour is still deeply recessed within our domesticated dogs. If you throw a ball for your furry friend its erratic movements mimic those of the prey their wolf ancestors used to hunt and kill, and even though dogs have been domesticated for centuries these instincts are still very much alive. Chasing things, hunting and retrieving is in their DNA as a means for survival. This is why your dog will often shake it’s head after catching a tennis ball, this side to side movement is a neck-breaking device designed to kill a small animal. In addition, that furry layer of felt on the tennis balls also resembles the skin of the wild creature, further adding to it’s doggie irresistibility.

But it’s also true that some dogs love to fetch more than others, and or course, in generations gone by certain types of dogs have been bred to be exceptional in this type of behaviour. We therefore find many breeds that still fully display a predatory drive because this instinct has been selected through years and years of breeding and has become ingrained in their personalities. Humans started domesticating dogs 15,000 years ago, and while we have bred out the instinct to bite and kill from the dog, there are breeds where retrieval has been absolutely perfected in order to assist their owners. Labradors have been bred to immaculately retrieve fowl and spaniels are exceptional at locating and flushing our birds from bushes.

But of course times have changed and very few dogs are used for hunting these days. With no animals to chase or retrieve, dogs and owners have found different activities as an outlet for this predatory drive, and chasing a tennis ball has to be the number one game! The movement of a tennis ball is especially unpredictable and erratic, cleverly mirroring the movement of cornered prey, and so this very basic instinct is replicated. While dogs are aware that balls are not rabbits or ducks the act of chasing it mimics that activity they have been so expertly bred to enjoy.

Why Is Fetch So Enjoyable For Your Dog?

There is of course another reason why dogs love a good game of fetch, it is simply fun! When they chase the ball and return it to their master they have accomplished a deed and this gives them pleasure. Returning a ball to you is a reward for them, just as accomplishing a goal for us makes us feel satisfied. According to dog psychology experts, a game of fetch stimulates the reward regions of their brain, quite simply, playing just feels good!

Your dog loves quality time with you their master, playing fetch gives them the perfect opportunity to have some one-to-one time together with their favourite person in the world. It’s a great opportunity to strengthen master and hound bonds and also achieve better results when training your dog to behave in many other ways.

Why Do Dogs Love Tennis Balls More Than Other Balls?

Playing with a tennis ball that can bounce in many directions will get your dog excited and help them connect to nature. Dogs love tennis balls as they are the perfect size to be held comfortably in their mouth and they have a wonderful springy texture that enduces them to bite down and enjoy the ball as it springs back up again.

The felt on a tennis balls means that they get a very personal scent from the dogs mouth too, and they can smell that it’s their very own ball.

And as we have explained earlier the erratic nature of the tennis ball bounce mimics their ancestors prey while the felt give the appearance of animal ‘skin’.

Can Fetch Ever Be Bad For Dogs?

Playing fetch is a rewarding game for you and your dog and is highly encouraged, however please be aware of a few health concerns when using a ball with your dog. In moderation, ball throwing is great to engage your dog physically and mentally, but it’s important that you ensure you do not play for too long. Be particularly careful to keep your ball games down to half an hour for breeds that have a tendency for leg injuries, such as Labrador., Overplay can lead to muscle strain and more serious ligament injury.

Many owners will agree, dogs can occasionally love their balls just a little too much! A fetch-obsessed dog may stare at their ball endlessly and beg to play, and even experience anxiety if you take the ball away. If you have any worries about your dog’s behaviour we would always encourage you to make an appointment with a dog trainer who will have methods to help your dog to relax and focus on others things.

How Do I Teach My Dog To Play Fetch?

Some dogs will be natural ball fetcher from the get go, others will need encouragement. Motivate your dog to fetch by using lots of verbal praise and treats as a reward for a successful retrieval. The sooner you engage your new puppy with the game the more likely you will be to have a grown dog that adores playing fetch.

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