The Best Dog Toy Ever Invented - God Was Thinking of the Dog When He Invented…
Posted By Ryan O'Meara Date: 19/05 Posted Under: Canine Columns…the humble tennis ball.
Think about it.
This IS the best dog toy ever invented. Nothing comes close.
It’s shaped perfectly to fit in a dog’s mouth, even down to the natural curvature of the dog’s front teeth.
It bounces and rolls and can be tracked when it ends up in long grass.
It has a natural fur outer cover but can also attract the scent of other items it comes into contact with as well as the scent of the thrower’s hand.
It floats.
It fits in the pocket.
It can be thrown great distances with relative lack of effort.
It is robust and can survive the harshest treatment.
Even young puppies can pick them up.
They are cheap, cheap, cheap to buy and easy to replace.
They make a unique sound when bounced. A sound dogs find easy to recognise.
They are green so are great for hiding in grassy areas and making the dog work hard to find them.
They can be hollowed out and treats placed inside them for additional excitement.
The tennis ball is unmatched as a dog toy, training device and doggy joy bringer.
Cherish it. No need to search for the most expensive dog toys or training gear or canine entertainment centre’s when you have a dog who loves tennis balls.
Some tips:
1) Don’t let dogs play unattended with a tennis ball. You will kill the magic. That’d be like letting someone travel to work every day in a formula 1 car - eventually the novelty will go and the ball will no longer have it’s magestic qualities.
2) Don’t let dogs chew or destroy the tennis ball. The tennis ball is to be treasured. It is an orb of pure mystery and should be treated as preciously as a Fabergé egg for that is how your dog shall view it if you keep their tennis ball interest in tact.
3) Introduce puppies to the joys of the tennis ball early in life. It will pay off later.
4) Never be without one. An emergency tennis ball is, in many cases, as useful as a distress flare on a sinking ship.
The tennis ball. The best dog toy ever invented. Fact.
Author DetailsRyan O'Meara is editor-in-chief of K9 Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for dog lovers. He lives in the East Midlands with his own two dogs, Mia and Chloe. - See this author's webpage
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Monday, May 19th, 2008 at 4:31 am and is filed under Canine Columns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I’d have to say the Kong tennis ball is better…it has a squeaker!
My Harry (my Guide Dog, liver coloured Flatcoat) has half a dozen tennis balls of his own, and he never bothers with them, find an old burst one that belonged to another dog and its a different story. The daddy of all toys for Harry is the Kong rubber frisbee he just can’t put it down.
Check with your veterinarian the true tennis ball cover fibers may be too tough for your dogs teeth. The fibers may damage it’s teeth by being too abrasive.
Please be advised that over time (playing everyday for several years) the texture/material of the tennis ball wears off the enamel of dogs teeth.
i know of 2 dogs that have died through a tennis ball becoming lodged in the throat,a border collie and a labrador,i allow my small dogs toplay with them but not my mastiffs