Hey all, I just wanted to tell you about a nifty toy I discovered tonight (I work the night shift, so where I am in the states, even though it's 6:30 am, it's still "tonight" in my mind). I was just browsing at Wal-mart, since it's my night off, and found a glow in the dark ball. I tested it to make sure it was light and bouncy, because Annie doesn't like heavy balls. I thought it would make a fun toy for both of us-- I say "us" because playing a game of fetch with Annie means I get as much exercise as she does-- she fetches the ball, and then it turns into a game of tag as I fetch her lol!
But I also discovered a use for the ball as a training tool, since it turns out I hit on a toy Annie likes a lot-- at one point in our walk through the park, I had picked the ball up and started walking again (we had just had game of fetch & tag in the soccer field). Well, Annie wanted the ball back. I wanted to walk a bit. So I used the ball as a lure at my side, and asked her to "heel," praising her as she kept at my side. If she ran ahead of me, I stopped, called her, "Annie come!" Praised her again, when she returned to my side, continued to hold the ball out as a lure/marker, while saying "heel," and thus we walked this way until we reached the next soccer field, where I was able to reward her with another game of tag. It worked so much better than treats-- which I've tried, with some difficulty (mostly "operator error" lol)!
Also-- you've all probably figured this out already, but just in case... the reason this glow in the dark ball is such a hit, is that I always walk Annie after dark-- on my nights off, it could be at 3:00 am, and we've got the whole park to ourselves, but fetch/tag is difficult, because we always lose our toys. It was also cool, because Annie herself is a bit difficult to see in the dark, but there's this glow in the dark ball, ha! And of course, I've got a flashlight, so I can turn it on and off to help her glimpse me-- kind of like "marco-polo," fetch, and tag all rolled into one! It's actually good exercise for us both.
Glow in the dark ball
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No, her collar isn't reflective, but I did see some reflective collars at the store. I've been wanting to get her one, but our budget is a bit tight right now-- hubby's work has been slowing down alarmingly-- and the reflective collars were a good deal more money than the ordinary. So far, it isn't much of a problem. I only let her off-leash in areas where no cars are permitted (such as the park), and when we walk on leash, I have a flashlight so motorists can see us.
As for treats in my pockets: Since I walk after dark, It isn't really practical. My pockets are full of other stuff I need, like cell phone, stopwatch, chapstick, kleenex, poo bags, etc. And one hand has the leash, and the other hand has the flashlight, so it is really hard to dole out treats without dropping stuff all over. Fortunately, Annie does respond well to praise, since she is a "pleaser."
As for treats in my pockets: Since I walk after dark, It isn't really practical. My pockets are full of other stuff I need, like cell phone, stopwatch, chapstick, kleenex, poo bags, etc. And one hand has the leash, and the other hand has the flashlight, so it is really hard to dole out treats without dropping stuff all over. Fortunately, Annie does respond well to praise, since she is a "pleaser."
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- Posts: 214
- Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:08 pm
- Location: Middlesex West London
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- Posts: 3874
- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:31 am
- Location: A little gambling town in the high desert
Actually, I do have a waistpack which I wear sometimes. It's nifty because it also has two water holders on it, so I can carry water for both myself, and Annie (I taught her to drink from a sports bottle). I haven't been using it so much in the winter (it can cause some strain on the lower back to carry extra weight around your waist), but in the summer I absolutely have to. I've also tried wearing a camel pack-- a backpack with a hydration pouch. But if I need to get anything out of it, like Annie's bottle, for example, I have to stop and take it off, then put it back on again-- it's a bit of a nuisance. However... one good thing about the added weight in that case, is that the more weight you carry, the more calories/fat you burn!
The Glow In The Dark Ball
I have a Boxer, she's 9 (in human years) I got her one of those balls, and she was horrified! She didn't know what to do with it. So, I tried to play with it, so she'd want to play with it, but, she wouldn't go near the thing.
Eric