Luke and Abbys Mom Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 How does a BC know when he/she has found a ball? It boggles my mind how Luke KNOWS when he has a ball no matter the shape the ball is in... He doesn't pick up garbage or rags or anything, but always find balls whether they are good balls or deflated soccer balls or ruined tennis balls... I was out at a pasture I rent the other day where I DON'T take balls so I know they wern't Luke's, but he came out of the bushed with a dead soccer ball so I took it away and he came back with a ripped up tennis ball.... So how in the heck do they KNOW those are balls?????? and those aren't the first time he has came back with a ruined ball so it's not a fluke.. I just don't understand how he knows they are balls.. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I think it's smell. It is for Ben. Our yard is covered in black walnut fruits. With the husk, they are the exact size adn color of tennis balls and almost perfectly round. You'd think the dogs would be crazy for them. None of them care about them. I do know some dogs who just pick up anything at all and try to get you to play fetch, and some who will pick up anything round, or anything roughly ball-sized. None of mine are like that though - it has to be touched by a person first to be interesting, and the more smell it does or can pick up, the better (so they prefer soft balls to plastic or rubber ones, for instance). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiegirl Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 the same way my pup knows what a shoe is. she also knows if it's on the floor, it's up for dibs. she's tall enough to reach a shoe on the chair....but she chooses one on the floor cuz she knows from the floor is off limits. they're super logical, it seems. believe you me........if it's in the laundry basket or on any chair or table in the house, she won't touch it--now. but, on the floor...it's hers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Well, gee whiz, they ARE the smartest dogs in the world! LOL It never ceases to amaze me the discrimanant (sp?) abilities of these dogs! Skip, Lucy, and Missy know it's okay to tear up paper plates after licking off the the left over food, but NEVER tear up the kids' papers. The kids have any manner of different toys laying around, yet they never chew them. But they will get their toys, no matter the condition of them. It is mind boggling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Good question. I have no idea. Dazzle found half a ball of some kind (not a tennis ball) and yet sure enough, she knew that it was (or at least used to be) a ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKB Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Ingrid goes for the walnuts. But to be fair, to Ingrid, the whole world's a toy. For example, we went to the store to so she could select a birthday present on saturday, and she saw this little chihuahua. And she got this look on her face that said, "I'm going to pick that up Mama. I'm going to pick that up and squeak it." We did not permit her to do so, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesqf Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 How does a BC know when he/she has found a ball? How do YOU know it's a ball? A more interesting question is how (and why) my neghbors' dog (who seems to live for stick-chasing) will, out in the woods with literally thousands of sticks to choose from, search until he finds the particular stick that you've thrown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie_Dog Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Ingrid goes for the walnuts. But to be fair, to Ingrid, the whole world's a toy. For example, we went to the store to so she could select a birthday present on saturday, and she saw this little chihuahua. And she got this look on her face that said, "I'm going to pick that up Mama. I'm going to pick that up and squeak it." We did not permit her to do so, of course. lmao, I love that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Kipp loves balls, but isn't picky about what type of a ball. If he's excited and has nothing else to play with he runs out to the apple trees and brings me an apple to throw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berocca Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Haha Maralynn that sounds like Charlie. If no ball/tugtoy/squeakytoy is present then he will find something else to drop at my feet until I eventually agree to throw it. We end up having games of fetch with soda cans, empty water bottles, rocks, sticks, etc. He also wont chew pigs ears/trotters etc unless you ignore him for at least 10-15 mins. Otherwise they are simply fetching toys and not at all edible. Kongs are absolutely useless to him as food unless he is in his crate or sees you walk out the gate. Some of the other things I can think of off the top of my head are shoes, plastic bowls, a spoon, one of my bras (I was in the shower mind you), the newspaper, my hair clip, and my favorite of all- the red bucket that we use to collect the returned tennis balls at flyball (we hadnt started so it was empty... he figured why wait for the ball, the bucket will suffice). He isnt picky about who throws it either. He had us in stitches last night when I had to call into my mums house after flyball. He got annoyed that the lovebird wouldnt throw the ball, so he tried the heater. Later, he dropped it in front of a vase and lay down staring at it, willing the vase to throw it lol. I think I may just have a boofhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Ouzo can find a ball in the middle of the desert, burried deep in the sand. This summer, when we went to my sister in law in Montreal, he managed to find at least 3 or 4 more or less decomposing balls that had been left in the dense bushes sourounding the yard, apparently left there by the previous neighbours who lived there more than 15 years ago !!!!!!! And of course those were THE BEST balls ever, if you asked him! Luckily we managed to loose the last remaning fosiled ball a couple of weeks ago when we met Rockstar at the dog park And not only Ouzo found that ball attractive, it was all the dogs in the park that seem to magically be attracted by THAT blue rubber ball! He is good at loosing balls at the dog park, but even better at finding others. All I have to ask him is to "Find a ball" and there he goes, tail up and wagging (he wags his tail like crazy when he's searching for an object) and then he triumphantly comes with a ball. I've tried to fool him by throwing apples or some other round objects, but he just gives me this "You're dumb, woman!" look that makes me go find a ball instead We often hide his rubber/tennis balls in the house and he finds them in seconds, following the smell. No matter how deep we shoved them in bags or on bookshelves, it takes him 30-60 seconds to find them, then he sits in front of the target and gives you desperate looks to please, please, please release his beloved ball! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie&MeBC Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 It got me thinking about BCs. How do we know a BC when we see one? They are different shapes, colors, and sizes, but quite recognizable. Or dogs in general who can differ in size by 100 + pounds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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