21/08/2026
THE BALL THROWER 🎾
A huge bugbear of mine.
We’ve all seen that dog.
Tongue hanging out. White spit around its mouth. Completely wiped out. Eyes on stalks. Yet still staring desperately at the ball waiting for you to throw it again.
That’s not a dog simply “loving his ball”. He’s highly aroused, completely fixated and caught in a repetitive cycle that we’ve helped create.
We throw. He chases. He brings it back. We throw again. And again. And again.
The dog learns that this is the game we want to play and becomes incredibly driven to keep it going long after his body could really do with stopping.
Meanwhile he’s repeatedly sprinting, twisting, braking and turning at speed, often completely oblivious to what his body is telling him.
I’m not anti-ball. Throw it occasionally.
And when your dog is exhausted but still demanding *just one more throw*, don’t mistake that intensity for enjoyment.
Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is say **that’s enough**.
**Leave the ball thrower at home — or even better, put it in the bin. 🎾🗑️**
