# If Another Tennis Ball Goes Under the Couch....



## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I just might need a new couch that goes all the way to the floor.....................UGH. So annoying. SO ANNOYING!

Elsa loves her tennis balls. Up until a few weeks ago, it's always been just an occasional one that goes under the couch. But lately....it ALL THE TIME. It's got to be 4 times an hour...every day!

Even though there are about 5 million tennis balls in the house. NO...she has to get THAT ball back. If you don't get it...say hello to some more scratches on the hardwood...

I really want to cry if I have to get on my hands and knees one more time today to get a tennis ball....


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

I dont know about you, but I think my Ava does it on purpose to see me try to get under there.... I use the broom handle now....but there are three under my couch now and two under the china hutch..........and they will sit there for a little bit too....


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

Sage does the same thing, I have wood floors and eventually something ends up under the couch. I also think they do it on purpose...like when babies play the "i drop it you pick it up" game


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I swear it's on purpose to. It's STARE. WHINE. SCRATCH. STARE. WHINE. SCRATCH.

Then when I finally get down there...*nose, nose*...hurry up, WOMAN!! Get a move on it!!

5 minutes later..."oops! oh shucks, now how did THAT happen again?!"

If it wasn't for the obsessive scratching I'd probably let it sit there too.

And I swear she knows I'm typing about her. SHe's just sitting on the bed with the tennis ball in her mouth giving me the "oh...you just wait lady...you just wait...." look.


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## UConnGSD (May 19, 2008)

*Re: If Another Tennis Ball Goes Under the Couch...*

They love using the "under the couch" area as goalposts, don't they







Wolfie will soccer kick the tennis ball right in, scratch vigorously in the carpet for a bit and then sit and stare at me, so that I can just stop whatever I am doing and go get his ball.


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## Martie (Jun 3, 2008)

Luther does that, too. Drives us NUTS! If I settle on the couch to watch a movie, invariably that #%#%@ cuz goes under it and I have to unwrap the blanket - get up and get the @%#$ thing. When I'm really needing a time-out, I pick up the toys and it's dog-chill-out time.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Camper used to do this. He'd wait for me to play with him and his Cuz. If I was too busy (or didn't feel like it), he'd look right at me, then the Cuz would dive under the sofa. Then Camper would try to plunge under the sofa after it, digging, digging, digging.... til I finally got it for him. 

Then we'd go through the whole thing again...

Sigh... 

Now that he's gone, I'd do anything to deal with that "problem" again.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

It's a game, under the end/cocktail tables. I have a back scratcher to push the toys out....we play this whenever I am sitting down in the living room. If I don't get them out a whinefest begins~I think it is a GSD thing!!


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

Yup, we have the same issue. When we buy new furniture, we have the discussion of which balls can make it under there. We just bought a recliner loveseat and was very happy it went all the way to the ground... until of course, you put your feet up... that's when Siena wants to play "hide the ball". Or you don't know it's there and try to close the recliner and it won't. I fished out 3 of them the other day as Siena was collecting (saving?) them. guess we need bigger ones that don't roll... then they wouldn't be a ball, would they.

They know how to work us, don't they... ha ha ha


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## MJF (Dec 30, 2008)

so funny, I thought Trip was alone in this obsession. He does it on purpose, I've watched him force a toy (I had to squeeze it to get it out) under the entertainment stand, he also looks right at me while pushing balls under there then he waits for me to fish them out.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark puts it under the couch, behind the tables, anywhere where he knows he has to "work" to get it or where he has to get me to get it.

Get a box, cut some holes big enough for the ball and paw and head (all different sizes) put the ball in the box.. it's like a puzzle.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: elisabeth_00117Stark puts it under the couch, behind the tables, anywhere where he knows he has to "work" to get it or where he has to get me to get it.
> 
> Get a box, cut some holes big enough for the ball and paw and head (all different sizes) put the ball in the box.. it's like a puzzle.


What an awesome idea!!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

My terrier taught himself how to open the footrest of the Lazy-boy recliners when I was too slow getting the squeaky ball back after he threw it under there. Luckily for me he was small enough that he could get it out from under the couch on his own, so I only had to rescue it when he played in the bedrooms and the ball went behind a bed.


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## janisinsc (Aug 26, 2009)

I am afrraid if I try the box idea that Gustav will just tear it open! lol But I have taught him to sit when his ball goes under furniture and wait for me. But he was not always good about it. Now he understands that I won't help if he pushes and that Mom gets mad when something breaks or spills. After numerous spilled drinks (trying to push an end table) to getting my feet knocked in the floor (pushing the footstool) and the worse....breaking my hubbie's dos equis light (OH NO damage in the man cave!) he is getting the idea! But isn't it horrible...the size of those dust bunnies when you run something under furniture for those balls. Or am I the only bad one?


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Otto is the same way and ther'es no peace if his ball is under the couch. Some nights, he pretends it's under there, pesters me, I go fishing around under there with the yard stick only to find it's on the other side of the room - where he put it. 

It's a game, a very annoying game.

Oh and if you had a couch that went almost all the way to the floor, they'd figure out how to jam a 3" ball into the 2" clearance - been there, been annoyed by that.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark does tear some of the boxes, but who cares - it's just cardboard - get a new one.

Atleast they are occupied, using their brains and having fun right?

Stark has actually had one box (harder cardboard) for a few days now, he loves putting the ball in the holes and trying to get it out... lol. Sometimes he even play bounces at it.. lol.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

When a ball goes under our couch, forget it, I aint gettin it. We finally moved our couch away from the wall to clean under it, it's been 4 years since we did this..., and there were tennis balls from 06, how do we know, there was a newspaper from that time wrapped around them some how, lol. Balls now are put up when they aren't played with.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why don't you get some balls that
won't fit under the couch????


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## rokanhaus (Mar 20, 2006)

Yep, game here as well. they love to get it stuck to try and get it out, or make me get it for them with that soulful "help me" look. Even the cats play this game with their cat toys.

I DEFINITELY always go couch shopping with a tennis ball. It can be no higher than "this" off the floor.

If couch shopping is not an option....you can easily build a frame for under the couch that will keep out the toys.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

LOL Kandi, you're taking this seriously! When I went couch shopping, the one with the leather skirt caught my eye. No more vacuuming the dog hair off it every week - cuz it doesn't stick! 

Hmm a cardboard box... my kids would play with it.


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## TitonsDad (Nov 9, 2009)

Titon is NOTORIOUS for doing this with his Bully Sticks. You think a ball is hard to get? Try finding bully sticks behind couches. He likes to throw them like dead rabbits, which ends up hidden somewhere and then he plays his crying game and thinks they disappeared into the carpet.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

That's what I miss about Doerak, if one of his toys went under the couch, all 75 pounds of him would be squeezing under there to get it back. My current two dogs just stare at me and wait for me to get it for them.


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## Vio79 (Dec 29, 2009)

Max does the same thing with his bouncy balls. Especially when we're trying to eat a meal. He'll stand right next to the couch chewing it and then drop it - and almost every time it rolls under. Then he'll look up at us and wait for one of us to get down and bring it out. When it goes under the coffee table, he'll sometimes try and get it himself, which is always fun to watch. He's inventive in the ways he wriggles under there. 

The minute we stand up with it, he'll take off down the hall, expecting us to throw it. 

He likes to dribble the ball too - and when he does that, it inevitably ends up under a couch.

I like that box idea though - we'll have to try it. Max always had fun figuring out how to open a shoe box to get to treats.


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## TxRider (Apr 15, 2009)

Hope always has several balls under the sofa.

Just as well she loses them there as eating them.

She'll pop one in half, strip the fuzz and leave a pile of fuzz and little rubber pieces in about 30 minutes if I leave her with one.

Luckily they are free to me as the city has about 8-9 courts right down the street.

So if they don't get lost under the sofa, I have to take em away.

She'll lay down and stick her paws and head under, whine, circle the sofa and try different sides, but so far she doesn't chew or scratch the sofa.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

TxRider, I started buying the toughballs type, Ava does the same thing with a tennis ball, these last at least a week before I have to take them away.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Hello, my name is Otto and I was addicted to tennis balls










The ball in the air is called a 'grass ball'. It's the same size and bounce as a tennis ball. They're made by JW Pet, last a long time. He plays with that ball for hours every day, it's like a year old and while some of the nubs are missing, it's still going strong.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

Hahaha, LOVE [email protected]


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## Liljah (Jan 20, 2008)

How about this one....

Shane will manage to get a ball stuck in some wacky spot and of course there is no one around to get the ball for him. But a German Shepherd never forgets, he will come back HOURS after he left the ball in it's spot. He will stand there crying, and staring and pointing in the spot and of course I saw "Shane, there is no toy there, stop that." And of course he looks at me to say "yes it is, I left it there!" So I bend over to look, with of course, Shane right at my backside nose in my ear, and sure enough, there is some ball or toy located in the most obnoxious spot. How does he remember!! I can't remember where I leave my keys half the time!


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Renji purposely will stuff toys under the recliner, then stuff himself UNDER the recliner to try to fish out the toy. When he cannot reach it, it's a whinefest you wouldn't believe. Drama llama!


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## WesF (Apr 17, 2009)

Thankfully tennis balls wont fit under my couch but they sure do fit under the entertainment center. There are always at least 3-4 balls under there. When I try to get them out he is always sticking his face in mine and trying to push me along.


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## hecarleton (Aug 14, 2005)

Had that problem too. Finally made a wooden fence that just fit under the couch and put it behind the skirt. Can't see it and keeps balls out. Took a few nose bumps before light bulb came on that you can't push ball under no more.


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