# Is it really safe playing ball with 10 months old GSD?



## volkeyn (Nov 25, 2015)

Pasha is 10 months unneutered male and recently very excited about the ball play. By the time we walk out, he is looking for the ball in my hand and wants to run after the ball. He doesn't know how to fetch yet, he only chases the ball like crazy with full throttle and then I have to take the ball back from him and throw again. This is the good thing to make him tired. However, the way he is running very fast and trying to grab the bouncing/rolling ball is the trouble part....I have noticed a very very slight intermittent limping on his front leg. I am not sure if that is due to his growth pain or due to the intensity of the game. Maybe he is still a puppy and doesn't know how to properly walk/run.
I read a lot of threads here about fetch games and chuckit. I am trying to be gentle and slow when I throw the ball but still he is so excited and gets crazy to catch the ball even though the ball comes to a still stop. May intense twins and turns cause any injury during the ball game? 
I don't think I would play fetch with my 6 year old son? Or let him run like crazy after a ball? Would you? IMHO natural free running and walking plus playing with other puppies are the best exercises for the puppies at least until they are 18 months old.
Just wanted to get your opinions and experiences about playing fetch or ball throw game with puppies.


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## volkeyn (Nov 25, 2015)

that's him...spoiled rotten GSD


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

My dog is super intense in play and in everything she does. So I always make sure that whenever I throw the ball, she cannot see where it lands or lies. Otherwise she would have to put on the brakes too much and very possibly injuring herself. This requires good obedience and impulse control as she has to wait until I release her verbally. If I mess up throwing and the toy lands in a dangerous spot (black berry patch (her eyes!), or on a concrete area, I can put her in a down stay and fetch the ball myself.
She is 3 years old and very obedient (not spoiled rotten, I personally hate that term) so once in a while I let her keep the toy with the command "YOURS!" and when I want it back she complies. 
BTW: some of you may remember that I had trouble with her releasing the toy a few weeks ago, but going inside, after she held on to it (only once!!), took 100% care of that one!


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## girardid (Aug 13, 2015)

also you could just use to balls. the dog will always drop his boring ball for the cool fun one bouncing around in your hands


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I have three dogs ages 19 months, 8 months, and 6 1/2 months. When they're all out playing together and get to running and chasing each other the twists, turns, sudden stops, jumping over other dogs, or if your Apollo running into other dogs. Is every bit as extreme as me throwing a ball to any of them. And Rosko the 19 month old is ball crazy. He would run head first into a wall at full speed if it meant he could snatch the ball in stride. 
I have always played fetch with my dogs even as young pups. 3-4 months old. (I just more rolled the ball and they went after it). I just always tried to avoid the sudden stops from full speed. So throw it a little higher where it bounces when it hits and they can grab it in stride and turn back with the ball. Moderation.


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## Aly (May 26, 2011)

You might try a larger, partially deflated ball, say a soccer ball or basketball. The size of the ball minimizes the likelihood of its getting stuck in the dog's jaws or (worse yet) throat. More to your concern, because the ball is partially deflated, it's not going to roll about/bounce as quickly as a fully inflated ball would do; the resulting chase and "capture" seems less frenzied in consequence. My girl Rachel is pretty intense about balls, so I came up with this to manage things a little more safely. It's working well for us...so far (and now I hope I haven't jinxed us by saying that!). 

Aly


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## volkeyn (Nov 25, 2015)

Thanks everybody...I got him NERF sports aero howler football from Target...he lovedddd it.....it makes a sound when I throw it and doesn't bounce...he loved it so much...but again he wants to chew and tear up it...its $5..so I will need to buy a few spare until he learns how to play with it....


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

volkeyn said:


> Thanks everybody...I got him NERF sports aero howler football from Target...he lovedddd it.....it makes a sound when I throw it and doesn't bounce...he loved it so much...but again he wants to chew and tear up it...its $5..so I will need to buy a few spare until he learns how to play with it....



Outside toys like this I put up when we come in. They don't get to tear them up. There are inside toys for chewing on. Just a thought...


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## kast2L (Aug 23, 2016)

thank you for this thread, because when i play fetch with my mal he goes 110% allllll the time and I see the occasional limp and I get freaked out. Im gonna take some of the suggestions and just roll it or bounce it occasionally but even when i bounce it, he leaps flying in the air to catch it. A few times that I have rolled it or not thrown it far he still runs hard and stops hard. 

I guess ill use the Tail Teaser Dog Toys Squeak Toy more often then the ball.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

wolfy dog said:


> My dog is super intense in play and in everything she does. So I always make sure that whenever I throw the ball, she cannot see where it lands or lies. Otherwise she would have to put on the brakes too much and very possibly injuring herself. This requires good obedience and impulse control as she has to wait until I release her verbally. If I mess up throwing and the toy lands in a dangerous spot (black berry patch (her eyes!), or on a concrete area, I can put her in a down stay and fetch the ball myself.
> She is 3 years old and very obedient (not spoiled rotten, I personally hate that term) so once in a while I let her keep the toy with the command "YOURS!" and when I want it back she complies.
> BTW: some of you may remember that I had trouble with her releasing the toy a few weeks ago, but going inside, after she held on to it (only once!!), took 100% care of that one!


Really? You can stop your dog during a retrieve with a down? Can I send you my pup for training? :grin2:
You're so right about them injuring their front legs putting on the brakes from a full run. My next pup won't fetch until it's 1.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

kast2L said:


> thank you for this thread, because when i play fetch with my mal he goes 110% allllll the time and I see the occasional limp and I get freaked out. Im gonna take some of the suggestions and just roll it or bounce it occasionally but even when i bounce it, he leaps flying in the air to catch it. A few times that I have rolled it or not thrown it far he still runs hard and stops hard.
> 
> I guess ill use the Tail Teaser Dog Toys Squeak Toy more often then the ball.


Short tosses for sure. No tosses for a few weeks if he has even a small limp. Just saying from experience. You don't want that to get chronic.


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

Just try to keep play sessions short and on very soft surfaces like grass. 5 minutes is enough.


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## volkeyn (Nov 25, 2015)

This is my first dog and he is GSD. IMHO playing fetch even on the grass doesn't seem to be a safe exercise at least until they are grown and learn how to grab the ball, how to run and slow down. I liked the howler small football, it doesn't bounce like crazy and stays where it lands, so when I throw it he can see where it landed and since the ball is not bouncing further he slows down automatically. But still having the puppy run like crazy doesn't seem to be a good exercise.. even though I have back pain problems I make him run with me slow paced, warm him up a little and then throw the football ...sometimes I grab a stick (they all love sticks), put him in "stay", and I walk further and then make him run with "come" command...he runs and grabs the long stick from my hand...as somebody mentioned earlier max 10-15 min is enough for this kind of exercise...they are young and very excited to run , jump , twist, turn...little guy is 85 lbs and it is too much pressure on his legs/joints at this age....


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## labX (Dec 7, 2016)

I took my 16 week pup jogging off leash and slow walking where she is running around. Again off leash.
Found that it was not recommend. So she only walked except for puppy social time where she ran around on a mat with other puppies till 6 months .
Now she goes to dog park and runs around and plays for an hour and also at day care she plays with other dogs.

If me and my wife do not play atleast 4 to 5 sessions of frizebee , ball every day between dog park days she turn mouthy .
She is 10 months. I think you have to build strength.

I started walking her 3 houses down my street at 8 weeks .Now we do 5 mile hikes at 10 months . Again if we do not time, dog park for an hour or day care where plays . 

We train 2 sessions a day and sometimes I let my 5 yr old train her for an hr.

This thread scares me a bit.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk


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