# Fetch Obsession



## jackietaz (Feb 19, 2011)

I recently adopted a 2.5 yr old shepherd who's previous owner was not able to give him the attention he required. I give him plenty of attention and have taught him all kinds of things since I got him a few months ago but he seems to have OCD when it comes to his ball. If you go outside he runs to get his ball and he wont leave you alone with it. I have seen dogs like fetch but he is absolutely ridiculous about it and wont quit. If you pick up the ball his eyes get all big and his pupils dilate and nothing else in the world matters or exists. I cant have him annoying every person that comes over. Sometimes we go out behind my house and I throw the ball for him but its pretty difficult to get him out there when he is on a leash and I have the ball he just wants me to throw the ball and he wont turn around and walk. I find it easier to set the ball on top of the fence post and getting it down after we are on the other side of the fence. Any suggestions on what to do about this?


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## DanielleOttoMom (May 11, 2010)

Otto is ball crazy too! He would do any thing for the ball. We play ball for a while thing I say "All done." and I put it away. Otto just has a high ball drive. Which is common... With GSD. Just my 2 cents. Your not alone :d


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

You can use that ball drive for training. When he brings it to you, instead of tossing it, do some obedience with it as the reward.


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## DanielleOttoMom (May 11, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> You can use that ball drive for training. When he brings it to you, instead of tossing it, do some obedience with it as the reward.


I totally agree!!


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Stosh is the same way with frisbees--absolutely obsessed. So that's what I did- use the frisbee as a reward for come, down at a distance, things like that. It had become a habit of mine too because as soon as we went out the door he'd pick up a frisbee and that became part of our daily routine. So I ignored the frisbee for a while and he's not as obsessed. Still his favorite game but he's not such a maniac about it


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## pache11 (Dec 20, 2010)

We had a train derailment at the end of our road. I went down to look at the damage and brought a few souveniers home. One of the things I brought home was a couple of springs from the railroad cars. The outside springs weighed about 30lbs and the inside springs about 20lbs. I was in high school at the time and had some sort of an idea that I was going to make a spring board or some other crazy idea. I stuck them in our shed and forgot about them for about 6 months. I was cleaning out the shed in the spring and set the springs on the lawn and went about clearing more unwanted stuff. When I came back out again Maggie was was clawing at the springs, then rolling them around the yard with her nose and making the strangest little yipping/barking sounds I ever herd her make. I didn't think too much of it at first, but after an hour of her playing, she wouldn't stop. Her nose was bleeding from a couple of abrasions and she was out of breath, she was still fixated on the spring when I decided she had enough. I picked the spring up and put it away in the shed. I thought it was so strange, she had never obsessed about anything like this before. She would play with the spring until she dropped if I would let her. It was always her favorite thing, but I had to limit her access to it. It was like crack for a cocaine addict, I don't think she could quit playing with it even if it killed her. It was too heavy for her to pick up, but she would alternate pulling it with her front paws and rolling it with her nose. It is the smaller inside springs on the picture.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Your making me jealous of your ball crazy dog... lol.


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## Tammy GSD (Dec 26, 2010)

Definitely not alone. Sheva, though only 4 months old, is ball/rag/frisbee obsessed, frisbee being her favorite. She goes out the door and straight for it. If ignored, she will get it herself. She won't even pee until you toss it...well, sometimes she will squirt a little just to get the toss, then the third or so time out to retrieve it will finish. We use it as her reward for training. She usually has to do something to get the toss. We used to let her know "last one" so she didn't think she was being punished when we were done but now she knows what it means and won't bring it back on the "last one". She carries it around, in and out, whimpering and whining to get someone to play.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Koda is lazer light obsessed. A friend took one out one day and gave it to me. I had used one with my cats before but this was the first time with our dog. I used it a few times and now she stares at my pocket until I take it out. At the dog park she stopped playing with the other dogs and just stared at my pocket. I had to stop using it all together so she would behave like a dog again. She is back to normal now. No more lazers for us.


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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

jackietaz said:


> Any suggestions on what to do about this?


 He has drive for the ball; so what is the problem? This is a good thing.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Jax is the same way. Tap into it for training. Jax doesn't get her frisbee, ball, anything unless she does something for it.


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