# Does everyone's V love to "fetch" as much mine?



## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

I thought I read somewhere that V's get bored playing plain ol' fetch, but Gus LOVES it. He lives to chase any ball (baseballs we steal...errr...find at the elementary school fields are his favorite). It is so great because I can just sit my lazy, pregnant butt on a bench and chuck that ball across the entire soccer field for an hour and he sprints after it every single time and becomes seriously annoyed if I don't throw it right away! We have also turned this kind of into his "job", since we don't hunt. We bring his kibble and everytime he retrieves the ball, he drops it, sits, and gets a piece of kibble. This is how he usually gets a meal a day. He also likes to find the ball if we throw it in some tall brush...

Anyway, it has worked out really well for us as a way to exercise him since we walk to a school with a big field and play ball for an hour then walk home. Just thought I would share- I am always amazed at how this dog can RUN! He seems so happy and is so pretty when he is sprinting towards a ball or zig-zagging the field with his tail wagging, looking for it in the grass


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## veifera (Apr 25, 2012)

My puppy is NUTS about retrieving. I use everything, however - ball, toys, sticks and retrieving dummies. It took me just a few days to teach her to bring the object back, sit in front of me and gently put it into my hand when I ask for it (open my palm and say give).

She's only 14 weeks so of course she's more polished indoors with few distractions. 

Outside, she won't drop it if she needs to stop to pee on the way back to me (always makes me laugh) but she sometimes won't sit down. Maybe the surface is too cold.

I love playing fetch with her! And she looks so focused and determined when she runs to fetch and then returns with that bouncy puppy walk....


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

If there are no birds around to stalk or squirrels to chase, Sadie loves to fetch! 

Just yesterday she played frisbee 3 times, went to the dog park and all but ignored the other dogs in order to chase her ball over and over AND OVER. She came home exhausted and then kept bringing her ball to me to throw it in the house for her.

Sadie is an amazing catcher - if the ball has any bounce - low or high - she catches in 99% of the time - to ooohs and ahhhs by anyone around who sees it. 

She sometimes falls asleep with a ball in her mouth. I'll catch a picture of her sometime & post it!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Two of my V's like retrieving but one of them just loves too.
With June on rest right now Ive had to put up most of the toys in the house.
She will place a toy at my feet for me to throw. I just pat her and move the toy over. Then she will pick it up and nudge me with it. When that doesn't work she will lean her head back and toss it in my lap. Then give me a puzzled look like I just don't understand.


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Ours love fetch too, but they love Frisbee more. We get those nerf-type frisbees so they're soft and the dogs catch them in their mouths. Flynn will sometimes jump 3 feet in the air to catch one and Luna is just learning now how to catch a frisbee in her mouth, but no real jumping yet. It's a great way to tire them out when we're tired. 

Here's a good pic of Flynn jumping (though clearly not one of his 3 foot jumps).


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## jakersmomma (Jan 3, 2010)

Jake loves to fetch the ball and frisbee too, he's so athletic!!


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## Lindsey1420 (Jan 28, 2012)

When Jack was younger he liked the frisbee. He really likes to play fetch in the house running down the long hallway. I think inside he likes when he slides to the ball. It's really running. However, hes favorite thing to do is chase after my husband. My in-laws have some what of a circle in there house. My husband runs down the hallway, through the dinning room and kitchen back down the hallway. Jack enjoys it a lot. Jack will actually stand in the hallway and just look at Chris, like I'm ready to chase you!


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## Emily1970 (Apr 21, 2011)

Chuck doesn't really care for ball play of any kind, but before Riley's surgeries, he lived for Chuck It. He made us play that for hours on end day in and day out and never tired of it. Now since he can't, he still wants to lay on the floor and I roll the ball between his front paws and he either uses 1 of his paws to smack it a little ways back or he pushes it wish his nose.


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## leihan (Apr 5, 2012)

Percy loves fetch from about 12 weeks.
I have to leave his ball at home if i want him to use his nose when we are out and about! He will not leave my side if he knows I've hid it somewhere and if i have not got a ball , he will get a sniff of something shoots of clear any fencesthat may be in his way and will usually return with a present just for him to play with  love him


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/07/tennis-balls-and-dogs-teeth.html

If a pheasant was round and bright green, Chloe would be a great pheasant hunter.

Article about tennis balls and teeth above. Chloe's teeth are worn down to nubs because of tennis balls.

RBD


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## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

Wow, never herad that before. Gus only likes to tear the covers off of old baseballs....

Does anybody know if there's bird-smelling or otherwise smelly stuff that you can get to spray on the balls to help them find them when you throw them out in tall grass? Sometimes I think Gus has trouble smelling the ball? 

A funny thing he does is when he wants us to throw it, he turns around and faces the direction he wants it thrown and crouches, then slowly creeps forward in that direction- just staring ahead. He does it every single time, people think it is so funny. If we don't throw it, he'll stand there for like 5 minutes pointing that direction, then slowly turn his head and look at me like "can't you see I'm ready?"


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

@redbirddog. We use the balls that come with a chuck it. They are rubber and very bouncy. I wonder if they would also wear down teeth? It doesn't seem like they would - it collapses when she chops down.

I also like them because there are no fuzzies to pick off and eat and she can't destroy them after much trying - not even one single piece has come off of one yet and we've had them for about 4 months now.

They look just like this but we don't get the small dog ones (she might swallow them!). They are regulation tennis ball size & they whistle - she loves it! And I love the way they bounce & go twice as far as you throw it - giving her a better work out.

http://d2oqjo3nc0aqra.cloudfront.net/11442/product/giant/525159.jpg


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> Does anybody know if there's bird-smelling or otherwise smelly stuff that you can get to spray on the balls to help them find them when you throw them out in tall grass?


JJ,

Pick your flavor for Gus. Maybe get a few.

http://www.gundogsupply.com/training-scents-.html

RBD


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## leihan (Apr 5, 2012)

The dogs that have worn their teeth down from tennis balls must have been at it 24/7! I wonder if other things where taken into consideration like diet and what treats they are left to chew on or grinding teeth in their sleep?


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## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

@RBD- I ordered some duck and pheasant scent, THEN I realized that they have dummies and dummy launchers! I may have to re-vist later and try one of those. Gus would surely go crazy for that, and it sounds more fun than chucking a baseball!


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Yes Darcy loves to retrieve,especially sticks and plastic bottles sometimes this can be annoying when you want to go for a real long walk and she is just happy for you to throw plastic bottles.On the other hand I try not to throw sticks as sometimes they can stick in the grass at an angle and an excited dog [and show me a vizsla thats not]..could quite easily run onto it and impale itself onto it...

other than that she loves work with a dummy......NO thats not me....by the way..


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