Ball searches are one of our favourite activities for our dogs; the best part is that it requires no skill and can take as little time as you need!
Here is a list of reasons why ball searches are a great activity for your dog:
• they can be done with food too
• they can incorporate exercise by searching a large area e.g. a field
• they can incorporate impulse control practise by asking for a down stay whilst you hide the ball (or food)
• ball searches involve scent work, so are therefore hugely mentally stimulating
• the informal scent work prepares your dog for formal, structured scent work (whether detection or tracking)
There’s more!
In our daily life, sometimes we only have 10 mins per dog in between clients. Sometimes we only have 30 mins of daylight left after work.
Sometimes we want to do something different to a regular walk.
Sometimes, as above, we want to prepare a dog for structured scent work.
We highly recommend incorporating ball and/or food searches into your dog’s activity!
