[Lardman]

or fetch as it's commonly known 

Your recommendations please for a training ball for Max, he loves squeaky things but hasn't learnt the difference between a chew toy and not. 

The 2 standard squeaky balls lasted less than 30 seconds each - funny to watch but not very productive, the Kong Air-Squeakers are still in 1 piece but 2 had a squeakadectomy within minutes and none are spherical any more.

Every other toy I offer him seems to be considered a tug toy and he wont chase after it. Im sure once he gets the hang of the game he'll be less destructive but at the moment he's trying to kill it, then bringing it back for me to raise it from the dead 

[Trillium]

Keep in mind that not all dogs love to chase balls/toys. I had a lab that flat out refused to chase anything I threw for her. My other two labs did backflips waiting for me to toss the balls for them. They're just like people with their particular likes and dislikes, and it sounds like Max is a non-chaser 

[Chrysalis]

Our terrier is a non-chaser/fetcher too.  He will play tug and fetch in the house ( ), but only likes piggy-in-the-middle outside.

Have you tried a ring-like frisbee?  less easy to rip apart and he can tug or fetch it... C

[mumofstig]

It's not just dogs though.................
My half Siamese cat plays fetch with socks (she lives with my son now)
Lucycat my bossy Siamese looks at me as if I'm mad ( I am but....  )
Put the sock in front of her and she starts swiping it and throwing it up in the air. Obviously the actual fetching part is beneath her dignity 

[Lardman]

He has no recall as of yet and the 30ft leash I bought him turned just turns into tug of war so we're still playing in the house. 

He's beginning to understand the game, but in the time it takes to bring the ball back he's chewed it flat    and looks very proud of himself for doing it too. Having done some serious gurggling I don't think Im going to find anything squeaky and robust enough  I'll have to try solid balls.

Having watched him chew a stick (log) tonight I wonder how long even those will last !

[GrannieAnnie]

Get him a kong!  They do smaller ones for puppies.  Pennydog loves her Kongs.  She has a roundish one and a long elongated one.  The both have holes where you can put treats in, and ridges down the sides to help keep her teeth in good shape.

She had the original black one, but some years ago it bounced off a tree and we think it went into the dyke at the back of the house.  Hasn't been seen since!

Oh just read your post properly.  what is a kong air squeaker?  if it was a proper kong it should still be whole!

Penny can destroy anything else, but even though she still have powerful jaws, sh hasn't yet destroyed any of her kongs.

I've never been a lover of squeaky toys, too easy to destroy.

[yaxley]

Hi think pups learn recall easy have never put a pup on a lead just put them on the ground they never want to go far from your feet soon learn to run after you when they get left a few feet behind and soon learn to walk just behind or beside you  ..Be careful with balls with squeaky things inside dogs tear them apart and can swallow the plastic bits a hard ball or kong is ideal beware of sticks [logs ] splinters in mouth or throat can be fatal ....

[Lardman]

He has one of these Kong Classic I can't get him interested in it at all - even filled with treats/peanut butter.

One of these Kong Bone That's a tug-o-war toy, he grips the middle and bothers me with it until I hold the bone ends 

I'll pop to the local pet store and see if they have these Kong Ball  I want something the same size as a tennis ball and I can't find real measurements just "Medium" , "Large"

Im told he's around about 18months old, while Im a very interesting person  I can't compete with the excitement of the real world, there's no way I'd let him off leash until he learns to return when called.  I take anything small enough for him to eat away- like the plastic squeaky bits when he starts to shred things. 

[GrannieAnnie]

Penny's ball is the stuff a ball and it is just under 3 inches across

link

But I don't know if that is the medium or the large.

Just had a look at the kong ball you mentioned, and the medium one is 3 inches like Penny's stuff-a-ball

[Dawnuss]

18 months is a difficult age if only just teaching recall as he will be very much a rebellious teen that suddenly turns deaf when theres something interesting around. Dont give up trying though as once you have that strong bond and he starts to mature a bit he will probably get it. Keep trying at home always use a command not names eg, come and praise and treat when he comes if you get a good foundation of it at home with no distraction it will gradualy get easier out and about.as for the fetch my dogs chase a ball but then just leave it they have just never got the concept of the game lol some dogs just dont. Mine will destroy most balls but the solid rubber balls seem to work well against tough chewers. Good luck with all your fun and games 

[VegGirl7]

our girl, Theia (a Saluki) will sometimes do fetch in the house and point blank refuses outside - she sees it as your job to run after her and throw/kick the ball again (she loves to chase!)

Not many toys have survived either... we have a graveyard box full of pieces and she will go through the whole box taking them out one by one until she finds just the right one - it's very funny to watch!
Stuffed toys get punctured and the stuffing pulled out (amazing how much is in them!) then often dissected into body parts     and the squeaks are quickly removed from anything that makes a sound.... all except one, it's a hardish plastic dumbbell I got from wilko a few years ago and still squeaks!  .  Not a ball, but we do play bit of tug of war with it and try 'fetch', with occasional success 

 

[compostqueen]

You have to watch them with all their toys as they rip things up or get them stuck in their mouths etc

My JR had one of the original square buster cubes which he managed to get his jaws around, cart upstairs, and then lob it down the stairs.  As it banged down the stairs all the treats flew out 

[joyfull]

Kong do a wide variety of toys and for your dog I would suggest one from the Kong Extreme range (they are the black Kong toys), these are aimed at the strong chewers.

[Elvira]

I've been reading up on training as am about to get our puppy next weekend (!) and am keen to try and train her so we can take her on holiday, in the office etc as much as possible. We also have house rabbits and chickens so I need to be able to control her as far as I can (yes, I know, I am not expecting miracles!)

One book suggests that you shouldn't leave squeaky toys with your dog to play with on its own - let it have chews, solid balls/kongs, tug o war toys etc when it wants to play on its own. You should keep the squeaky toys as a treat for when you play (and try to train) the dog.  This makes sense to me although I must admit I haven't trained a dog to this extent before (when I was a kid you just got the puppy and that was it!). Using treats to try and train also seems a popular method which might be helpful with the recall. Having said that I think I may have to train the OH first as I suspect he will feed the puppy the treats irrespective of what she does 

[yaxley]

I've been reading up on training as am about to get our puppy next weekend (!) and am keen to try and train her so we can take her on holiday, in the office etc as much as possible. We also have house rabbits and chickens so I need to be able to control her as far as I can (yes, I know, I am not expecting miracles!)

One book suggests that you shouldn't leave squeaky toys with your dog to play with on its own - let it have chews, solid balls/kongs, tug o war toys etc when it wants to play on its own. You should keep the squeaky toys as a treat for when you play (and try to train) the dog.  This makes sense to me although I must admit I haven't trained a dog to this extent before (when I was a kid you just got the puppy and that was it!). Using treats to try and train also seems a popular method which might be helpful with the recall. Having said that I think I may have to train the OH first as I suspect he will feed the puppy the treats irrespective of what she does 

Hello firstly what breed of dog are you getting ?..