# Ball thief



## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

I have no suggestions  Hoolie does just the same thing and even does it in our yard! As soon as you said the part about prancing around with the ball I could just picture it


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## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

If you have a friend with a dog who would help, you could work with him on a long line: let him steal the other dog's ball, then, "come !" (pull him to you), praise & treat, repeat.

Need to make the praise/treat more desirable than the chase/theft game.

Then, I think the problem is like the one I'm having with the deer : how to transition to off-lead. NeVar's suggestion was a good one, but a single slip-up here (chase or "keep away" game) puts you pretty much back to square one.

Keeping Jasper on a long line & playing ball with him with_ his_ ball where others are playing ball with their dogs might also help, if he'll play with you under these conditions. Hard to make this as exciting as the theft/keep-away game.

That's about all I can suggest. I have a mental block about the transition to off-lead, but I think it's partially because we're not_ there_ yet.

*________________________*


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

I feel your pain. Mine is the same, a terrible thief. Other dogs' toys are ALWAYS better.

I have (some!) success with 1) calling the other dog to me and feeding a treat (with owner's permission) and making a fuss of him, and 2) throwing Vasco's toy for another dog, all while completely ignoring the little maggot as he prances around with the stolen item. That usually sucks the fun out of it for him. He will recall if it is a tennis ball he has stolen, but heaven help us if someone has a squeaky ball. Work in progress. I generally go for walks with at least two of his toys in my pocket, to help fend off his novelty-seeking thievery.

My biggest nightmare is when the local junior football team are practicing on our usual dog-walking field .... they mark out the lines with these VERY attractive mini-cones, to which Vasco makes a beeline.


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## LittleGracie (Oct 22, 2010)

lol lol lol All I could do was laugh when I read this post because my little girl is the same ball thief! What's worse is I have two dogs and she will steal the ball from Jesse just so he will chase and interact with her. She's ruthless and will not only steal stray balls but also the ball right out of his mouth. Poor Jesse, I feel so badly for him.... He's a good natured, relaxed dog and he literally only gets excited when I come home and when he's chasing a ball. Now his little sister (10 months old) has stolen his greatest desire, to fetch. He spends his whole off leash trip trying to get the ball back so he cannnnnn retrieve. 

My trick is to bring two balls, she runs around with one in her mouth and he gets to fetch. The good thing is that even if she runs to grab the other ball she can't steal it because her mouth is full. For us this works.


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