Fetch!

[*Adele*]

Well we've had Chloe for 2 months now and she's coming on brilliantly with her training, she will sit, stand, lay down, wave, roll over and her recall gets better and better every day! I know she's nearly eight months old but I don't think she'd had much general training before she came to us at 6 months so I'm over the moon with her! Also whenever we meet anybody on our walks they are shocked that we've only had her for 2 months and that she is still so young but yet so well behaved!!! Can you tell I'm a proud mummy? 

Anyway, one area which I keep working on her with is playing! She likes to play with our 5 month old kitten but of course is a bit clumsy and the kitten doesn't really appreciate being pawed and gnawed at all the time! Although being a kitten she always comes back for more and loves teasing poor Chloe! 

Chloe didn't like any toys at all when we got her home and gradually I have encouraged her to play with them and she does like her balls! She also has learnt fetch and will bring the ball to me if she's in the right mood ready to go and fetch it again!  But my question is this: When I throw the ball should she not follow it with her eyes rather than spend ages picking up the scent and then finding the ball that way?  It takes her ages! We have a couple of working cockers in our obedience classes who are fantastic at catching the ball and I'm sure they'd follow the ball once it's thrown but Chloe just seems to like to take her time! 

[kb]

I don't know the answer to this - maybe it's because she is still young - she may not have the coordination to follow the ball with her eyes.

Honey probably does a bit of both - but hse can't catch.

[*Adele*]

Thanks for your reply kb, sometimes she does follow the ball with her eyes and I do try throwing it different distances but she still prefers to sniff out the ball! LMAO! She does it all the time whilst wagging her tail constantly so I guess she enjoys it regardless! 

[kb]

I have never met dogs who sniff so much - they miss nothing it's amazing.

Some mornings Honey goes off sniffing round the garden - obviously following a trail - and I dread to think what has been creeping through the garden at night.

[clairep4]

It could be she's just not learned to follow the ball with her eyes that well yet. As I remember Zorro used to be a bit the same, sniffing around for the ball like crazy rather than looking with his eyes. He now does both but he has definitely improved at looking for the ball by sight.

I'm sure she'll just pick it up in time, and in the meantime at least you know you've got a great little pup who knows how to use her incredible cocker nose - Zorro amazed me when he was 4 months and I threw his ball accidentally into a big pile of leaves - I couldn't see it but he just dived in and pinpointed it in a split-second - amazing!

It dawned on me how amazing their sense of smell is when the other week I'd been into the butcher's to drop off a bowl for his lurcher. All I did was stand in the doorway of the shop and hand the bowl to him, I touched absolutely nothing and was in there all of 30 seconds. I then went to the newsagents and then walked the couple of minutes home. When I got in the front door, the dogs were round me like bees to honey, acting exactly like they do when I come home with a bag of juicy bones (less of the greeting and more of the "where are they?!" and running into the kitchen to wait for the goodies). I just thought wow, imagine being able to pick up exactly where someone has been even though they've not touched anything at all in that location. Truly amazing. 

[*Adele*]

LMAO! Thanks guys, I know I shouldn't worry but I'm just eager to play fetch with her! LMAO! I know the kids really are looking forward to it as well as they think that is one of the best things about owning a dog!  I will give it time and see how she gets on, I must say it has up til now made me wonder if we would have been better getting a working cocker!  Will deffo think about getting either a show x worker or a worker next! 

[Debs22]

My Bonnie is rubbish at catching a ball, I am sure she thinks she is human as she tries to catch it with her paws!!  I have tried to get her to catch it in her mouth like a normal dog, but no luck as of yet!!!

[Boof]

My golden girl can catch a ball, at 4 years old her coordination is excellent but with my boy it's another matter all together.. he lets it hit him in the face and then grins. 

Chloe sounds like a complete angel so I wouldn't worry for now. 

[*Adele*]

LOL! Thanks for the reassurance, she is obviously on this planet to act as a foot warmer only! 

[DennyK]

Try using a big white football.  They're colour blind so will see white more clearly and the large size of the ball will catch and hold her attention more than e.g. a tennis ball.

[lolajays]

Just a comment on sniffing! The problem comes on the beach when they sniff sand up their nostrills  then sneeze for England!