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Dog proof Soccer balls


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We bought Ceana a cheap Soccer ball from walmart yesterday. At first she thought it was too big to be any fun, but then we went to the park and Chris and I played Soccer with her. LOL she loved it... and it gave us a work out too. :D Of course mid play she popped the darn thing. We continued playing with it anyway. She was nuts, we would pass the ball to each other and if it went air born she would run in front and jump to block it with her body :rolleyes: . She would steal it from us when we dribbled (I haven't played since I was 8 so excuse me if I use the wrong terms lol) and she would chase it down and retreave it. When we got back in the house the Soccer ball went everywhere. It was next to her at dinner, they took naps together, they even wrestled a bit. Needless to say the Soccer ball has completely caved in and is no longer kickable. Anyone know of any good Soccer balls that can with stand teeth and that we can let a little air out of for a better grip? We are hoping to keep it toward the cheap side, but we would rather have her fall in love with a ball that will last. lol

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We haven't found a dogproof soccer ball either. The best ball we have found for soccer is actually a basketball. JJ has yet to wreck that one and he's been playing with it for over a year now. We have to limit his time with it though. He'll wear raw spots on his 'lips' if he plays with it too long.

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My Navi will only play w/ soccer balls and we are having the same problem w/ them being torn up too quick. I did get a pet supply magazine in today and found a Push n Play Ball that looks pretty durable and I may try it. Here's a link to the website if you wanna take a peek. Push n Play Ball

 

I found the other version of it (the one w/ the handle on top) at our local Petsmart the other day but not this one. If it's made of the same material and from the description it is then it should hold up pretty well.

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We have found that the best way to make a soccer ball last is to keep it pumped up so Molly can't get her teeth in it. She rolls it around with her paws and her nose and has a great time. Why should she get her teeth in it?

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I've had a lot of success with balls that were just too big to get those BC mouths around them:

DSCF2049kl2.jpg

(using the past tense because I was too lazy to buy a pump in time :rolleyes: )

 

Why should she get her teeth in it?

 

Kessie would be speechless if she heard that question! :D

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Kessie would be speechless if she heard that question! :rolleyes:

 

:D:D

 

So would JJ!

 

Nicki, if you order one of those balls, let us know if they work. I might order one as well. JJ has some wicked jaws. If it can pass the 'JJ test', just about any dog can play with it!

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Will do Brenda!!

 

I can get the BIGGEST soccer ball that is made and Navi will find a way to open his mouth wide enough to bite down enough to get a grip and carry it back to me instead of roll it w/ his paws/nose. I've also tried those big balls like Kessie likes too and he still finds a way to pop it.

 

That Push n Play might be what Santa brings Navi for Christmas this year! :rolleyes:

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I've had this problem with Quynn since he was three months old. I have failed to keep a single soccer or kickball alive for longer than two weeks...I bought him a HUGE one(very similar to the one Kessie is playing with in the photo), and he still managed to pop it. :rolleyes:

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I second the Jolly Ball!

 

Jolly balls rule! They also make BIG ones for horses which some BC's love to chase and herd! Mine will chase any size one.

 

We went through soccer balls, basketball, beach balls- you name it! We were forced to go to the Jolly ball, and it was the best decision I ever made.

They are (so far) indestructable!!! :rolleyes:

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You can probably find a real soccer ball, made out of leather, that could possibly survive the fangs. I got a rubber one from Walmart and it got punctured within the first 3 minutes. I have a real soccer ball that is somehow deflated (it shrunk) but it is very very hard, it is impossible to puncture it. We play with it, but not too much. It's called "The big ball", as opposed to the gazillion tennis-size balls that Ouzo has accumulated and he carefully places one after another under the bed - I belive he hopes they will "do their thing" and multiply under the bed, so he can have more baby-balls to play with.

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We've gone through quite a few soccer balls around here. The best so far (2 years this Christmas) is a youth size soccer ball that I got at Toys R Us. It seems that since it's smaller the dogs can pick it up better and don't tend to puncture it as quickly. It didn't start to get soft until the pieces began to come off and that has only been in the last few months. It's going strong still, other than a quite ragged look.

Cadyandball2.jpg

 

Jolly balls are a big favorite here too, but they are not indestructible. Koda always has one with him, even doing his business. They seem to last about a year. Koda likes to squeeze it in his mouth instead of holding it by the handle.

Koda10-28-07.jpg

 

Baloo has just about eaten a handle off. A friend's beagle chewed the handle to bitty pieces in an afternoon.

Notice the raggedy soccer ball in the background:

Baloochew.jpg

 

They will get new jolly balls and soccer balls for Christmas....

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I think I'm an expert on this one! :D

 

First off, a BIG warning AGAINST basketballs. Yes, they tend to hold up longer than soccer balls or other inflatables, but they can be very hard on dogs' teeth. Unfortunately, I know this one from experience. I switched from soccer balls to basketballs since Kodah and Pith liked them just as well but the balls lasted longer. The problem is the texture (the little nubs) on the ball is abrassive. Both of Kodah's bottom canines took a beating before I realized what was happening.

 

For yard play, I have an "IndestructiBall". Same idea, different company from the JollyBall brand listed above. No handle, hard plastic, LITERALLY indestructible...at least without a heavy duty saw or something similiar. I've had the same one for...at least 2 years, and all that's changed is that it gets some small scratches on the exterior. The big warning for these...they are VERY heavy and hard. #1: Don't make the mistake of trying to kick it like a soccer ball. Ouch. :rolleyes: #2: You best watch any glass or breakables in the area. My poor sliding glass door lost the battle against the ball when Pith and/or Kodah put the Indestructiball through it last spring. They have the biggest version which is about the size of a basketball, maybe a little bigger. They do absolutely LOVE it though, as do many of the foster dogs. I'm considering getting a smaller one for them to play with too.

 

For the park, I just stick with cheap soccer balls. I've generally gotten size 4's or 5's, and they hold up a decent amount of time so long as I'm actively playing too. If I leave the dogs to their own devices with the soccer balls, they pop them pretty quick. I might have to try Laura's suggestion to see if a size 3 would hold up better. Otherwise, I just get the cheapest ones I can find. Usually they have 'em under $5 at Walmart or Academy Sports. The dogs don't mind having the generic, cheap brand.

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We have had great luck with a basketball, has lasted for over a year, and the secret is to keep it pumped up so the jaws of death can't get a grip! He loves to play with us with it (no interest on his own), so not to worried about the nubs. He is really good at the body block, we try to kick it up over him and he leaps to block it. If he misses, he runs over it, and dribbles it about, and then dribbles it back to us (most of the time :rolleyes:)for another try!

Here he is in hot pursuit! And our hokey but fun home agility, note the classy jumps of flower pots and stakes! And that Target tunnel....

fast.jpg

 

How did that thing get over my head?????

eyeontheball.jpg

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When I was searching for indestructible, or at least "lasts longer than a week" toys, I came across this ball from Jeffers. It's the heavy duty Heavy Duty Safari Ball . For $189.75, you too can have a 50lb ball--more if you fill it with sand--that can "withstand rigorous play of rhinos & elephants". I had a good laugh when I came across this.

 

My boys really seem to like the jolly ball, but one of them picks it up by the sides, so I am pretty sure it's days are numbered. I also bought them a clutch ball that has held up for a while.

 

Emily

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I too find that the Jolly ball is the best we've only managed to "kill" one. I guess we have3 or 4 of varying sizes, 2 with handles and 2 without. The handles can be chewed off and lead to an early death, the ones w/o the handles provide hours and hours of fun, my aussie would be lost without his jolly ball...all of them are his as far as he's concerned.

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I've gotten Jolly Balls cheaper through horse supply catalogues than in pet stores or dog catalogues.

 

My yearling gelding throws his Jolly Ball over the fence, and the dogs nab it. It has a million holes, but it still pops back up!

 

It hurts a LOT to get hit in the head with a Jolly Ball. Especially when it's in the mouth of a horse...

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If you live anywhere near a coast, look for plastic fisherman's buoys. We've got one and nothing Molly does to it hurts it. The holes for the rope for the net enable her to pick it up and carry it around. They come in different sizes. So far we've got a soccer ball sized one, but we're on the look out for a smaller one. We haven't tried asking the fishermen yet. We're just watching the coast.

 

But it is heavy and hard. We do kick it around, but you have to think about what you are doing. If I think about it, I can even do it in bare feet.

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I have had good luck with a soccer ball called a K-9 Kicker...it is a little smaller than a regular soccer ball and is ridged so that it rolls but will stop easier/sooner than a regular ball. This prevents the ball from rolling down the steep wooded hill next to my driveway where the regular soccer has been stranded the last few months! The ridges also allow it to be carried easier by the dog.

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The best ball we have found for soccer is actually a basketball. JJ has yet to wreck that one and he's been playing with it for over a year now. We have to limit his time with it though. He'll wear raw spots on his 'lips' if he plays with it too long.

 

same here, I use a basketball as a "soccer" ball, its lasted a very long time, it deflates itself in the winter(from the cold) and when summer hits it pops back up totally full again lol. I have a Jolly ball too with the dogs love, but the handle is a pain, Misty likes it because sh doesnt like to puch the ball, however happy likes to "throw" the ball back to you so the handle is a PITA when I play with her.

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Aden absolutely loves her jolly ball. She's had it since the day I got her (about six months ago) and it is the one toy that she would sleep with if I let her. The only reason I absolutely HATE that damned ball is because I have tile floors in my house. It drives me nuts :rolleyes:

 

But it keeps her occupied for as long as I can take it, or send her to the basement (carpet) or backyard.

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