There’s nothing like a ball to get the tail wagging, is there? Whether heading out on a long hike, or just going down to the local park, a good ball is the must-have accessory for every dog. When you produce a ball from your pocket, your dog’s eyes will light up as they know this means that the fun times are about to (appropriately) roll. Why do our four-legged friends enjoy balls so much? Let’s find out…
The greatest invention ever
We humans, when asked what the most revolutionary (no pun intended) invention ever was, will likely point to the wheel as a very strong contender. All those who suffered before its invention must have had to drag or carry heavy things everywhere, not knowing how much easier it was with those round wheels going, well, round.
And speaking of round things, if you were to ask a dog what the greatest invention ever was, they are almost certain to say “the ball”. Why are they such fans of the spherical plaything? Because it has nothing but good sides to it! Humans can throw it for a game of fetch, and so they can get their fun exercise in. It bounces and so does funny things in the air making it even more fun. It’s got great mouth feel because there are no sharp corners to hurt their gums, and, provided it’s not camouflaged, they can see it easily enough too (which is great when you consider a dog can’t see many colours). And we have it on good authority that they taste and smell great as well, so dogs get nothing but wins when it comes to balls.
There are few things we humans need to be mindful of when it comes to picking out the best balls for our dogs. We need to make sure that the ball isn’t too small, or that it has pieces that can easily be broken off as this presents a choking hazard to our pooches. It shouldn’t be covered or coated in anything harmful to dogs, and it needs to be tough enough to withstand a lot of chomping and chewing. Once we’ve covered all of these bases though, a dog will adore any ball it’s given to play with, so everybody is happy.
