Toy OCD

The Lloydster LOVES tennis balls. I mean, he doesn't just like to play with them, he will carry them around the house like a security blanket, sleep with them in his paws, and chase them around the house with every waking moment. If he knocks one out of reach-- under a chair, behind a bookshelf, etc.-- he will CRY endlessly until that particular tennis ball is returned to him, even if we offer him one of the many other balls laying around the house.

Sure, it's cute and funny, and I'm quite glad that he's decided to chase tennis balls rather than steal my socks, but I'm starting to get a bit concerned that his behavior is bordering on obsession! We joke that if he were a human, we'd have to stage an intervention :)

So my question, good corgi-friends: is there a point where fascination with objects goes too far? While his whining can get annoying, could the attachment cause any problems? Any ideas on how to scale it back a notch?

Granted, Lloydster is only 9 months old, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he outgrows his security blanket just like any human toddler might, I was just wondering if anyone else had dealt with the same :)

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on March 11, 2012 at 5:33pm

Tennis balls wear down dogs teeth and they should not be allowed to play with or chew them without supervision. You can use those rubber tennis balls instead and they won't cause tooth damage. Dog's do get obsessed with certain toys and it can cause issues if it turns to aggression when you try to take the toy away. I would probably remove all the tennis balls from the house and hide them somewhere where he can't get to them and try to redirect his obsession. My parents have a lab who is super obsessive about tennis balls but he isn't allowed to play with them unless in a fetch session simply because of the damage it does to their teeth. Even with restricted play he has severely worn teeth at 8 years old. If you feel your dog MUST have tennis balls, buy the Kong brand tennis balls, they are specially made for dogs and don't wear down their teeth like normal human tennis balls do.