Tuppence has always got overexcited when playing with a ball. She will drop it but then immediately grab it again, sometimes catching fingers in the process. So my sons when they play with her use two balls, throwing the second one when she drops the one she has fetched - and I have rather given up with trying to break the habit.
However, yesterday I took her with me to pick up my youngest grandson from nursery and then drove to meet his brother, who was being collected from school by my son. My son had taken a rugby ball and a cricket ball to play with the boys on the field next to the school, while I walked Tuppy. He threw the cricket ball for Tuppy to distract her while the boys played with the rugby ball, then Rory, now five, wanted to throw it for her too. We were worried about Tuppy snatching the ball if Rory tried to pick it up when she dropped it, so my son showed him how to move the ball away from Tuppy with his foot so that she couldn’t accidentally grab his hand. He did this several times, throwing it again for her. Tuppy sat and watched him move the ball and let him pick it up with no attempt to grab it, seeming to realise that she must be careful - just as she does when his little brother drops treats on the floor for her. They had a lovely game!
We will always have to watch her very carefully, but it’s a step in the right direction - and so good to see Rory enjoying playing with her, when he has always been rather wary of the dogs, unlike his brother!