Guilty by association

[kateincornwall]

Last night I sat in the garden with the dogs , Reuben was enjoying ball games when suddenly something landed on his rear end . I think it was a horsefly , it bit him just as he was picking up his beloved ball . Now, he wont look at his ball , wont play games with it at all , he hasnt had any adverse reaction to whatever bit him but he obviously thinks it was his ball, bless x

 

[MellowYellow]

Poor boy!!! Life can be so unfair. Bit on the bum by your own ball!!!

 

[Naya]

Maybe try a different ball and see if he does the same. I’ve found they do associate things a lot. For example, if I throw Harley’s ball with certain dogs around she won’t go for it as she associated them to the time her other lab friend accidentally put his tooth in her head. Those other dogs were around at the time, but weren’t involved.
I hope he he manages a positive association with that ball soon x

 

[Selina27]

I hope he he manages a positive association with that ball soon x

Yes @kateincornwall I hope so too. Poor Reuben, what bad luck, maybe a different ball would help.

Interestingly, Cassie only ever has any interest in a ball if she is with Harley on a SW Pack outing

I spent a few weeks a couple of summers ago getting Cassie to swim independently to do a water retrieve. I have 2 good places where the entry is good and she was starting to get confident. Then one day she yelped and came back, my daughter says there is a piece of tin under there, I didn't know but they used to avoid riding their ponies there because of it

At the other place she was happily swimming round one autumn day when a twig fell on her head. (I mean, I ask you!). She got straight out and has never swam again

 

[Beanwood]

Hope Reuben is OK, horseflies are the devils own!

I find it fascination how dogs chain events together. Ball bit me, ball is baaaaad!!! Must avoid ball....The other way round... Laptop closed = WALK NOW!!! or noise of the coffee machine = YUMMM croissants...Casper always gets a bit of my croissant, it's the rule, his rule!

 

[Selina27]

The other way round.

The sound of my glasses being folded after I take them off always gets Cassie's interest Putting on my shoes that I only ever wear to go to work means she turns round and goes back to bed. She knows she won't be coming.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Lilly will only reliably fetch the ball at the beach.
Reuben may be happy with his ball outside the garden?
Poor chap.

 

[Joy]

Ah, poor Reuben.

 

[kateincornwall]

Just back from a very short walk, he was eager and happy to fetch a different ball , came home went into the garden , I tried throwing the bad ball for him, no way Mum

 

[Selina27]

Wow, he really blames that ball then !!

 

[kateincornwall]

Wow, he really blames that ball then !!

He sure does , I tried again half an hour ago and met with a flat refusal , in fact he turned tail and walked back indoors

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Poor Reubs. Do you think he'll just get over it in a few days? If not, how about making a new association with the ball by giving him treats when he looks at it working towards touching it? Seems a shame that he'd throw over his beloved ball forever!

 

[kateincornwall]

I`m going to try a different ball in the garden when we get home tomorrow , if he is fine with a different ball , I will throw the bad ball away , bless him x Its a definite association because every time he goes near to the bad ball , he turns his head back towards the spot where he was stung/bitten , poor confused lamb

 

[snowbunny]

Willow stood on a twig once when picking up a fabric frisbee and hasn't picked one up since. I've worked a bit on it. If I put it on the floor, she will pick it up and put it in my hand. She will sometimes chase after it. But she absolutely will not chain together the chase and the picking up. Because she stood on a twig.

 

[Boogie]

Tatze was running inside with a huge twig that had fallen off the tree in her mouth, it jarred on the door and hurt so much she squealed. She blamed the door and has had to be coaxed in every single time. She’ll go out on her own but not in.

She was nine months old when the twig incident happened.

 

[Selina27]

It seems twigs have a lot to answer for in the lives of black labs !

 

[kateincornwall]

I tried a new ball this afternoon , all was going well until it rolled under the very same shrub that he had been standing beside when he was stung , he backed away , so now its the shrub as well as the ball

 

[Selina27]

Oh poor boy ! That must have been a seriously nasty horsefly. They are so horrid.

 

[Candy]

Poor Reuben! That is also very Joy -like behaviour. There was a money spider in her downstairs bed yesterday evening which she found quite alarming. I put it outside but she wouldn't return to that bed until about half an hour ago, and then it was with great reluctance! Pretty settled now though.