playing fetch ball with small dog and still be on leash

I have always found open spaces for my dogs as well. One thing though... I've always had bigger dogs. You want to be careful turning a small dog loose in an open field. Not so much because they might run off... you can train for that. But because being in a strange place you don't know what might be in the area that would grab them. And believe me, Wiley will if given a chance, and in some places he'll do it at high noon. As least if you have a leash attached, you can dispute possession.

Something like this might work: Long Line . I got mine at Tractor Supply.

When our "camping duo" the late Ike the Aussie and Jack the Cattle Dog - needed to burn off steam, I'd ask the front desk where I could run my dogs. Remarkably, some places might have some empty space "out back", or a field they used for rallies... at any rate, most places could accommodate a quick game of fetch offleash (but you'd better have a bomb-proof recall on the dog(s) and keep your eyes open for things that could hurt them)

Or - we'd plan on a "romp" at certain places, like Cabelas, for example, where they have wide open spaces.

Some may not agree with this approach. But I will generally go off to an open field away from everyone and play fetch. If there are no appropriate open areas at the CG . I will drive until I find an open area. Schools or a any vacant lot will do.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm sure that at different campgrounds I will be able to use all of them.

Francesca I think McGee, my Shih Tzu, will be very happy to give this a try. McGee takes his mini Kong ball everywhere. I will put his ball inside a glove so it doesn't roll and bounce. He will chase and then shake the glove, so that might work. Tell Millie that McGee and I say thank you for sharing your play time idea.

If the dog is trained well enough to retrieve and/or come when called, then I think finding an open area is a better bet. My concern with ropes and leashes when playing like that is entanglement-not only the dog but me!

Leash laws are MORE than just having the dog leashed. You must also be in control of the dog to be legal. Take him/her to a dog park where he can run off leash would be my suggestion, if you're staying in a campground that strictly enforces the rules.

My specialty!

I'm as active as the next camper, but come lawn chair time I am NOT getting up to play fetch with the dog.

Here's my guaranteed-to-keep-me-settin'-and-Millie-happy solution, though it works only with a dog who will chase soft toys etc. as eagerly as a ball.

I bought one of those retractable leashes and come "play time" I put a stake in the ground just about as far away from where I'm sitting as the leash allows Millie to go. I then hook a bungee cord to the stake and the leash to the bungee cord. (Purpose of the bungee is to absorb any "shock" if she outruns the length of the leash.) The beauty of the retractable leash is that it extends/rewinds according to what the dog is doing, and swivels on the stake. Those features mean that it virtually never becomes tangled up, stopping the game.

She now has almost thirty feet of distance to run for the toy, counting leash length on both sides of the stake.

I then sit comfortably in my chair and fling her "toy" a distance calculated to be within her reach. This part takes practice and as I said won't work with a ball that'll continue to roll....don't want to "clothesline" the dog or, heaven forbid, force me out of my chair to retrieve it myself.

She eagerly chases/fetches the toy, and the "rule" we've evolved by Mutual Consent is that I won't throw it again unless she brings it to me and puts it in my lap. She can toss it around/play with it as long as she likes and better yet, I don't have to so much as BEND OVER to pick it up when it's my "turn" to throw it again! :B

We've gotten so good at this game that Millie actually knows now exactly how far the leash will let her go, and on the rare occasions when I overshoot, she'll stop short before getting pulled up by the leash.

Side notes:

One does have to be careful to play this game only where one "controls" enough territory where the field can be kept clear of people that might wander in and get entangled.

It depends how persnickety they are. A fifty foot clothesline from the dollar store would provide ample room for a game of fetch with a small dog, if the space is open and the terrain relatively smooth. Most parks say six feet for the leash, but you can ask if they'd be okay with longer for a daily exercise session, provided you find someplace appropriate.

Some parks also have fenced dog play areas that can be great for a game of fetch.

wanda573 wrote:
Hi,

We have a small dog that loves to play fetch the ball, maybe more than eating. LOL. Most campgrounds have leash rules. I was wondering if you had this problem and how you solved it. At obedience training we did an exercise where we put on end of the rope, tie out, around our waist and the other end hooked on his vest harness. It was for calmer training exercises like to learn to come when called and some obedience training. I am not physically able to run along with him to retrieve after I throw it. Do you have any ideas to share. Thanks for your help.

Only my opinion; I would ask the campground management if there was an open area you could play fetch in, on lead. Get a 50 foot light lead and make sure you throw the ball within that 50 foot radius.