Periodic Puppy Pics

Every time I head for the door to go out into the yard, Callie is either there waiting or comes running from where ever she is. She will leap outside and sit down in the grass. If I mentally draw a line from her tail to her snout, then follow that line out into the yard, I will usually find the tennis ball in the grass.

I got the ball, you can't get it!

So I walk out into the yard, pick up the ball and toss it. Callie leaps into action and chases the ball down. She grabs it in her mouth and runs to a spot under a tree and sits down with the ball between her front paws. This is a demonstration of why border collies are good sheep dogs. They run and chase and herd, but have no idea what to do when they get what they're going after.

It's like pulling teeth to get Callie to bring the ball back for another throw. She prefers for me to come to her to get the ball. As I approach, she grips the ball between her paws and grabs it with her teeth. I get my fingers around the ball (while it's still in her mouth) and say, "drop it." I swear, this is her favorite part of the whole exercise. Then I can throw the ball again.

She has me well trained. But once in while we do get into a rhythm and she will, with much coaxing and praise, bring the ball back to me. Twice, maybe three times in a row. Then it's back under the tree in the pose you see here.

Interestingly, I've learned that only real tennis balls (the kind sold in a pressurized can) will do. Any fake "doggy tennis balls" will instantly be torn to shreds. She removes the felt from them and then tears them apart. But she can't get the felt off a real tennis ball. This one's over a year old! Imagine that.