So our collie is now a year old and what we tend to do is walks without a ball. I like this cos she sniffs and chills when it is just us alone in the forest she just potters along happily. I do play at throwing ball in the garden but not particularly far - we haven’t got a big garden really it’s just to teach her how “fetch” works and to teach drop etc.
we have never used ball on walks as I feel once we start she will expect it all the time. We did on a beach holiday throw a ball for her and she became obsessed quite quickly. But she was a lot younger at the time. I have noticed a few other collie owners out and about who seem to be forever throwing balls and I wondered if I am missing a trick here. She likes to say hello to other dogs which is ok but sometimes I would prefer she ignored them a bit more. She is quite timid and likes to say hello but also kind of doesn’t and tiptoes over ever to nervous to say hello. And I think maybe if she had something else to concentrate on it would make this all a bit easier.
What are collie owners thoughts? Balls on walks, yay or nay? Also any other breeds can answer too, but I just ask collie cos they have such a tendency to become obsessed quickly