I used the Jolly ball as an outdoor toy - until after 6 months of carrying it around it wore down her canine teeth, just the tips. She didn't herd it, she carried it, trying to stuff the whole thing in her mouth so she could show the other dogs her 'catch'. She didn't have enough jaw strength to tear it to shreads, altho she sure tried... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

It was a great toy tho, just not right for my dog's method of playing.

no, a jolly ball is soft. The ball you are most likely talking about is the indestrucaball.. The ones with the little screw in plug so you can fill it with stuff.

I agree *thumbs down* on the indestructaball.. Broke tips on a dog I had too.

The ball I'm refering to is the hard plastic one.
I stressed the 'large' size because of the nature of play involved. If it can't fit into the mouth, it won't hurt the teeth, although I'm sure some dogs will TRY to bite it anyway...They'll push the ball with their noses, hence the term 'herd the ball' as opposed to 'bite and carry'. Honestly
you should look at their website-I guarantee you'll be impressed. They even make them HUGE for zoo animals(pictures of this on the site) I can only speak from my own experience with the ball- my dog runs at the best of his capabilities with it...not the relaxed way he chases frisbees or tennis balls, but a REAL run, like his life depended on it. I've also seen it used as an exercise tool with an accelerant detection dog on a tv show. Some (no, not all) of the rescue dogs go beserk for the thing. I guess it all depends on the dog, but I can't say enough about them.

Acually there are two types available, a hard plastic one and a soft one for horses. The one I used was was the hard one, and it was a large. Just picture a smallish, skinny GSD running around the yard carrying a huge ball, bigger than her head, pleased as punch with herself. She loved that toy...

Maybe I will try the soft one.

When I say a large size, I'm talking the size of a basketball...and the hard one, not soft. Your dog has to want to chase it around, not bite it.

That is exactly what size Gunther broke his teeth on. Determined dogs CAN get it in their mouth if they get one tooth in where the screwplug is. He carried it around all the time.

I have the pleasure of owning a young male Malinois; he just turned 9 months old. This is the second Mal I've had the pleasure of owning. They are wonderful animals but they are NOT for everyone. I tell people that inquire about getting one that unless they are willing to dedicate themselves to daily working with their dog, they need to get a different breed. Mals are extremely high energy dogs and extremely smart. Accordingly, they require (not just NEED, it's a REQUIREMENT) lots of exercise and mental stimulation, if you want a happy adjusted Malinois companion.
Another aspect of Malinois ownership that can't be over emphasized is the need for proper socialization. These puppies MUST be socialized as youngsters, to avoid problems in the future. Of course, it is important to socialize all puppies, but with the Mals it is a real must.
But, if a person is willing to dedicate the right amount of time and care to a Malinois, they will have (in my opinion :rolleyes: ) one of the best dogs available anywhere. To give you an idea, I walk with Trooper loose and able to run and race at will, in the woods adjacent to our home, at least twice a day - I cover an average of 3-4 miles per day - he travels more than double that far. We drive to a huge open field near our home at least once or twice a week where he can run and race in large circles vs having to stay close by in order to keep an eye on me. We work on formal obedience training at least 5-6 days a week. Trooper goes with me 99% of the time, when I have errands to run; he even accompanies me to work about once a week and spends the day in my office. When left alone in the home (a rarity as my husband is almost always home when I'm at work) our Mal is put in his crate. Why? Because when left out of the crate he will invariably find something to do to entertain himself - shredding the phone book, piling all the dirty clothes in the middle of the bed, dragging all the cushions off the couch - you get the idea! Entertaining for him, not exactly what we like to see happen, hence he gets a little crate time!
But, like I mentioned earlier, this breed is well worth the extra effort. Trooper passed his CGC test when he was 5 months, 1 day old and on Jan 8th and 9th of this year (had just turned 9 months old on the 8th) he earned two qualifying scores in AKC Novice Rally competition with one score of 98 (highest possible score is 100). Malinois are SMART as can be, FULL of energy. If you aren't a couch potato and are willing to accept the responsibility of full time, every day, dog ownership then the Malinois might just be the breed for you. If you want to be a part time dog owner, where the dog entertains itself a good part of the time, please save yourself and the dog a lot of trouble and pick a different breed!

I have a friend with an 18 mos old female mal as a house pet. It's strictly a pet. I've asked him how he does it. He says they religiously jog with her twice a day and take her to the park at least once a day. So that's exercising the snot out of her three times a day. He says they couldn't live with her otherwise. She would eat the house.

BTW - he said some of her litter mates went to the DEA, and some went to the local PD, so I'm taking that to mean they were intended to be working dogs. His female was the smallest and least intense of all her sibs.

Hi Roz! I can believe it - these Mals take a LOT of exercise to keep them happy and content. Trooper lives in the house and is a full time pet - although we have just started competing in obedience competition (AKC) and will continue along this line to OTCH (at least that's my goal!) Troop is sleeping at my feet right now, he takes lots of naps and is very content to lie around in the house and/or play by himself with his toys PART of the time. But, without the daily outings to run free and play and the sessions for training, he quickly becomes an unhappy camper. Then again, the Mal IS a herding dog . . . they are supposed to go all day long watching over their flock. Not too reasonable to take a dog bred for that purpose and ask them to become a couch potato pet! There are plenty of breeds out there that fill that need, but Mals aren't one of them! They are a SUPER breed to work with, but they sure aren't much on hanging out and doing nothing.