We observed their durability, ease of pushing, and suitability for different breeds of dogs. All to answer one single question: This is our favoured option and involves reducing the height of the lower canines to that of the adjacent incisors. Figure 4: This medium sized ball is the right size for this model. The curve of the ball will place some gentle outward pressure on the tips of the lower canine (fang) teeth.

Orthodontic treatment will also conceal a defect and will not be performed unless the patient is neutered. In addition we have an ethical obligation to inform the Kennel Club of a change in conformation. We currently have 10 dogs, which include Australian Cattle Dogs, German Shepherd / AmStaff mix, Spaniel mix, and Doberman Pinscher. We have given many herding balls a thorough testing. Before going further, you may need to review malocclusions in general by having a look at this overview of malocclusions. My only complaint is that the Push-n-Play is not suitable for indoor use. This heavy plastic herding ball is like a bowling ball as it rolls around your floor, crashing into chair legs and off walls. Outdoor play only.Keep the inclined plane clean. Just like human bite plates, canine inclined planes need to be kept clean. Your vet may recommend sedating or anesthetizing your dog to clean its inclined plane. If necessary, your vet will make adjustments to the inclined plane, since your dog could have dislodged it when biting down on something hard. Let your dog play with the ball or toy. The rubber ball or toy will be most effective when your dog plays with it for at least 15 minutes, three times a day. To encourage your dog to play with the ball or toy, give it to your dog as a special treat for good behavior. You could also put some tasty treats in the Kong toy and use it as a food puzzle. This makes it easier for your dog to push with different parts of his body. The larger your dog, the larger the herding ball needs to be. A bonus for households with kids: these Nerf dog balls also fit into the Nerf ball blaster. Load the blaster toy with these rubber dog balls, and they’ll fly up to 50 feet. This article was reviewed by Natalie Punt, DVM. Dr. Natalie Punt is a Veterinarian and the Founder and CEO of mPet- a smart phone app for pet owners to store, manage and transfer their pets medical records and health information. She specializes in small animal emergency and general medicine and veterinary practice economics. Dr. Punt holds a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from The University of California, Davis, an MS in Biochemistry from The University at Buffalo, and a DVM from Western University of Health Sciences.

Even our largest tester, a clumsy Mastiff, happily chased the ball around the yard. Although I must admit, his sheer size made even the 14-inch Push-n-Play look comically small. This Mastiff is well-known for destroying any toy you give him. However, this herding ball held strong even after weeks of him batting the ball around the yard. A proprietary glow pigment creates this effect after the ball sits for five minutes under a bright light—the glow can last up to 30 minutes. Leen Verhaert, DVM, Dip. EVDC, EBVS, first described the technique in a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry ( JOVD) in 1999. The title of the paper was “A removable orthodontic device for the treatment of lingually displaced mandibular canine teeth in young dogs.” I must admit when I first heard of the technique, I did not expect it to be as helpful as it has proven to be. The study documented use of the technique in young dogs of different breeds with Class 1 or Class 2 malocclusions. Dogs ranged from five to 9.5 months of age. Twenty-three of 38 cases were fully corrected without any other treatment. Figure 2: An example of an appropriately sized “appliance” for treatment of linguoversion of mandibular canine teeth. This is best done with erupting permanent mandibular canines. When done at this time the canines are actively moving through the bone and can be deviated from their course. This is usually around 5 months of age. Once the teeth are at their final eruption height the ability to move them starts to reduce. It then becomes a much bigger job to do. You should encourage your dog to play with the ball in their mouth as often as you can. It has been shown that performing this behaviour for fifteen minute intervals three times daily is effective. The longer the forces act, the better the result. This is also one of the few herding balls we tested that is appropriate for indoor play. The rubber ball won’t make loud thuds as your dog herds it around your home.

Even some soft toys are very damaging. Tennis ball and other toys covered with that material are very abrasive. The fuzz is abrasive itself. It also traps dirt/sand/grit and so now chewing on the toy is like chewing on sandpaper and can wear teeth down in a hurry. After interviewing many owners who attributed their dog’s damaged teeth to a plastic herding ball, we noticed a trend. Dogs that experienced teeth issues herded the ball with their teeth.