Activities For A Hooverball Player With Dogs
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Prepare for unexpected vet bills
Introduction
One of the first and only sports to incorporate medicine balls into it, Hooverball is a favorite game among cross fit practitioners all around the globe. The game gets its name from the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover. Hoover's personal physician, Joel T. Boone, created the game initially as a form of physical therapy. Hooverball has since become a popular sport among the Crossfit community as it helps to develop and strengthen muscles in a fun and unconventional way. Dogs just love playing with medicine balls, so a Hooverball player will be able to have hours of fun with a dog if they're willing to think outside of the box.
Treibball
Popular
0 Votes
Sunny Day
Moderate
Normal
30 - 45 min
Items needed
Medicine Balls
Goal Posts
Activity description
Part soccer, part billiards, and all fun, Treibball is a sport that originated in Germany a few decades ago. The sport prompts dogs to push an array of super sized rubber balls into goal posts within a limited amount of time. The medicine balls used during Hooverball matches would be perfect for a game of Treibball, so a Hooverball player may not even need to buy too many more items to play this game. Most medicine balls can be bought for about $10 a pop, so this activity is very economical. You and your dog are best to play during sunny weather, when it shouldn't be too windy or rainy.
Step
1
Game, set...
The first thing you'll need to do is arrange the medicine balls in a triangle formation, just like how you'd rack up a set of billiard balls before playing a game of pool. Your dog won't be attempting to break them per se, rather they'll be pushing the balls into a goal post one at a time. Organizing the balls just makes it easier for your dog to retrieve them when the game is actually afoot.
Step
2
...Match!
During the match, your dog can score points by pushing the balls into the post. They don't need to toss the balls into the goal posts or anything like that, they just simply need to usher them in. Shower your dog with praise when they successfully get a ball into a post and be ready to play referee if your dog starts getting too off base with the game.
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Dog Yoga
Popular
0 Votes
Any Day
Cheap
Normal
30 - 40 min
Items needed
Yoga Mat
Yoga Ball
Medicine Ball
Activity description
Yoga doesn't just exercise your body - it exercises your soul. All dramatic prose aside, Yoga is a great way to stay fit, both mentally and physically, without having to jack up your joints or lift massive, rusty metallic plates. Many Yoga exercises incorporate medicine balls, so the same all that you've used to play Hooverball with can also be used during a Yoga session. Dogs can get in on the action too, Yoga practitioners being able to outright hold smaller sized dogs during certain exercises. You don't need to spend much money on this activity, just purchase a Yoga Mat and another medicine ball if need be.
Step
1
Medicine ball practice
A dog can use a medicine ball to improve their strength and flexibility if they're prompted to balance it with their legs. Get your dog to lay down on their back before you place the ball in between their legs. It might take a few tries, but eventually, your dog will start to play with the medicine ball while laying down - preferably on a Yoga mat.
Step
2
Yoga ball stretching
For this exercise, get your dog to rest their front paws on top of a yoga ball. While your pet is propped up against the ball, gently take their front paws and slowly pull them forward and backward. You'll essentially be stretching your dog's back and limbs doing this exercise, which can help relieve a lot of stress and tension.
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Hot Potato
Popular
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Any Day
Cheap
Easy
20 - 30 min
Items needed
Small Medicine Ball
Dog Treats
Activity description
Here's an easy activity that's very cheap and that can be played during any time of day or season of the year. You will really only need your medicine ball for this activity as well as a few dog treats - all of which can be bought for about $20 or so. As the name implies, this activity is all about getting your pet to engage with you by passing a ball back to you after you've rolled it over to them. It's really that simple - just set some room aside for yourself and your dog and see how many times the both of you can pass the ball back and forth in a row.
Step
1
Back and forth
Start by rolling the ball over to your dog. Prompt them to roll the ball back to you by nudging it with their noise via encouragement and praise. Once your dog finally does roll the ball back to you, roll it back to them and repeat. The idea is to decrease the amount of time it takes for your dog to roll the ball back to you via practice and repetition.
Step
2
Voice commands
After you've spent enough time rolling the ball back and forth, try implementing vocal commands to spice things up. Say "hot" when your dog starts to nudge the ball back to you to establish the idea that the ball needs to stay in motion. Say it again when your pushing the ball back to your dog to further reinforce the main ideas behind this game.
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More Fun Ideas...
Medicine Ball Fetch
The same way that folks use tennis balls to play fetch with their pets, you can use a small medicine ball to play fetch with your dog. You won't want to throw the ball as hard or as far as you would using a tennis ball but the both of you can still effectively have the same amount of fun as playing tennis.
Ball Balance
If your dog has a flair for the dramatic, they may be game to try this activity out. Using a small, low weight medicine ball, get your pet to stand still and hold their head up before placing the ball on their muzzle. See how long they can balance the ball on their nose before it inevitably slips off their muzzle.
Conclusion
Hooverball is definitely a game that people and their pets should play together because it's a great way to bond with one another as well as one of the safest sports out there. Medicine balls are very versatile tools that people can use in all sorts of creative and unconventional ways. The activities that we've listed here are just a few things that the both of you can try out, but your imagination is really the only limit to the sorts of things you can do with your dog. Be creative but also be careful when you're coming up with new things to try with your pet.