Obsession?

Is obessive behaviours in dogs a good thing?

For example making the dog ball obsessed for training purposes.

Adam

Only if a) you can control the source of it and b) you have an on and off switch for your dog.

EG my GSD is totally ball obsessed, most of this is genetic, but I made him an adrenalin junkie, however if I say "that will do" he switches off and tootles along on his walk,

Obsession is never a good thing in my opinion.

Depends what you mean by obsession. For her own safety, I want my dog to rate chasing balls higher than chasing rabbits, for example, but I want her to be able to enjoy a walk without necessarily needing the ball, or to give up the ball and do something else.

To get to the top of the tree in most disciplines a dog has to have a degree of obsession with something........... IME

Is this really 'obsession' though or driven by tapping into something which comes naturally?

The dictionary definition of obsess:

verb (used with object)
1. to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or haunt persistently or abnormally: Suspicion obsessed him.
–verb (used without object)
2. to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.

I don't think most dogs you would say were ball 'obsessed' are technically the definition of obsessive, because the ball surely doesn't dominate all of their thoughts all of the time. It is an object that they only react to when it is physically there (or know is coming).

Totally agree.

It can be a life saver for some dogs.

rune

I would agree with this. All our best workers (sheepdogs) are totally obsessed with the job in hand and with herding - but all do have an off switch (so long as they have had sufficient work to tire them)

IMO no obsession is good, normal or healthy ~ but there's a difference between an enjoyable habit (when a dog usually gets to chase a ball on a walk but can switch off & do other things too) & obsession where it does nothing else but obsess/think about/get fixated on, a ball & continually worries for it.

Sometimes, if the ball is removed, dogs wil find something else, like a stick or stone, to use & try to "tempt" the owner into throwing it.