Why Does My Dog Push the Ball Under the Couch?

In this article:

• Why do dogs put balls under things? 
• How do I train my dog to stop putting the ball under the couch? 
• What’s the fastest way to stop my dog from putting the ball under the couch?
• What are some alternative games to play with my dog?

Tug. Fetch. Keep-away. Playing games with dogs is our idea of a good time. It’s enriching for the dog, and a joy for you—the gold standard of person-dog bonding. But one thing that may not be so much fun? The dreaded ball-under-the-couch game. 

One moment, you’re playing a delightful game of fetch with your dog inside your home. Your best bud gets the ball and, instead of bringing it to you, they nose it under the couch, dresser, or other piece of furniture. You get on all fours, contort your arm, and trail it through the dark and dust to retrieve the ball. Your knees crack as you return the ball to your dog… and they immediately push it back under the sectional. You could swear that they’re doing it on purpose. 

And they probably are doing it on purpose, at least if it’s a habit. Why? In short, because it’s fun (for them). Below, find out more about why dogs do this—and what you can do if it’s not your favorite way to play.

Why do dogs put balls under furniture? 

It’s fun

Maddie Messina, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and founder of Paws for Thought Dog Training in New York City, told us that she sees two main reasons a dog would push a ball under a couch. The first is that it could be a learned behavior. Sometime in the dog-human relationship, the dog’s ball went under the furniture. Then the human got it out, and maybe they tossed it for the dog. The dog enjoyed this.

“Retrieving the ball for [a dog] is reinforcing; so is the attention that comes with it,” Messina said.

Trainer Denise Herman, of Empire of the Dog, agreed that the behavior could have everything to do with attention and enacting a different type of play. The game you were playing at first may have revolved around your dog retrieving the ball, but now it’s something new: you’ve gotten off the couch, and there’s an exciting moment where you pull the ball out from underneath an obstacle. 

“Your dog has taught you to fetch,” she said. 

It’s instinctive

Messina also told us that a dog who pushes a ball under a couch could be engaging in caching—when dogs store items of value, usually food, for later. This is an inherited trait in domesticated dogs. One recent study pitted wolves against dogs to see who was better at finding cached food that humans hid, or they did not observe being hidden. Spoiler: the wolves were better at finding human-hidden food, but dogs still share the behavioral instinct.

Caching could be essential for a dog surviving on their own in the wild. But the instinct doesn’t go away just because they live in your condo. So a dog might substitute the space under a dresser for a spot in the dirt where they can dig and deposit things of value for later.  

The above study focuses on food caching, but many dog owners and trainers have reported that dogs will store or attempt to store non-food objects that are valuable to them as well. Messina said that, for obvious reasons, a dog who’s attempting to store their ball or toy will not immediately want it back, so it feels less like a game. A dog will nudge the ball under the couch with their nose whether they’re caching or playing a game, so it’s hard to be certain of their intentions—but a dog who’s caching might also attempt to dig. 

How do I train my dog to stop putting the ball under the couch? 

If the ball-under-things rigmarole is indeed a game for your dog, but is less than fun for you, the person who has to get on their hands and knees to retrieve, you have recourse. But it will take patience. The basic idea is to not get up when your dog barks a demand that you go grab the ball, Herman told us. Instead, wait for them to give up, whether that means that they lay down or walk away. Only then should you get the ball. 

Or you can let your dog try to figure out how to retrieve the ball themselves, which can act as extra enrichment. That tack is okay as long as they’re not damaging anything, hurting themselves, or stressed out by the effort. 

But, in general, if your dog pushes the ball under the couch and you reinforce it by following their directions, they will keep doing it. 

Is there a faster way to stop my dog from putting a ball under the couch?

You can also try removing the temptation altogether. There are two main ways to do this: change the couch or change the ball. 

Couch blockers 

You can stop the problem before it starts with couch blockers. As their name suggests, these products are designed expressly for the purpose of keeping things out from under couches, and they come in different shapes and colors. 

You can also try pool floats, which are easy to cut and fit to irregular spaces.  

Larger toys

Depending on the size of the gap between the floor and the piece of furniture that your dog just can’t quit, you can simply get a ball or other toy in a size that won’t fit into the space. Be sure that your dog enjoys playing with the new toy, so they can continue to get great enrichment. 

What you can do instead of playing the under-the-couch game?

If you’ve taken away one form of fun for your dog, you’ll want to replace it with something equally or more stimulating. Incorporate a snuffle mat, puzzle, and/or lick pad into their routine, or engage them in a round of tug or training around the time they usually like to send you spelunking beneath the couch. 

“If this is an attention-seeking behavior, give your dog more attention, or mental and physical stimulation, outside of [the] home or unrelated to balls,” Messina said. This way, they’ll be less likely to seek attention in ways that you find disagreeable.

The final option is surrender: You can keep playing the ball-under-the-couch game. Let your dog coyly put the ball under some furniture. Let them bark at the furniture as if it’s taken something from them. Drop down and pull the ball out. Toss it. If the activity is fun for your dog and not terribly annoying to you, there is no harm in keeping it up.