Rick ...
My Dad did the same thing with my brother's lab. Dad had MS and my brother left his dog at home when he left for college. If Toby was not exercised, he'd drive everyone crazy.
Dad had it set up so that he'd sit on a chair in the driveway and bat the ball down hill and Toby would race after it. When Toby was just about crawling up the hill to return the ball, Dad would call it quits for the day ...
Smiles,
Lyn
