My dog is afraid of balls. How do I get him used to them?

Why would you want to? Is it mandatory that dogs like balls or should have to play with them?

If your dog is afraid of balls, instruct him to grow some.

When you’re sitting with him on the couch, slowly pull a ball out from a hiding place and hold it. Get him used to it just being there peripherally rather than it being thrown at him.

Let him lick some…with peanut butter.

Does your dog respond to treats? You’re going to use a lot of treats here, so you might want to cut them up small. Get him going in a large room with treats. Then take him out of the room, introduce a ball at one end, and re-enter. Move a few steps closer. More treats and every time his attention goes toward the ball, distract him with treats, and so on. Proceed like this until you are near the ball. If doggie balks, move back a step or two and begin again. It seems to me that you want to work with one type of ball, maybe a tennis ball, rather than a basket ball, which is large. Don’t move the ball until he gets used to it being still. After he’s OK with getting treats right close to the ball, you could begin again by having someone roll a ball across the other end of the room, and keep him distracted with the treats. Then do as before, moving a step closer to the rolling ball each time. I’ve seen this sort of thing done on “It’s Me or the Dog.

Why is this so important that your dog like balls? My dog doesn’t and I could care less.

@chyna the OP said the dog is AFRAID of balls. That can be a problem, especially if there are children around.

that’s really cute.
Does he have a treat that he loves?

I would try peanut butter or a jerky/greenie pill pocket treat in a little ball… toss it out and let him get it. then put some on the side of a tennis ball and toss it out a short distance.. let him lick it and reward him with more of the treat if he brings it back.
edit: my hound’s trick treat was liverwurst

“i’ll take ambiguously phrased questions for $1000, Alex.”

There is a ball shaped dog toy that has compartments in it to put treats in. I think it is called a “KONG” toy. It gives a dog some challenge to try to get the food out. Out pup is 9 mo. old and still gets a charge out of playing with it. If a dog will associate a ball with goodies inside hopefully it will help overcome that fear.