Kate Upton's Dog Loves Baseball Thanks to Her Boyfriend Justin Verlander

It's ruff being the third wheel! Kate Upton's adorable pup is a baseball lover — and it's all thanks to her boyfriend, Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit model gushed about her boys to Us Weekly before hosting the Grand Slam Adoption Event at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida on Thursday, March 31.

"My boxer went to the field with Justin and saw this basket of baseballs and he was literally in heaven and now he has a baseball obsession," Upton, 23, told Us Weekly. "He also will only let Justin throw the balls to him — apparently he only wants a professional pitcher to play catch with him. I’m not good enough. Even if I throw the ball, he’ll bring it back to Justin and be like, 'She’s sweet for trying, but can you throw it now?'"

Happy Easter!! Deciding what to cook for Easter dinner. Any suggestions? ???

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Mar 27, 2016 at 5:36am PDT

Upton and Verlander, 33, have been dating for three years, but the Other Woman actress has been an animal lover since childhood. She revealed to Us her go-to training tips for new dogs.

"The most important thing is to set boundaries and have strict rules for the dog. A lot of people think that not having rules in a home is a way of showing love to the dog, but it’s actually the opposite. Dogs like to know what they’re supposed to do and not supposed to do," she told Us. "My personal way of training a puppy is crate training, I always crate train. Any dog in a new home wants a safe space, and to them the crate is their safe space."

Sneak peak at some of our #grandslamadoption supporters – check out their silent auction items to benefit @spcafl and @k9sforwarriors! Click the link in my bio for more info!

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Mar 31, 2016 at 11:10am PDT

Upton also has treat regulations. "I personally don’t like to treat-train because a lot of the time I don’t have treats and forget them," she said. "I train them to do their tricks with a lot of praise. My dogs can sit and stay and all that. I give my dogs treats throughout the day, but [not as a reward]."

Upton hopes that the event will encourage others to adopt from animal shelters. Canines for Warriors, which helps train dogs to help veterans, is also an organization she's passionate about. For more information, go here.

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