A ball flinger can throw a tennis ball up to 140 feet – around two or three times further than the average non-bionic human can manage.
But launching a ball at high speed for your dog to chase can put unnecessary strain on their joints, muscles and cartilage. Excessive use can also develop unwanted behaviour patterns.
Dogs are not athletes
When you launch a ball from a ball flinger or tennis launcher your dog is going to make chase, throwing themselves in the air, braking and skidding. Going up and down at high speed like this can cause damage to their joints, muscles and cartilage which in turn, can result in long term health problems such as arthritis, not to mention acute muscle injuries and damaged paw pads.
Your everyday dog walks are for enjoying fresh air, stopping to sniff every lamp post or piece of grass and to enjoy the environment around you. If you repeatedly fling a high-speed ball for your dog to catch, we’re essentially transforming a pleasant walk into a strenuous HIIT session.
Using a ball launcher for a puppy is not a good idea either. Puppies need monitored exercise and should not be over undertaking in excessive or repetitive exercise while their bones are growing. Their bones are soft and growing right up until they reach full maturity, usually anywhere between one to two years old, depending on the size of the dog. Whilst they are still growing, too much exercise, especially high impact types, can put too much strain on their bones and joints and it increases the chances of them developing musculoskeletal problems as they get older.
What can you do or use instead of a ball launcher?
It’s a good idea to warm up your dog before letting them play off lead to minimise the chance of injury. It’s not a good idea for dogs to chase balls or toys on a slippery surface or spend hours playing fetch and/or chasing a ball up and down a hill.
Whilst we hope the days of the ball flinger are numbered, we know that a lot of dogs are obsessed with chasing balls, so what kind of games can we play instead?
Now just because I don’t use a ball flinger to play fetch doesn’t mean I don’t use balls. I use them wisely, as a reward or as part of a game. We play fun games where I hide the ball and our dog sniffs it out: his ‘treasure’ is the reward.
So, if your dog LOVES his ball, why not get him to use his nose to find it!
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