3 Reasons Why You Should Bin The Ball Launcher!

 3 Reasons Why You Should Bin The Ball Launcher

Encourages Obsessive Behaviours

Whilst many dogs do undeniably enjoy the thrill of the chase, there can be too much of a good thing.  All dog's naturally have an instinct to chase things that move, that much is true.  Some breeds have a much stronger natural instinct than others.  However this is usually part of a bigger sequence of events, not just chasing.  This is known as the predatory sequence and it tends to follow this pattern: 

Eye > Orient > Stalk > Chase > Grab-Bite > Kill-Bite > Dissect > Consume

By constantly repeating the chase part of the process over and over again, this keeps their adrenalin levels sky high, with no opportunity to let them decrease.  This is why your dog may carry on chasing a ball long after they are physically tired.  They feel that they simply cannot stop.  It is extremely addictive.  

The dissect and consume parts of the process encourage relaxation, which is why it is recommended to give your dog a long lasting chew regularly, to encourage them to unwind.  

This comes from someone whose own dog is completely obsessed by tennis balls and without sounding dramatic, it really does have the potential to ruin your dog's life.  Tizzy was re-homed by her owner who could not cope with such a high energy dog, as she has mobility issues.  To exercise her, she constantly threw a tennis ball in the house and garden which Tizzy fetched back.  Because this was her only form of exercise and mental stimulation, she quickly became obsessed.  When she came to us, she truly has no idea how to just be a dog.  How to take her time and sniff on walks.  How to settle down and relax in the house.  All because she was completely infatuated by finding and playing with the tennis ball.  It was an extremely long process to essentially break the addiction Tizzy had, but she can enjoy short sessions of playing with a ball now without the constant fixation. 

Can Cause Injuries 

Sudden high intensity exercise such as this, requires ample warm up exercises beforehand, which is rarely ever carried out.  All too often, I see people letting their dog bound out of the car, onto the local field, and go straight into to crazy games of fetch. 

Ball launchers encourage your dog to run at full speed after the ball, then suddenly skid to a stop to pick the ball up.  They also sometimes require your dog to jump up off the ground fully, to catch the ball in mid-air.  Both of these are a recipe for disaster, and definitely injury.  Damage to ligaments and tendons in the legs are common, as well as pulled muscles and joint pain.  Because the thrill of chasing the ball is so addictive, your dog is likely to carry on running despite them being in pain.  

Continuous use of repetitive ball throwing for exercise can even have long term health impacts.  Conditions such as Arthritis are much more likely to develop in dogs that have had more strain on their joints, muscles and cartilage in their younger years. This is especially likely if they are encouraged to run up and down hills or over uneven ground regularly.  

Increases Anxiety

When your dog chases a ball, a high amount of adrenaline is released into their system.  Alongside this, the hormone Cortisol is also released which is related to stress.  This can take several days to return back to more manageable levels, meaning your dog is on high alert.  Without the opportunity to relax and unwind, your dog is likely to overreact to things that they can normally deal with quite effectively otherwise.  

If your dog is already quite an anxious soul, this will add to their anxiousness which is definitely something you want to avoid.  Instead, they should be encourage to use their brains, by providing them with enrichment activities as well as more gentle physical exercise.  

I am not saying that your dog can never play with a ball again whatsoever.  I would just strongly advise you to reconsider the length of time that they do so, and the way in which they play with it too.  There are still lots of ways your dog can enjoy playing safely, without the increased risk of injury occurring or obsessive behaviours being formed.  

For more information on enrichment activities, you can read my blog on this here. 

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