The ingenuity of the lazy human breeds so much innovation. Take the simple act of throwing a ball for your dog. Now we constantly have Labrador retrievers as pets. They ain’t called ‘retrievers’ for nothing and can get right obsessive about chasing a ball or Frisbee. If you do not run playing some catch is a great way to run off that lab energy when needed. I started looking for a dog ball thrower to get a little more distance on my tosses and was amazed at all the devices out there to help you with throwing a ball for your dog.
Manual Throwers
The simplest device I have seen and probably the most prevalent due to its cost is the Chuckit dog ball thrower. This is a one piece plastic arm extension that has a cup at one end that a tennis ball goes in. An over hand swing and a little practice will allow you to throw the ball lot’s farther than you can with just your arm and you don’t get any elbow soreness from tossing time and time again. You can pick these up for about ten dollars. The company Planet Dog in Maine makes a similar design in an eco friendly version where the handle is made out of bamboo, wood, the ball is made from recycled material and it is named the Wood-Chuck. Very nice.
Bungee Ball Combos
Requiring a little more dexterity on your part the Go-Frr is another dog toy that has a ball with a bungee type cord through it. You launch the ball similar to a slingshot action by hooking the cord to your thumb, pull on the ball and release like you would a bow and arrow. They even have a handle that will save you thumb from being flexed too much. These float and are great for the lake or ocean. Still a very inexpensive product you will pay about fifteen for the ball and a launch handle. We have one of these continuing to last on its third Lab. The item pictured is made by Planet Dog and is similar design.
Golf Club Launcher
Not a thrower you can get the Doggy Driver which is a golf club type device where the ball fits into the club head and you swing like a club. I have not tested this one out yet but I am a golfer and it got good reviews from consumers.
Ball Slingshots
Now we get into the higher tech products. The Hyperdog Launcher is a slingshot that braces on your forearm launching a ball exactly like a slingshot would. It has a holder to hang onto spare balls for you. A good product it comes in a two ball and a four ball model for twenty to twenty five dollars.
Automatic Dog Ball Thrower
Even higher tech and the ultimate in lazy human ingenuity is the GoDogGo dog ball thrower an automatic ball thrower. This is a bucket that holds a boat load of tennis balls with an auto gravity driven feed. It feeds the balls in one at a time and kicks the balls out with an auto launching device. We bought one of these years ago for our yellow lab and it works. The bucket or hopper is large enough to where you can teach your dog to return the balls to the hopper and virtually not have to do a thing other than watch. I investigated the newer version and much to my joy it now comes with a remote so you can sit on your can and do nothing but watch the fun. A lot of people love these. Personally I want to be more involved in the game myself and I want the retrieve to come to me for training. In addition this device is a little over a hundred dollars. Hey being lazy has its downside.
Getting tired of your pup pestering you for a little game of fetch and your toss is too short for a relaxing time you can get one of these dog ball throwers and have a great time. I have seen older folks at the beach that had golden retrievers using these to wear out their young pups. And if you just want to sit by the pool sipping a cool beverage while you exercise your pup you can get the automatic version with the remote as an ultimate expression of man vs. beast. Whichever you choose a great game of fetch is time well spent and your dog will love you for it.
