Your dog is a picture of pure, unadulterated joy when, ball in mouth, he runs back to you as fast as his legs will carry him. Playing fetch is a huge favourite among many dogs and their owners, but does this fun game come with risks?
Keeping an injury-free balance
Quite a bit of research has been done regarding the game of fetch and, sadly, it does come with very real risks. But don’t despair; you don’t have to stop playing it completely – being aware of what could happen will equip you with the knowledge to make your dog’s game of fetch as safe as possible.
A paper published in the journal BMC Veterinary Research explains that carrying an item in their mouths completely changes how dogs carry their bodies. Normally, dogs place 60% of their weight on their front legs, and 40% on their back legs. When carrying an item in the mouth, this changes to as much as 75% of bodyweight being carried on the front legs for an item of around 4kg. Healthy adult dogs should be alright, but care should be taken with puppies, older dogs or those who already have problems in their joints, tendons or muscles.
Not all dogs are super-athletes
Veterinarian Hanna Capon, founder of caninearthritis.co.uk, expresses grave concern about the intense physical activity involved in playing fetch, stating it could lead to painful arthritis.
Do you take your dog to the park and browse your phone while using a ball launcher to repeatedly ‘throw’ balls for your dog to fetch? This tires him out, takes care of his exercise needs and will keep him out of mischief, as he will take a long snooze afterwards, right?
However, Capon cautions against this, saying: “We need to realise we’re asking dogs to run like athletes. They are going from standing still, to a gallop, then throwing themselves in the air, braking and skidding. This might be up and down a hill or on a beach, and it’s causing damage to their joints and trauma to muscles and cartilage. But, because the dog is so excited, he carries on through the pain. For the many dogs who might have injuries or mobility problems, we’re making these even worse, meaning pets need to be on medication. This can take years off their life expectancy.”
Your dog’s wrists, shoulders, neck and spine are at risk when indulging in the vigorous activity that is playing fetch. A ball launcher/slinger lets the ball travel faster over a longer distance, increasing the dog’s effort.
Sticks aren’t safe
We have all seen adorable images online of little puppies carrying big sticks, or a funny video of a dog who can’t pass through a doorway because the stick he is carrying is blocking him. Dogs seem to like sticks for some reason, but we need to be vigilant, as sticks can lead to horrific injuries, especially when used to play fetch. According to the British Veterinary Association, it often happens that dogs get impaled by sticks they are carrying. A dog who falls while carrying a stick might end up with the stick forced down his throat. In one case, a Spaniel named Rudi ran into a stick of 26cm long. The stick went into his mouth, penetrated his body and ran down into his foreleg. Rudi was okay after surgery and 52 stitches, but he came awfully close to losing his life.
An additional danger comes from chewing a stick – splinters can cause wounds in the dog’s mouth, as well as in the throat and stomach, if swallowed.
When fetch is not fun anymore
Sometimes, we find that a dog becomes extremely preoccupied with their ball and playing fetch. This is similar to a human who obsesses about something, and it becomes a problem when it starts disrupting your life. If your dog doesn’t seem to be interested in much apart from his ball, it’s time to call in the help of a reputable animal behaviourist.
6 ways to play fetch safely
- Only play fetch if your dog is healthy and has no injuries or mobility problems.
- Do warm-up exercises before starting the game.
- Only play on comfortable surfaces. Avoid hills, beaches, or slippery surfaces.
- Keep your play sessions short. Throw the ball a maximum of five times and do some walking in between.
- Try rolling the ball instead of throwing it, as this will eliminate jumping.
- Do not throw the ball up in the air, to avoid making your dog jump unnecessarily.
- Always supervise your dog.
