Why shouldn't you play fetch with your dog?
Genoveva Predovic
2025-06-11 12:58:54
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: 8
When an animal hunts in the wild, after that adrenaline rush, he sits down to eat his meal and lets the hormones wear off. But when we throw the ball, we throw several times each session. Imagine bungee jumping several times over. Imagine taking that many shots of steroids, every day. This article seems to indicate that playing fetch that often and for that long of a time can have a negative impact on my dog due to their cortisol levels spiking while they're playing.
Ludie Ankunding
2025-05-30 03:55:06
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: 11
Its physically extremely harmful. Its a totally unnatural thing for a dog to do… especially the handbrake turns, the cartwheels, the skids and the lunging round at full gallop. More ripped pads, pulled muscles, frayed tendons and repetitive strain injuries occur from doing this than any other form of exercise. Terrible, lifechanging injury can easily occur when throwing sticks, on water OR land. They are fatal and it is genuinely INSANE to throw sticks for a dog, they take their mouth down on them from above as they bounce and they are lodged in throats, stuck through cheeks, knocking teeth out, going into eyes…. Tennis balls come apart in half and many’s the dog that has choked to death on them, and they get so covered in slobber and foam the owner can do nothing about it as they are wedged in and too slippery to catch hold of.
Frederik Ratke
2025-05-22 05:09:27
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: 8
Fetch has also been linked to arthritis in dogs. Jumping up, running from a standing position and sliding to get the ball are all ways playing fetch can damage your dogs body. The strains and stress ball throwing has on dogs. You are essentially building an athlete, however the more exercise your dog gets the fitter they become. Dogs that go for a run with their owners or have uninterrupted play with other dogs in the park or a 20 minute game of fetch come home with high adrenaline which can take up to 4-6 hours to go down and often high cortisol levels which can take up to 48 hours to go down. Playing fetch can be over-stimulating and is a high impact activity on your dog's body which can lead to injuries and arthritis in old age.
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