Dog tennis ball shooter

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Some of my favorite dog products to review are those that were inspired by a dog lover noticing the need for a totally new kind of gadget or tool. For dog owners who have ball-obsessed dogs (I’m raising my hand right now), have you ever wished for a magical machine that would throw the ball after you’d tired of the game? The family of one ball hound decided to turn this wish into a totally new kind of toy. The iFetch, an automatic ball-throwing machine, was produced with funding from a tremendously successful Kickstarter campaign –- they raised more than quadruple their goal!

Three generations of the Hamill family created iFetch for small- to medium-sized dogs who can never get their fill of fetch. The iFetch launches a miniature tennis ball when dropped in the funnel, and powers down between throws to save energy (it runs on batteries or can be plugged into an outlet). You can set the iFetch to throw balls 10, 20, or 30 feet, and although it was designed for indoor use, it can be used outdoors.

Using positive reinforcement and shaping, dogs can be trained to drop the ball directly into the iFetch’s funnel, allowing them to play fetch on their own! There is a training video on the iFetch website that explains the steps necessary to teach your dog to load the iFetch herself.

I very much enjoy the design of the iFetch. Its round edges are whimsical and futuristic. It is small enough to store easily when not in use. When the iFetch powers up to launch a ball, it is a bit noisier than I would like. It didn’t seem to bother Ace, who is often skittish when she hears loud noises, so while this might be annoying to some dog owners I don’t think your dogs will be phased.

The iFetch reliably launched the included mini tennis balls in a low arch. Ace acclimated to the iFetch pretty easily, after some initial confusion. Within a few throws, Ace started to understand that this weird, whirring blob was tossing her a ball. She soon anticipated the ball being thrown when the machine began to make noise.