Do dogs really love playing fetch?

You take the ball out of the bag and your dog already knows exactly what happens next. He looks at you expectantly with wide eyes. His whole body trembles with joy. You take aim, throw the ball as far as you can, and your dog takes off. With all his might, he pushes himself forward, keeping the flying ball firmly in sight. You receive it with a beaming smile when he brings the ball back, praise him enthusiastically, and throw the ball once more. And again. And again. Because your dog loves playing fetch.

At first glance, playing with the ball makes the dog incredibly happy – naturally. For ethological reasons, every dog has a hunting instinct. Humans have bred dogs to suit their wishes over many generations, which has made this instinct more pronounced in some breeds than in others. Nowadays, there are dogs that like to chase a ball every now and then, but simply have little interest in toys and fetch, and there are dogs that become literally addicted to it.

Uncontrolled fetch play can quickly turn almost any dog into a ball junkie. However, the dog is not dependent on the ball itself, but on the neurotransmitters released in its brain. Excessive fetch play can trigger a real hormone cocktail in the dog's body. From the dog's perspective, the process is as follows: The ball is fixed, then chased, and finally successfully caught.

If the dog already knows what is about to happen, the stress hormone adrenaline is released just by the sight of the ball. Its whole body is excited with anticipation – many show it by jumping around excitedly, barking demandingly, and preparing to take off. In principle, this is "positive" stress, since the dog is looking forward to the upcoming event. However, longer play sessions can lead to an extremely prolonged and unnatural release of adrenaline. Over time, this can also lead to health problems.

The ball flies and the dog takes off. Like when hunting prey, the dog's body activates all its maximum strength to reach its goal. Even while running, exhilarating endorphins are released.

The dog catches the ball: a successful hunt. The reward system in the brain is activated and releases dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine in particular acts like a drug on the body. The function of this hormone is to direct the dog's attention to stimuli whose satisfaction leads to a good feeling. It leads to a "kick" that the dog wants to experience again and again – it becomes a ball junkie.

The Prerequisites for Addiction

As already described, the hunting instinct is not equally pronounced in all dogs. But genetic prerequisites are not the only factor. Dogs that have not been sufficiently socialized and grew up in an environment with very few stimuli often react much more extremely to playing with the ball. Due to the lack of stimuli, the dog may suffer from chronic dopamine deficiency. This means that the brain did not have enough opportunities to release important neurotransmitters such as dopamine or adrenaline and to train the reward system. If suddenly a particularly large amount of these neurotransmitters is released through fetch play, the reward system overreacts, and there is a high potential for addiction.

So, how much fetch play is okay, and from when is there a risk that it could become an addiction for the dog? Just like with humans, an addiction does not develop from one second to the next. But you still have to decide how long and how often to play. Do not let your dog control you by repeatedly throwing the toy at your feet and whining. Occasional fetch play, where fun is the main focus, is generally completely harmless.

There are several signs that tell you it's time to stop throwing the ball for today:

• enthusiasm for bringing it back subsides
• the breathing rate is high and the dog pants abnormally much
• the eyes become glassy

In addition, you should pay attention to whether your dog can easily transition to other activities after playing fetch. How quickly does its breathing return to normal? Can it sniff around or play with other dogs in a relaxed way as soon as the ball has disappeared into the bag?

It becomes dangerous when it simply cannot distinguish between play and seriousness. This means that it transfers the situation of playing fetch – fixing, chasing, and catching – to other things. Everything that moves quickly is a potential object. Chasing a ball is harmless, but it looks very different with a car, jogger, or children.

Endorphins not only make the dog feel good, but also prevent it from noticing the exhaustion of its muscles and any pain in its muscles and joints.

Many dog owners think that playing fetch is sufficient exercise in everyday life. After all, it is very convenient. The dog obviously has a lot of fun, moves around a lot, and the owner hardly has to do anything. But beware! Dogs whose only physical activity is chasing a ball can become generally less focused, less attentive, and more irritable. Muscles and organs can also be strained, as the organism is simply overloaded and the recovery phases are far too short.

Be Considerate

There is one basic thing you should always keep in mind: Only throw the ball to your dog when there are no other dogs nearby. You never know how another dog will react to the flying ball. It might also take off to catch it, and in the worst case, a resource conflict could occur.

The choice of ball is not as unimportant as some dog owners probably think. The size of the ball must fit the size of the dog. Table tennis balls and bouncy balls, for example, are far too small, and there is a risk that the dog will swallow them.

Tennis balls are also rather unsuitable. Due to the coating and the rough surface, the dog's teeth wear down quickly.

You can also use fetch play as a useful training session. The keyword is impulse control. Do not let your dog take off immediately as soon as you have thrown the ball, but let it sit quietly and only then chase after it when it is relaxed. This way, it learns to control its own impulses and pay attention to your commands – which can also be helpful in everyday life. Also try calling it back when it is on its way to the ball. Of course, it is important to reward it then when it lets go of the ball and comes back to you on command.