I very easily see the point of ball launchers for dogs like the Chuckit, but you really have to ‘throw like a girl,’ and not like Philadelphia teen Mo’Ne Davis, the now-famous female little league pitcher with a 70 mph fast ball, to need a treat launcher! Still, there are some benefits to having a gadget that can pitch a pet treat for you….
Unique Petz Treat Launcher
One advantage is that the treat launchers have a spring-loaded shot that can lauch a small treat 10 to 20 feet away. Twenty feet is pretty far to throw a little kibble-size treat, and you could get tired trying to do that with your arm numerous times while you are exercising your pet or training her. Some dogs need a lot of exercise and a launcher is one way to provide it – though it doesn’t have the power or the stimulation of a ball launcher.
A treat launcher has clear advantages when playing with multiple pets – dogs, cats, or both – because it’s able to pitch treats faster than your arm, reducing the likelihood that your pets will end up fighting over the same treat. When you pitch the treats you can do so in different directions for each pet as well.
Sharper Image Treat Launcher
Perhaps the best advantage of a treat launcher is that once it is filled with treats, your hands don’t have to be involved with them, either digging for them, holding them, or trying to get the crumbs off your hands. You can keep your hands free to pet your dog when he comes back after fetching his treat.
And, let’s face it, another gadget never hurt anyone, especially when they don’t involve electricity or batteries. We are in an age where even dogs and cats collect gadgets!
The treat launchers are marketed under several companies (Unique Petz, Sharper Image, FinePet, FineLife, Booda, and others) and I’m hard-pressed to find much of a difference among them, although some come with their own treats. The treat launchers are available in several colors, but the styling and functions are similar.
One strong recommendation: It’s best to keep the shape of the treats small and round, so that there is less likelihood of them getting stuck in the launcher. A round kibble treat might work best.
That’s the buzz for today!
