Many dogs derive a great deal of pleasure from chasing a ball, and many owners undoubtedly derive pleasure from throwing a ball and watching their dog having fun.
What many owners and their dogs don’t realize however is that this activity may not be as beneficial as it seems, and in dogs with underlying conditions such as arthritis this activity is likely to cause harm.
Read the full article: https://bharcsblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/14/whats-all-the-fuss-about-fetch/?fbclid=IwAR3ghXpU6ffj41KL7WYg14cjgKv79pp7r03-o2rry9Tk5wOSNqFir-lUAuo
In young puppies, the game of fetch is more complex, if you "Take your young puppy out with your adult dogs who already play fetch. Throw the ball or toy. Your adult dogs will do what they have always done; enthusiastically run out to fetch! And your smart puppy will do the smart thing; chase the adult dogs and have a fantastic time with live prey!
If you think about it; at this stage of the game, it’s a win-win. The adult dog gets the ball, which is what they wanted. The puppy has a fantastic time chasing the adults and doesn’t risk the wrath of the adult dog by trying to actually touch a prized object. And the human gets everybody exercised.
The problem shows up long term. Your puppy is learning to focus on running dogs rather than objects that you want your puppy to value. That’s not much good if your sport might involve working around other running dogs."
