02/09/2022
Some great advice here, please do have a read 🐾💕
To throw or not to throw?
Fetch- a fun, easy way to play and exercise our dogs. However, research has began to highlight both the physiological and psychological consequences of this repetitive, high stress game.
Everybody can name at least one four legged friend that is a ball ‘pest’, and unfortunately, us humans can’t resist continuously throwing a ball to feel as if they are meeting the demand of our canine friend. So why is this a problem? Experts believe that fetch increases the level of adrenaline and cortisol production. These hormones are commonly associated with the ‘fight or flight’ instinct, controlling impulsive moods. Just like after we have climbed a mountain, or finished something that has given us a real ‘buzz’, but imagine this happening over, and over, and over, several times a day, without the opportunity to calm- exhausting, right?
We can all acknowledge that our canine friends are intelligent, to the point that sometimes I begin to wonder if my dog can read my mind? Well, research has been constructed that pretty much suggests that dogs will fetch us an item that appears to make us the most pleased- who smiles at the sight of a wiggly long eared hound returning a fluffy green tennis ball- Hard to resist? Well perhaps OUR love of fetch further fuels our dogs desire to constantly bring back toys and demand another go.
So after half an hour of fetch- our dogs are happy that they are making us happy, and have enough cortisol running through their veins to continue for hours, what’s happening to the rest of the body? As with everything that both we, and they do, repetitive activities cause injury- simple! When a dog chases a ball, they use their hind limbs to propel them forwards, demanding sudden function and engagement of the hind limbs. Then comes the braking to collect the ball. The dog will brace the forelimbs, put strain through all the musculature that was propelling them forward to enable a sudden stop, and then, the ball changes direction or bounces… Well, cue the scrabbling, twisting, turning, jumping- Adrenaline and cortisol already whooshing through the veins, the dog MUST get the ball, regardless of how, and then comes the wipeout.
If your dog is 100% healthy, with no clinicial musculoskeletal conditions, this continuous, high intensity game could predispose them to early injury/degenerative conditions, including osteoarthritis, cranial cruciate injury, muscular tears/strains. If a condition is already diagnosed, excessive strain will probably exacerbate the condition. It isn’t uncommon to see dogs that play a lot of fetch with intermittent lameness that occurs after exercise- adrenaline and cortisol is good at masking pain, therefore takes some time for these hormones to wear off before they feel the after effects of tumbling about.
We also can’t forget to mention the excessive panting, increased respiratory rate that we see during a game of fetch- this is also associated with high arousal and energy expenditure, and obviously increases strain on the heart and rest of the cardiovascular system. If your dog has an underlying medical condition that impacts these systems, is a brachiocephalic breed (short snout), or overweight, they could be at larger risk of experiencing difficulties associated with this.
So, next time our friend delivers us a tennis ball, what can we do instead? Let’s put down our ball flingers and have a think… They’re all designed to sniff! A stimulating treasure hunt will exhaust them mentally, without the physical demand of fetch. Simply hide some treats, or toys around the house or garden and let them sniff away. The pet market has hundreds of options to enhance this game further- Kongs, snuffle mats, licky bowls, all sorts! Fortunately for us, our canine friends are much easier to tire mentally than they are physically. Alternatively, teaching a dog to sit and wait for an object to be thrown, and released to retrieve when told, reduces the impact associated with chasing a moving object, making it safer still.
And as with everything in life, it is reasonable to say ‘all in moderation’- the less you complete a task, the less likely you are to be influenced by its effects. So, the occasional game of gentle fetch will reduce your dogs being influenced by the effects discussed above, however, all it takes is one dodgy bounce! And remember, a mentally stimulated, physically healthy dog, is a happy dog.
A massive thank you to Bella Le Roy MSCVetPhys for writing this article for us.
