Best Ball Throwers for Dogs

The Chuckit Classic is ideal for dog owners searching for a low-tech option that requires no setup and still allows you to get involved in a game of fetch but takes your natural throwing arm to the next level. The plastic handheld launcher comes with a fuzzy 2.5-inch tennis ball that’s stored in its “claw,” which keeps a solid grip on it so that it doesn’t fall out. When you’re ready to play with your pup, you treat the launcher like it’s an extension of your own arm, pulling it back and then launching it forward to release the ball. 

One of the nicest things about this launcher is that you can retrieve balls (including saliva-coated slobbery ones) with the claw itself so that you never have to touch them. Another standout feature is its slim handle, which features grooves for your fingers to rest comfortably. Keep in mind, though, that this launcher can store only one ball at a time, so you’ll have to store additional balls someplace else. 

I evaluated the 26-inch launcher, but it also comes in over a dozen additional lengths and styles, including one that glows in the dark and a model that folds for storage. You can choose a smaller 2-inch ball, a 2.5-inch ball, a 3-inch ball, or a 3.5-inch ball. The manufacturer recommends purchasing a ball that’s large enough so that it doesn’t completely fit in your dog’s mouth. 

A much larger ball won’t fit inside the claw of this launcher, which is designed specifically for the ball that comes with it. Given the fact that my launcher measured a little over 2 feet, it wasn’t the easiest toy to store. But it had a round hole at the tip of the handle, so hanging it could be a good option. 

If you’re in the market for a launcher that shoots balls 75 feet into a yard or park, this might not be the one for you. The distance your ball travels will depend a lot on your natural strength. I was able to launch a ball from one side of my 50-by-50-foot yard to the other with little effort, and this seemed sufficient to keep Blake thoroughly entertained. One day we played for 45 minutes and he was still eager to keep going. 

The launcher also lends itself more easily to indoor play than others because you can control the distance to a certain extent by exerting more or less arm force, although I’d recommend being very careful using this indoors. (You may not realize your own strength until you shatter a vase or lamp.) Cleaning the launcher itself is a cinch; wipe it down with soapy water and dry it off.

It’s hard to tell if this ball blaster toy is designed more for dogs or their owners—it’s so fun to use. It doesn’t require any setup and comes with a fuzzy 2.5-inch ball that’s stored in one of two separate, snug compartments on the launcher. It takes a few minutes to figure out how to use it, but once you do, it’s simple enough. 

Pull back on the ram at the top of the launcher just enough to hear a click. Insert a tennis ball into the front of the launcher. Pointing the blaster down toward the ground, pull back on the ram until you reach your desired distance. (The farther back you pull, the longer the distance the ball will travel.) Position the blaster at chest level and pull the trigger to release the ball. You’ll hear a moderately loud sound, like a shot, which is something to consider if your dog is sensitive to noise. For Blake, the noise seemed to elicit a Pavlovian response after the first time I used the device. He ran off in a flash to retrieve the ball, and his tail wagged a hundred times per second when I pulled this launcher out from its box. 

The best thing about the Hyper Pet is that you can adjust the distance on it. Pulling the ram just slightly allows it to launch about 8 to 10 feet, which is useful if you want to play in a small space or inside your home. When I pulled the ram back fully and pulled the trigger, the ball launched 52 feet into the distance. (The manufacturer says it can launch up to 75 feet.) 

Could you play with this toy indoors? Sure. Should you? No. Even if you set the launcher’s ram for less distance, once you pull the trigger the ball launches fast and powerfully. It could pose a danger to your pet, children—anyone, really—and objects in its way. Be very cautious when using it. 

Like the low-tech manual Chuckit Launcher, this one also allows you to retrieve balls without touching them by hovering over them with the launcher and scooping them into its barrel. It doesn’t come with options for different ball sizes. The manufacturer says it’s best suited for dogs up to 60 pounds. It measures 2 feet in length, which is something to consider if you’re thinking about where to store it. If you’re repeatedly retrieving slobbery balls, you may need to wipe a small section of its barrel with a paper towel to keep it dry.

There’s no setup required for this automatic fetch machine, although you will have to plug in the AC adapter and fully charge it before using it. (It took me an hour and 10 minutes to charge it. It also comes with a rechargeable lithium battery.) 

There are a few reasons why this is our top choice. For starters, it was the only model of the three automatics we evaluated that’s designed with an extra-wide bucket on top where you can easily add balls to it instead of feeding them into narrow compartments like the one we found on the other automatic fetch machines. It includes more balls than the other launchers: five 2.5-inch balls (three are fuzzy, one is made of smooth rubber, and the other is made of textured rubber). This was the only launcher we evaluated that provided different texture options. 

You have the option of filling the bucket with all five balls for continuous play or one at a time. You can fit up to 17 tennis-sized balls or 25 smaller balls in the bucket, according to the manufacturer. I was able to fit 13 balls in the unit and there was room to spare. Concerned about the choking hazard of tennis balls, I tried to fit Blake’s 5-inch ball in the bucket but it was too large. (Much larger balls didn’t fit in any of the launchers I evaluated.) 

Another perk: It was the only automatic we tried that included a remote control that features a simple interface with a start button and a select button to choose among three desired launch times: 4, 7, and 15 seconds spaced apart. (These times were accurate when I used the launcher.) If you misplace the remote, you can work the fetch machine without it by using the control panel at its base. There’s an adjustment ring at the bottom that can be yanked from right to left and vice versa to change the launch distance from low to medium to high, or from 15 to 30 or 40 feet, according to the manufacturer. (More on my distance results in a bit.) I found it challenging to position the ring where I wanted it and would have appreciated a smoother settings system. 

The unit makes a loud noise when it launches a ball that sounds like a bat hitting a baseball. Blake appeared surprised at first, but he seemed to forget about it when he realized a ball was shooting across our yard and he could chase and catch it.

The manufacturer warns to keep your dog at least 5 feet away from the unit when it’s about to launch for safety reasons. And I appreciated that the unit had a 4-second safety delay because once a ball launches, it does so with speed. If you plan to teach your dog how to return balls to the bucket, you can also set the device for continuous ball launching and fill the bucket with balls so your dog can play more independently. The manufacturer goes to great lengths in the manual to explain that everything from the condition and type of ball used to the temperature outside may affect launching distance, so my results on two fairly windy days in March might not match yours. 

Set at its lowest distance, the ball went about 26 feet. Set to medium, it went about 46 feet. And set to high, it went about 38 feet. My guess is that it was much windier when I was evaluating the medium setting. The balls varied slightly in where they landed, too, which was an aspect that Blake seemed to enjoy. Perhaps not knowing exactly where balls would land kept him on his toes. Every time he retrieved one over by the shrubs, another one landed in a different direction and he looked like he couldn’t believe his good fortune. 

I can imagine needing to clean this device often with repeated use, especially as wet and dirty balls pile up in the bucket. According to the manufacturer, it’s best to clean the Hyper Pet by wiping the channel with a damp cloth and using an air hose to carefully blow the remaining debris from the ball track and switch sensor, but be careful not to blow debris inside the base. The company also says the unit should always be stored indoors and shouldn’t be used in inclement conditions. You should never store wet or soiled balls in the unit to avoid mold and bacteria growth. I appreciated the extensive directions and safety warnings in the manual. It even thoughtfully includes tips on how to train your dog to return balls to the bucket and training tips for dogs who are sensitive to noise.

This manual ball launcher was a close second to the Chuckit. It features nearly the same design with a 26-inch plastic handle and claw that grips a 2.5-inch fuzzy ball. The claw can be used to retrieve the ball so that you don’t have to touch it with your hands, and cleaning the launcher is simply done with soapy water. But it lost a few points for its bulkier body and a lack of grooves for your fingers (it only has one groove) and it wasn’t as comfortable to hold and use as the Chuckit. The hole at the top is also not a perfect circle like the Chuckit has, so it would be difficult to hang for storage. 

It doesn’t come in different length and style options, although it offers four ball sizes: extra-small, small, medium, large, and “one-size,” which is a 2.5-inch ball. (Specific measurements weren’t provided for the other balls.) It’s not a bad launcher—it will propel the ball the same way the Chuckit will—but its design lacked features that made it as usable and comfortable as our top choice.

Although we loved how compact the Nerf Dog Ball Blaster was compared with our top choice, the Hyper Pet K9 Kannon Dog Ball Launcher, it doesn’t give you as many distance options and can’t retrieve balls on its own, so you’ll have to pick them up by hand. 

But let’s start with what we did like: The launcher comes in three lengths and options to store as many as four balls. I evaluated the 16-inch model that comes with one ball. It requires no setup and is fairly intuitive to use. Pull back a lever at the top, insert the tennis ball into the barrel, and then adjust the top lever to one of two distance positions. When I kept it at the midway point and pulled the trigger, the ball launched about 19 feet. When I pulled it all the way back and pulled the trigger, the ball went 41 feet. (The manufacturer claims it can launch at a distance of 50 feet.) 

I mainly used it outdoors, and Blake loved chasing the ball the second it shot out of the barrel. It makes a moderately loud sound when it shoots, which could frighten more sensitive dogs. One day when it was rainy outside, I tried it indoors on its midlength setting and the ball tore right through a wooden panel on my dog gate. Be very cautious about using this indoors, and especially around children and pets. I wouldn’t recommend doing so.

The handle itself is bulkier than the Hyper Pet model, which makes it slightly less comfortable to hold. But overall, this is a fun dog ball toy to get you hyped up about playing with your pup. Because you aren’t retrieving the ball with the launcher itself, the only feature I could see needing to be wiped down with soapy water is the compartment where you store the ball.

If accuracy is important to you and you want all of the balls to land in close proximity to each other, then the iFetch Too is a top choice. Its design is different from the Hyper Pet GoDogGo Fetch Machine. It lacks an oversized bucket at the top and instead has one hole at the top that’s just large enough to fit a 2.5-inch tennis ball and a second one in the center of the mechanism where the ball is launched. The thrower includes three fuzzy 2.5-inch balls, and the simplicity of its design is refreshing. Other than the balls, it comes with a battery charger and instructions that are brief enough to fit on a postcard-sized manual, as well as a card with a number and email address to contact the company if you’re experiencing issues with your unit. 

You’ll have to use the plug to charge the unit overnight, but after that, the manufacturer says you should charge the iFetch Too at least once every three months. But for maximum battery life and performance, it recommends recharging it as soon as possible after each use. When you’re ready to use it, simply press the power button on the back and select one of four launch options: 10 feet, 25 feet, 40 feet, and random to keep your dog guessing. Here’s where the unit lost me just a bit: When I pressed the power button twice, it seemed to jump from 10 to 40 feet, bypassing the 20-foot option. I learned through some trial and error that you can lock the distance setting using a slider below the power button. For some reason, this then allowed me to make launch selections. 

Of all the automatic throwers I evaluated, this is the only one I felt safe using indoors because its 10-foot launch option truly measures 10 feet. Plus, its safety setting locks that distance in (still, remember to keep pets and children out of its line of fire). The balls that were dispensed, though fast and powerful, were most accurate in terms of where they landed. They were never too far from 10, 25, or 40 feet.

As with all of the automatics on this list, the unit was noisy but slightly less so than the PetSafe Automatic Tennis Ball Launcher and the Hyper Pet GoDogGo Fetch Machine. (Keep in mind that this pick is also more expensive than those two throwers.) I didn’t love the fact that you can fit only a few balls into it at once (it accommodates two at most). There are no instructions on how to clean the thrower, and given the narrow space between where balls are placed and where they launch, I could see it becoming important to wipe the inside of the unit with a damp paper towel, especially if your dog is returning wet, dirty balls. 

Blake loved playing with the iFetch Too. He responded to its noise and began running before the ball had barely been launched. He didn’t learn how to return the ball to the unit, but perhaps with a few more weeks of training that can be accomplished. Overall, this is the chicest-looking launcher, and both Blake and I enjoyed using it. But it lacked a few cool features, like a remote control, and its design made it less easy to clean than the Hyper Pet.

The PetSafe Automatic Ball Launcher scored plenty of points for some of its unique features. You can set it to six angle settings and nine distance settings that range from around 8 feet to more than 25 feet. (The longest distance I recorded was 31 feet.) It also has a motion sensor that detects movement up to 7 feet away and it will pause the machine for 3 seconds before launching a ball, though you should still train your dog to stand away from the machine (and keep children and other pets away from its launch field as well). But the manual mechanisms you’ll use to change distance and angles aren’t the most precise. The knobs are shaped like cute little paws and tennis balls and require that you pull them toward you from the unit and then turn them to the right or left to make adjustments. 

It would be nice to see measurement markings on these knobs but they aren’t there, and as a result, I found it confusing to set distances and angles. Its automatic sleep mode kicks in after 30 minutes of continuous play and the unit will rest for 15 minutes, but there’s a way to override this setting so that your pooch can keep fetching balls. It comes with a plug but also operates on D batteries, so you don’t have to charge it before using it.  

Its design is similar to the iFetch Too, with holes at the top of the hopper and on the front where the balls launch, but it’s bulkier and isn’t as chic. It comes with two fuzzy 2.5-inch tennis balls and can accommodate three balls at one time. I tried it both outdoors and indoors, but its launch direction isn’t as predictable as the iFetch Too, so be very careful with objects in its path if you’re using this one inside. 

This is also a very noisy unit. It emits robotic-sounding beeps if it detects an object too close to its launch site and then it gives off a winding-up sound and a very loud pop when the ball is ejected. It comes with two manuals: a quick-start guide and a booklet with lengthier operating and training instructions. To clean the inside of the unit, the manual recommends turning the power off and using a cotton swab or old toothbrush to wipe the motion sensors. 

Blake enjoyed this launcher. It had him chasing after balls and standing at attention whenever it made those imposing noises that indicated another ball was about to launch. The unit does exactly what your dog wants it to do. But does it do it better than the Hyper Pet GoDogGo Fetch Machine or iFetch Too? I don’t think so.