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You don’t need to play fetch with your dog!
Yup, you read that right.
I’m so sick and tired of how fetch has been made out to be an indispensable part of our dogs’ lives. Friend, the truth is - it isn’t! And it does more damage than good, if you ask me.
Let me tell you Lola’s story:
When I started working with Lola’s dog parent, Lola was OBSESSED with balls. . She would be restless and frantically looking for the ball if it was taken away from her. She would even sleep with the ball in her mouth to avoid it being taken away! Fetch was a very important ritual in their home. And it did give her a bit of an addictive habit. This is not at all far ‘fetched’ because here’s actually what happens in the body:
The game of fetch releases dopamine - the more dogs engage in it, the more ‘addicted’ they can become to it and the more obsessed they can become with the game. So much so that when you stop the game or take away the ball, they can show significant stress signs (like Lola). But that’s not all!
Our dogs’ bodies aren’t designed for those sudden stops, twists and turns, accelerations, repetitive movements and then landing on the hind legs. All of these put your dog’s body under enormous strain and risk, posing long term muscular, joint and bone damage I see a lot of dogs playing fetch indoors, on slippery flooring.
This is a HUGE mistake!
Slippery flooring in our homes is like an ice rink for a dog - they are constantly trying to balance themselves and find stability because they need traction (and that flooring doesn’t offer any of it!) So dogs are likely to slip, sploot, splay and serious injure themselves while playing fetch on these floors.
(Check out this blog that describes slippery flooring as an ice rink for dogs!)
And then there is the question of CORTISOL!
High impact activities like fetch activate the sympathetic nervous system, also called fight or flight. When this is activated, cortisol (a stress hormone), rushes into the bloodstream.
The stress hormone comes into the body really fast but takes several hours to return to normal.. The more the fight or flight gets activated during this time (because of high impact turns and jumps and running), the more the cortisol spikes.
This means that after all the cortisol spikes in a game of fetch, it can take hours for your dog’s stress hormones to return to normal. During this time, if your dog is exposed to more stressors, cortisol levels only further increase, taking even longer to come back to normal.
Repeated, intense and frequent games of fetch can very much put your dog in a state of chronic stress. A state of chronic stress not only means challenging behaviours but also means potentially:
Compromised immune system
Poor sleep
Heightened pain
Poor social skills
Skin issues
GI issues
And a host of other things!
But is fetch all bad or just in specific situations?
Here’s what I have found:
Repetitive, high impact activities without adequate rest and recovery can do long term damage to your dog. In fact, studies have shown that the lack of this is a huge contributor to chronic and long term stress.
Now, adequate rest and recovery looks different for each dog and is based on the environment and lifestyle of each dog. So, cookie cutter recommendations won’t work. That’s why 1:1 behaviour consultations are so helpful!
So the simple answer is: don’t play too much fetch too often!
But here are a few other things to keep in mind with fetch and our dogs:
Dogs in general are better adjusted and calmer when they have lots of rest. An activity budget done on free living dogs showed that they spent close to 53% of their day in a state of inactivity. This is a helpful data point because it tells us what dogs choose without human manipulation and can help us start thinking about what our dogs need in our always busy, stimulating home environments. .
Fetch on slippery floors is just a big NO NO! The risk of serious and potentially long term injury on these floors is just too much - so this needs to be avoided at all costs!
Dogs with joint or mobility conditions or even signs of discomfort AND puppies need to avoid this too. Fetch places a lot of demand on our dogs’ muscles and joints. For dogs whose muscles and joints are already compromised, this ask is too much. For puppies, on the other hand, because their growth plates are still developing and growing, any serious damage can impact that growth and lead to early onset of muscle/joint conditions.
Hyperactive, anxious and reactive dogs can also do with less fetch. While the game might physically tire them out, it pumps an incredible amount of cortisol (stress hormone) and adrenaline into the body, keeping them more on edge and alert. For dogs who are already ‘stressed’, this is a stressor that they can just do without.
So if not fetch, then what else?
Consider the following alternatives:
Free running - if you have access to a space that’s fenced or well protected, let your dog freely run, without you manipulating how much they do it. If you have observed dogs free running, you will see that they often run for a few seconds, walk, sniff, stop, run a little more and repeat. They’re naturally regulating themselves and checking in (with themselves) on what’s working for them (or not)
Slow, sniffing walks - this is a great idea for ALL dogs. Take a long line, put your dog in a comfortable harness and walk slowly and intentionally, letting your dog sniff! If you identify spaces that offer different terrains to walk in (for e.g. a construction site with sand piles or blocks), that’s even better. Your dog will practice navigating through different environments - this can be a great proprioceptive activity!
Feel like you want to make sense of this in your dog’s context? Book a 1:1 behaviour consultation and let’s chat in SO MUCH MORE depth!
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