# Do you use the Chuckit?



## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Just curious to see if anyone uses the Chuckit and what size? Ultra or Mega?


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I use the chuck-it with Stark. Not sure of the size, the regular one?

I have a girly-girl throw so it helps.. lol. Stark LOVES the chuck-it.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

We've been using Chuck-its for years. I have no idea what size ours is, but back when we bought ours I think there was only one size. What's the difference between the Ultra and the Mega? Is it the ball size, or the length of the arm?


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

Verivus said:


> Just curious to see if anyone uses the Chuck it and what size? Ultra or Mega?


 
Chuck its rule we bought one from Kong that takes any size of ball. We use both ultra and mega size balls


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

I'm not sure what size ours is but it's interchangeable with regular tennis balls. I use the $.25 tennis balls when we go to the dog park because other dogs seem to make off with the expensive chuck-it ones... But when we're alone I use the proprietary chuck-it's.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I use the big balls. Figure less risk of choking


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)




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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

Miss Molly May said:


>


 this one will fit any size of ball


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Please don't use the ones that are the size of tennis balls. That's what killed my Cashdog. If I can save one person from the horror of having to watch their beloved dog suffocate to death on a ball while driving to the e-vet, completely helpless to do anything, I'll be glad to have helped.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

The Mega ones have a longer arm and a bigger ball so I was curious to see which one I should have gotten. I already bought the Mega (biggest) one even though I don't even have my puppy yet because I'm so excited!  Ah well, it can stay in the closet til he's grown enough, lol. I have the girliest throw ever so I think I'll really need a Chuckit! Does it seem uncomfortable at all for them if you use the Mega balls?


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Emoore said:


> Please don't use the ones that are the size of tennis balls. That's what killed my Cashdog. If I can save one person from the horror of having to watch their beloved dog suffocate to death on a ball while driving to the e-vet, completely helpless to do anything, I'll be glad to have helped.


I'm sorry to hear about your Cashdog. Thank you for the info though, I just threw the balls over to the neighbor's deck... They have a small dog. I had no idea it fits in their throat, it makes me cringe that he used to catch them in the air.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I have known of a few dogs that died that way.
Of course I have cut way back on chucking because that is how Grim ran into a tree and knocked out a bunch of teeth.

I have a low fence that will soon be a high fence and teh dogs have to run around it to get to the ball, now by the time they get all the way to the other side of the yard to get past the inner fence they loose their point of reference and have to use their noses to find the ball. Sweeet - not as wide open crazy but no careening into trees either.

This weird fence is a partition inside my fenced back yard- when it is all done and prettiful I will take pictures


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## Lindsay01 (Apr 21, 2011)

Very sorry to hear about your Cashdog; A tennis ball almost killed a good friend's GSD..She was on her way to the ER with him and still trying to get it out of his throat..he was a huge GSD..

My dog is 61 lbs and she throws tennis balls around alot..they also have them at the dog park I go to.._this thread woke me up a little more_, I think we get complacent..unless it's presented..I'm going to throw my tennis balls away..I do have the larger ones.. I will have to buy the Chuckit that works with the larger balls and also alert people at the dog park..


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## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

The chuck-it is a favorite of mine, it's definitely an arm saver. I'm fortunate enough to have a very large, very open section of yard so there's plenty of room to really fling them.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

As soon as I saw the subject I was ready to tell about Emoore's Cash--such a tragic loss. We don't play with any balls that could possibly fit in the mouth anymore, so get the largest, mega, super size


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I love my chuckit. I don't know which one it's called, but it's the tennis ball sized one.


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

Are the tennis size ones ok for a 4 month old...or just get rid of them all now??


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

jprice103 said:


> Are the tennis size ones ok for a 4 month old...or just get rid of them all now??


I'd say if he can get it in the back part of his mouth, get rid of them.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I use the chuckit and love it!!! Since I have a bit of open land, lots of room to play fetch and let the dogs run. I had the regular one, for the tennis ball sized balls, but "chucked" it after reading about how common it is for big dogs to choke on regular sized balls. 

So now I have the Mega Chuckit and only use the bigger Large size chuckit balls. 

We have: 

Large Ultra Balls. 









Large Fetch Balls.









And my favorite, the Large Chuckit Glow-in-the-Dark Ball:


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

I guess I'll go back to using my kong contraption... It's a lot easier to throw far by slingshotting it with a rope pulled through it:


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

Emoore said:


> I'd say if he can get it in the back part of his mouth, get rid of them.


No, she can't and doesn't get them to the back of her mouth. And she doesn't catch them in the air, or chew on them...she just lets them dangle between her teeth - and teases us with them. I'll keep an eye on her and if she starts to hold them further back or chew on them...in the trash they'll go! Probably only have a few weeks left with them! Thanks!


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## JeffM (Dec 19, 2005)

My boys are obsessed with it. Have a short handle and long handle one.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Oddly enough, Kopper's more interested in the ball thrower than in the ball. He likes to chase the end of it and bite it.


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## JustMeLeslie (Sep 15, 2010)

I would like to ask this question for those of us who still have the reg. sized Chuckit balls. Is there a reduced risk of your dog to choke on this ball if he or she isn't catching it from the air? When I throw with the launcher the ball is already on the ground when Jamie grabs it. I recently threw all of my reg. tennis balls away and only use Chuckit balls now, but they are the reg. sized ones so I'd hate to have to get rid of them too to have to go to the larger sized ones. I am just wondering if the risk of choking is reduced as long as your dog isn't catching the ball from the air?


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Jax's Mom said:


> I guess I'll go back to using my kong contraption... It's a lot easier to throw far by slingshotting it with a rope pulled through it:


I use a rope through my Kong as well. 

I have used it as a OB reward for awhile now.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

JustMeLeslie said:


> I would like to ask this question for those of us who still have the reg. sized Chuckit balls. Is there a reduced risk of your dog to choke on this ball if he or she isn't catching it from the air? When I throw with the launcher the ball is already on the ground when Jamie grabs it. I recently threw all of my reg. tennis balls away and only use Chuckit balls now, but they are the reg. sized ones so I'd hate to have to get rid of them too to have to go to the larger sized ones. I am just wondering if the risk of choking is reduced as long as your dog isn't catching the ball from the air?


I don't really worry about this at all. Can a dog choke? Certainly. But it's not something I'm going to lose sleep over. 

I would imagine that throwing your ball directly at your dog would be the problem as the ball could be wet and with the force of the throw it could get lodged in the back of the mouth.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

I have thought about getting the chuckit since Ditto LOVES chasing her ball, but I can almost always throw her ball as far as she is allowed to go. Our yard isn't huge, but we use our neighbors yard as well and that gives her a good distance. I wish I had a nice open area to use the chuckit in, she would love it.... but about this swallowing the balls, now Im worried. Ive always worried about my dogs swallowing their balls, even though until today I never heard of it suffocating them. This is Dittos favorite toy> Google Image Result for http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Sg3E0J6iL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Does anyone else have one that their GSD uses? If not do you think the size is Ok. It says for Large dogs and I think it is a little bigger than a tennis ball, but I dont have one to compare. It doesnt fit in the back of her mouth, but Im still nervous about for when she is catching it.. I know Im probably being ridiculous.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

i'll have to wait for my next GSD to come home. These two..... oh boy. Shasta doesnt play fetch or tug for more than a minute or two and Riley used to play fetch but now he's more interested in chewing the ball to peices and leaving the puzzle for me to clean up.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I do use tennis balls from time to time but I do worry about Alice choking on them. She literally tosses the thing around and catches it. She'll bounce a ball off the door and catch it.

I found a large tennis ball made from Kong but it was a squeaky one so we removed the squeaker. 
Petfood Express sells softball sized balls that don't squeak but they are heavy.

I did like the chuck it before the seizures and ataxia. She's a bit better now but I moderate the exercise.


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

I love the chuckit. It has saved my arm.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> I use a rope through my Kong as well.
> 
> I have used it as a OB reward for awhile now.


The only problem I have had with kongs, even with a rope and no loop is some of my trees have sprouted big "kong" fruits that I can 't get to. (Some of my throws go wild but with the chuckit I do have more control)


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## smdaigle (Mar 14, 2008)

I love the chuck-it - I finally bought one because my throw isn't good enough to keep the dogs entertained. Our yard is pretty deep and with this thing I actually have to be a little careful to not over throw it! I'm slowly switching to the larger balls but still have a bunch of smaller ones. I also love the glow in-the-dark balls!

I finally convinced my husband to quit buying tennis balls whether they be "real" tennis balls or made for dogs because Ridley can tear any of them apart very quickly and before you know it, there's nothing but a scrap or two left. I'm a little tired of watching for signs of obstruction . . . so far so good


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Elaine said:


> I don't really worry about this at all. Can a dog choke? Certainly. But it's not something I'm going to lose sleep over.
> 
> I would imagine that throwing your ball directly at your dog would be the problem as the ball could be wet and with the force of the throw it could get lodged in the back of the mouth.


It is not really that uncommon. Same thing with sticks. I know several dogs that have had serious palate lacerations with sticks. And know of several that choked on tennis balls. 

If there are more than one ball out there, Grim will round them all up and carry them at the same time. So I have to be careful even with the big ones.


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## smdaigle (Mar 14, 2008)

jocoyn said:


> It is not really that uncommon. Same thing with sticks. I know several dogs that have had serious palate lacerations with sticks. And know of several that choked on tennis balls.
> 
> If there are more than one ball out there, Grim will round them all up and carry them at the same time. So I have to be careful even with the big ones.


This is exactly why I'm trying to transition away from the small ones . . . Ridley can easily carry 2 small balls and tries for the 3rd. He can also carry 2 big balls but not as easily. He's can't catch a ball in the air so I'm not as worried about one getting jammed down his throat that way but I'm guessing that when he's running it could happen.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Actually all this raises another point. If I am not where I can skim the ball low, it has to go far enough so the dog can't catch it in air. I do not want a GSD jumping and twisting in the air to catch a ball. Leave that for border collies  

However, be careful around trees. I will never know what Grim hit when he knocked out his teeth because I was throwing bals for two dogs and looking the other way. And he never yelped or anything, just came back with blood pouring out of his mouth (and the ball which he wanted thrown again)


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

We use the chuck-it all the time. My two are ball lovers they chase them, carry them around, even pop them. My GSD/Mastiff mix carries one around and se looks like shes got a binky in her mouth. We have 2 acres split in half with a hill so my two love running up and down the hill chasing their toys footballs, frisbees etc.


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## CassandGunnar (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm going to have to look for one that will accomodate the larger sized balls. Not too long after I read about Cash, our friends lost a dog from the exact same thing so we quit using the "normal" tennis balls and went to a frisbee and a Kong Wubba.
Frisbee works great in the winter, but the dogs tend to drag it/paw it backwards to flip it over and pick it up. In the spring, when everything is wet, I get these rounded off "crop circles" all across the yard so we had to put the frisbees away and use the wubba. 
I can't wait to get back to a Chuck-it that works with a larger ball.

I once threw the wubba up on the roof of the house.........:blush:.
I was tossing it from the deck and Gunnar decided that it was easier to get if tried to grab it while it was still in my hand. He hit my hand just as I was coming forward and the toy went flying over my shoulder and right up on the roof of the garage. We had to have a small session on doggie/fetch manners and, so far, he hasn't tried that trick again.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

JustMeLeslie said:


> I would like to ask this question for those of us who still have the reg. sized Chuckit balls. Is there a reduced risk of your dog to choke on this ball if he or she isn't catching it from the air? When I throw with the launcher the ball is already on the ground when Jamie grabs it. I recently threw all of my reg. tennis balls away and only use Chuckit balls now, but they are the reg. sized ones so I'd hate to have to get rid of them too to have to go to the larger sized ones. I am just wondering if the risk of choking is reduced as long as your dog isn't catching the ball from the air?


It's probably reduced that way but I'd just rather not have such an attractive choking hazard lying around the house (since discovering that they are in fact a choking hazard)... Jax loves catching things in the air, I love seeing him do it, I don't want to one day absent mindedly throw it for him because it's around and have THAT be the day... And it's hard enough teaching hubby which treats go to which dog, who belongs on what leash, I can't add a "which ball is not to be thrown directly in the dog's mouth" trick.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

I absolutely could not live without my chuckit. Before I had one, I had to bend over to pick up balls and I have Degenerated Disk Disease in my back and bending over was killing me.
I bought one when Gunner was a year old and it has saved my back and he loves chasing the balls that go much further than I could throw.

I don't use the chuckit ball or tennis balls. I use rubber baseballs that I buy from the dollar store. They're bigger than the standard tennis ball but don't fit snuggly in the chuckit. But you can still pick them up and toss them. And they still go far.


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

Just placed an order for 6 jumbo chuckit balls and a chuckit launcher! I'll have to find someone who only has a medium size dog that wants 5 free med chuckit balls! They are too expensive to just throw out!


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

jocoyn said:


> The only problem I have had with kongs, even with a rope and no loop is some of my trees have sprouted big "kong" fruits that I can 't get to. (Some of my throws go wild but with the chuckit I do have more control)


Kong fruits! LOVE IT! :rofl:


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

jocoyn said:


> The only problem I have had with kongs, even with a rope and no loop is some of my trees have sprouted big "kong" fruits that I can 't get to. (Some of my throws go wild but with the chuckit I do have more control)


You have no idea how many dog toys we've harvested from trees! 
I have a big stick hidden in one of the bushes at the park and I like to go real early in the morning so no one sees me scavenging


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

I love the chuck it. When I can sneak in to the baseball diamond I love to use it. 

Actually I'm looking a smaller house on about 1 acre of land to go with my chuck it. LOL.


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

This thread makes me extremely nervous.  Nova LOVES catching tennis balls that I throw for him, and he LOVES the Chuck-it. I'd hate for him to choke!

The issue I have with the larger sized balls is that we lose balls ALL the time, and they are so dang expensive. It is easy to find cheap tennis-ball sized balls to throw. 

Anyone know of a larger sized ball that would fit in the Mega chuck-it that isn't $10?


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Rott-n-GSDs said:


> Anyone know of a larger sized ball that would fit in the Mega chuck-it that isn't $10?


I get rubber balls from Dollar Tree. They fit in my chuckit which is the mega size. They don't fit all the way in but they go in far enough that you can still chuck them.
The one that looks like a baseball is the one I get. You can get them individually in the store but I couldn't find them online (although I didn't look that hard lol).
And at a dollar, you can lose them all you want.
Bulk High-Bouncing Rubber Balls, 3-ct. Packs at DollarTree.com


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

GSDGunner said:


> I get rubber balls from Dollar Tree. They fit in my chuckit which is the mega size. They don't fit all the way in but they go in far enough that you can still chuck them.
> The one that looks like a baseball is the one I get. You can get them individually in the store but I couldn't find them online (although I didn't look that hard lol).
> And at a dollar, you can lose them all you want.
> Bulk High-Bouncing Rubber Balls, 3-ct. Packs at DollarTree.com


OH! I didn't realize these were bigger than a tennis ball. Thanks, Linda!

And I think I have the same sized chuck-it as you do... you bought it for me, after all! 

ETA: I just used the store locator and there are two stores nearby... so hopefully they carry the balls so I don't have to order.


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

GSDGunner said:


> I get rubber balls from Dollar Tree. They fit in my chuckit which is the mega size. They don't fit all the way in but they go in far enough that you can still chuck them.
> The one that looks like a baseball is the one I get. You can get them individually in the store but I couldn't find them online (although I didn't look that hard lol).
> And at a dollar, you can lose them all you want.
> Bulk High-Bouncing Rubber Balls, 3-ct. Packs at DollarTree.com


Wish I'd seen this before I placed my order for the ChuckIts! I just bought 6 for OVER $48! grrr!

Well, I'll buy these for our trips to the playground so if I lose them I won't care!


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

jprice103 said:


> Wish I'd seen this before I placed my order for the ChuckIts! I just bought 6 for OVER $48! grrr!
> 
> Well, I'll buy these for our trips to the playground so if I lose them I won't care!


Keep in mind that they're not as sturdy as a chuckit ball. They're rubber so they tend to get holes in them. But at a buck a piece, you can get tons (like I have) so they're rotated quite a bit. Gunner doesn't really chew them too much. I chuck it, he gets it and drops it as he's running for the next. I've tossed out quite a few and as they get older and from being in the rain (and snow) they don't wear as good.
I have probably more than 30 in the yard  at any given time.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Rott-n-GSDs said:


> OH! I didn't realize these were bigger than a tennis ball. Thanks, Linda!
> 
> And I think I have the same sized chuck-it as you do... you bought it for me, after all!
> 
> ETA: I just used the store locator and there are two stores nearby... so hopefully they carry the balls so I don't have to order.


I don't think they're that much bigger honestly. But I know there's no chance Gunner is going to choke on it. I've seen them in his mouth and I'm confident in them. 
Here's how they're packaged at Dollar Tree. I just bought these but didn't open them yet. They don't carry them in the winter, so I will buy them every so often to stock up. I did find them at Rite Aid over the winter but they're 2 bucks a ball.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

I've always read that tennis balls are bad for dogs. Something about the toxic fabric/material of the ball or whatever they use to color them. It was something about the tennis ball's chemicals mixing with the dog's saliva making contact inside the mouth or being swallowed. It's been a long time since I did that research. I read about it when I first brought Nara home over 3 years ago. We've never used tennis balls.

As for Chuckit, Nara loves to fetch the balls. We've tried all the different style balls and found that her favorite are the blue whistler balls that HUM as they fly through the air. She also likes the glow balls and the green balls. She does not like the regular orange/blue balls for some reason. Beowulf will chase the balls, but he's not so good about bringing them back to me every time. We're working on this. Paw Paw looks at me like I'm crazy for even entertaining the idea that he's supposed to go get the ball and bring it back to me. Must be a husky thing! Haha. We have both the medium and the large size balls. I don't see any way that the medium size balls could get stuck in their throats. My dogs must be smaller dogs, but I'll watch more closely from now on. Maybe that's why all of these balls have the holes through them, just in case they get stuck, the dog can still breathe?


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I definitely need a glow in the dark large ball.


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## Heidibu (Jul 22, 2008)

counter said:


> I've always read that tennis balls are bad for dogs. Something about the toxic fabric/material of the ball or whatever they use to color them. It was something about the tennis ball's chemicals mixing with the dog's saliva making contact inside the mouth or being swallowed. It's been a long time since I did that research. I read about it when I first brought Nara home over 3 years ago. We've never used tennis balls.


I don't use tennis balls for this reason. The material and the glue they use to make the tennis balls are not good for the dogs. Heidi has a tendancy to knaw on the balls, and I have to keep a close eye on her.

Chuckits ROCK.


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

Our dogs loved the chuckit ball so much we drilled a hole in it to make it a tug toy...for training that required something different than "fetch"


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

Emoore said:


> Please don't use the ones that are the size of tennis balls. That's what killed my Cashdog. If I can save one person from the horror of having to watch their beloved dog suffocate to death on a ball while driving to the e-vet, completely helpless to do anything, I'll be glad to have helped.


OMG that is awful. If it is not to painful can you share how it happened? That is the size we play with.


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

We just bought a Chuck-It for Cullen, and it is awesome. We use the tennis ball sized one, as the day we decided to buy it it was the only one in the store.. I was at our local store and saw the Kong one and kicked myself in but butt, but we don't have issues, and I dislike squeaker toys anyhow. I also saw the Kogn version with little rubber rings.. odd... I can assume they wouldn't last long in my house... I like the Chuck It because of the Glow in the Dark, and with the temps, night time is when we go out to the field to play!


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## Coastie01 (Mar 17, 2011)

This is the Chuck-It Amphibious Bumper I love this thing you can throw it really far and it really sturdy and soft on the dogs mouth.


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

LOL Every time I try to throw something with a rope on it, it ends up on a roof, a tree, or tied on something... I am so clumsy with those things...


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## rebelsgirl (May 19, 2005)

I've heard tennis balls wear down the dogs teeth. I've noticed in our rescue who is obsessed with his chuck it that his teeth are more worn down than the other dogs. But I also think he is older than they said. I'm going to have to get the mega sized one. I've been afraid of him swallowing the balls. He does catch them in the air sometimes. And he carries them in the back of his mouth.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

Ok after reading all this I am trashing the regular chuck-it and buying the large one. Toys with ropes don't work, he just chews the rope off!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

My aussie is a chuckit addict a word of warning, watch where you are winging the thing!

My husband by accident clocked my other aussie full force right in the head/eye, when she dove in front of it while he was chucking it(( needless to say, she had an eye the size of a golfball,,poor thing,,she's fine tho


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