Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

When we got this ball launcher, I almost gave up and sent it back, because my dog would take the ball and chew it up. But I decided to teach her to bring it right back, and with supervision, that happens. Every time Lucy didn't bring the ball back right away, I took the launcher and put it out of reach. But here was the additional step, that for Lucy, worked beautifully. Lucy is very competitive. So I would hold a second ball over the machine, and she didn't like the idea that I would put my ball in before she could bring hers back. The combination of these two ideas produced the results I wanted. Lucy will bring the ball back right away each time. Without me sitting there, with that extra ball in my hand, I really think Lucy would just chew the ball to bits. Lucy hasn't worn out a ball from the launcher since she has been trained. But these balls are, necessarily, made to be soft, so they will not likely hurt a dog when they launch. So they will need to be replaced over time. It does help if your dog can follow a "back up" command, like Lucy can. "Back, back, back" works well for us. UPDATE: If you have a problem, call customer service. I have found them very helpful. ALSO - we only let our dog play after pottying outside. She is now NEVER having any accidents!