PetSafe Automatic Dog Ball Launcher, Interactive Automatic Ball Launcher for Dogs, Equipped with Motion Sensor, Adjustable Launch Distance, Safe for Indoor and Outdoor Play, Tennis Balls Included

The media could not be loaded. Ammo’s favorite toy of all time! If your pup is a fetch-a-holic like Ammo, this is worth the weight in gold. It took Ammo bringing us the ball twice and us dropping it in for her to figure it out and do it herself.This thing works even with slobbery slippery soaked dripping tennis balls. It doesn’t shoot far, but it’s enough entertainment to keep her busy until we make her stop.The only negative so far is that the throwing action jolts the machine so it will rotate 180 degrees over a span of 15-20 minutes. And upgrade postage could make would be a way to add water/sand filled bags to weigh it down so it doesn’t rotate.It’s a bit noisy with a thud when it launches, so if you have a skittish dog it might not be for them.

I purchased this for my youngest dog, Lux (an English Springer Spaniel), who is absolutely obsessed with fetching balls. I had really high hopes after reading reviews (and considering the high cost).Lux is highly intelligent, but also (like many other her breed) has moderate anxiety. Considering how quickly she learns, I knew she would understand how to use it almost immediately, but may be anxious about it, so I wanted to introduce it slowly and carefully. I watched videos, read all the instructions and introduced it to both my dogs in phases, as recommended. Bay (my older spaniel) doesn't care for fetch, so she was disinterested (as expected). Lux loves that it launches balls for her, but absolutely HATES the noises it makes. She knows she needs to drop the balls in the top, but she wants me to do it, because she doesn't like the sounds. She actually runs off momentarily, then comes back to watch it launch. She retrieves the ball and brings it to me, wanting me to drop it in. I read other reviews, so I knew it made noise, but I honestly never considered it would be as noisy as it is. It's not just the loud POP when it's launching -- the thing does a series of other beeps, boops and whistles when you drop the balls into it. It's over-the-top if you ask me. I think (HOPE) she can get past it with regular use, but we'll just have to see.The 15-minute timer with no override is so frustrating when you're trying to train your dog to use it. I read the reviews, so I knew there was no override and that it frustrated some, but I did not think it would be too much of an issue. That is, until I spent a good chunk of the day training my dog to use the machine, only to witness that the *ONE* time she worked up the courage to drop the ball in by herself, the thing was on a damn break, so it didn't even work! I had to go over and unplug it, then turn it back on -- thus, solidifying in her mind that I needed to load it for it to work ... needless to say, I was very frustrated with it.Lastly, the launcher that supposedly throws between "8-30 feet; has 9 distance settings and 6 angle settings" does NOT work AT ALL! It's completely random; I experimented with all settings outside and found virtually no difference in performance. It's inconsistent with angle (but not by a huge margin, luckily) and I have yet to see it launch more than 15 feet (sometimes launching as little as only 5 feet).I am going to keep at it this next week with more training and familiarity exercises, and if my dog can get past the noise and decide she likes it, I may decide to keep it. But, I really just want to return it. I am just so disappointed and don't feel it's worth even close to what I paid. After seeing it in action, I'd consider a more reasonable cost being around $50.

1. High power and distance potential (love it), but the unit is very lightweight causing the entire unit to shift position after every launch, so -1 star. This can be easily fixed by adding weight to the the unit.2. Not being able to switch the safety timer on/off or to easy tell when the unit is in rest mode vs launch mode is very annoying and inconvenient for both my dogs and myself, so -1 star.3. The purple base where the balls get dropped seems easily susceptible to cracking, specially if heavier balls were used, but I can’t count this point against the manufacturer until the base actually cracks/fails under normal use. This can be easily mitigated by having a layer rubber or foam to cushion the impact of the balls dropping from the dogs mouth to the purple base.4. Personally I think the handle would be better placed in the back of the launcher not the front, but I’m not counting that against the manufacturer since it’s only my opinion.5. It’s very pricey, but I chose to purchase the unit knowing the price beforehand so I can’t count that against the manufacturer to remove a star.6. Training varies from dog to dog, and their interest to play with the machine so I wouldn’t consider any negative reviews from individuals who strictly base their review on their pet(s) ability and/or interest to play with the machine.7. In reference to my previous point, my GSD learned to use the machine in less than 2 hours of training, while my pitbull shows no interest in the machine. Again, a pet’s interest is not something the manufacturer can control, so I can’t hold it against them.Overall this machine does what is meant to be done, but considering the design flaws I highlighted in points 1, 2 and 3 a price of $100 or less would be more appropriate for it. If the design flaws I highlighted were not an issue (or potential issue), I would happily pay the the current price and rate this machine 5 stars.

Oh, how I wanted to love this product. It does seem sturdy and tosses the small tennis balls a fair distance. It has a large hopper so easy for the dogs to drop the balls back into the hopper. Unfortunately, it makes a loud bang when the balls are released. This was enough to keep my ball-obsessed, but very timid, mini-Aussie from getting anywhere close to it. It even scared my confident, easy-going lab so it had to be returned. Nice and easy return, so that was a positive! I spent over 3 weeks trying to get the dogs to use the ball launcher before I gave up. I started slowly by putting treats into the hopper and keeping it turned off. Then I had them bring the balls to the hopper. All going well until I turned it on. The first time it launched, and the big bang sounded, was when they were out of the room. Not good. I think it is a good product. I used the training tips the company provided, but it just wasn't happening for my noise-averse dogs. I am jealous of all the other whose dogs love this as I know my dogs would have loved it as well if they could have gotten past the loud bangs.