
Looking like a retro vase from a sci-fi odyssey, iFetch, the ball-throwing toy for dogs, is fast becoming a pet (and owner) favourite. The iFetch acts as an exercise bazooka for dogs! Your favourite pooch simply drops a ball into the wide end and it will be blasted up to 30 feet (nine metres), giving your good boy a good stretch.

As well as exercising your dog, it’s a great way to distract them when you’re out at work all day or just not in the mood to play.
At a compact 8-inches (20cm) tall and 9-inches (23cm) in diameter, the iFetch was an intriguing sight for our test subject Buddy, a Lab-Staff cross, and being a rescue dog, he found the mechanical clunking of the ball firing a bit frightening, but once
the initial training was in place, he loved it. However, as the balls are 1.5 inches (40mm) big, they were just that little bit too small for Buddy to be left alone with them (he can be a chewer). To compensate for this problem, the manufacturer has recently launched the iFetch Too, aimed at bigger dogs.

As well as working with larger balls, it can fire them an extra 10 feet. However, if your little dog is happy with the regular-sized balls, be aware these are slightly smaller than a tennis ball, so you may be reliant on buying replacements from iFetch if the three balls included with the gizmo get chewed up, disappear under the sofa or get lost amongst the hedges for good.

Durable design
The iFetch is made of a durable plastic, so it should be able to withstand a mild chewing. It’s cutesy and also non-threatening, though its mechanical whirrings scared our canine reviewer
Play for hours
At home you can plug the iFetch into the mains for endless fun, but if you haven’t got the room indoors you can also power it using six C-cell batteries and use it in the garden. On a fully charged set of batteries, the iFetch can fire continuously for 30 hours!
Set the distance
The iFetch has three firing distances to choose from: 10ft, 20ft and 30ft. Set your distance depending on what kind of play you want to have with your dog and how big or old they are
Have a ball
The iFetch is designed for smaller dogs, so the three balls included with the iFetch are just 1.5 inches rather than full-size tennis balls

£100 | $115
A mains and battery-operated ball-throwing device for small to medium-sized dogs. With variable distance settings, it’s ideal for dogs of all ages though it may take awhile for your dog to like it