Why you shouldn’t play laser pointer with your dog?

Some owners train their dog to run after a spot of light from a laser pointer to encourage the dog to move. It may look funny, but it is not as harmless entertainment as one might think.

For example, veterinary doctor Nicholas Dodman (Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine) writes that a “runaway” light “turns on” a dog’s hunting instinct, forcing it to chase “prey.” However, at the same time, she never achieves her goal – that is, she does not catch the object of hunting (unlike, for example, material toys). And such dissatisfaction can cause great harm to the psyche of the dog.

This does not mean that running after laser pointers is unequivocally harmful. “In small doses” it won’t hurt (although better entertainment can be found). But if the dog begins to take such a hunt too seriously and shows signals of discomfort (breathing heavily, continues to look for a runaway point even when you turned off the pointer, tries to get the pointer out of your pocket, or even bites you if you keep the pet from chasing the light and generally looks tense) – the game is clearly no longer useful. And many owners, unfortunately, cannot notice these signs in time and stop.

And even if you throw a treat at the end of the game, this will not alleviate the condition of the dog.

Playing with a dog is great. But still, it is better to find entertainment that is more useful for the pet than endless running after elusive prey.

You can learn about what games to use to teach your dog useful things from our courses on raising and training dogs in a humane way.