Laser Pointer a good toy?

[MijaVonDark]

I went to Petco today and purchased one of those Laser pointers. I let Mija chase it around the house for like 10min. Then I went to my puppy classes and one of my classmates told me it wasn't a good toy. Does anyone have any advice on this matter?

[Judi W]

Sorry, but bad news. It is not a safe toy, If it accidentally hits the eye it can burn the retina. Also tends to make dogs obcessive. See if you can return it and get your money back

Designed to be used as a pointer for screen presentation and should be left at that.

[fbkeays]

It is very bad idea. First off on safety, it WILL permamently damage your retina if it hits the eye and stays there faster then you can blink an eye. I used to work in the laser field. You would be amazed at the safety procedures we were required to have to prevent eye exposure on laser products that are the same power as the hand held laser pointers.
I have gotten "flashed" by a laser beam that was reflected off a shiny surface. I was lucky. I ended up with essentially a bad migraine headache for a couple of days.
The lens of the eye magnifies the power of the laser by 100,000 times. That means a 5 ma (.005w) laser pointer is actually 500 watts of concentrated power burring a hole in your retina. The old saying in the laser field is to not get hit in your remaining good eye.
Laser pointers and flash lights teach your dog to go after things that are really not there. It may be fun in a "controlled" enviornment like your living room, but think about being outside, enjoying the shade of a tree on a sunny day with your dog. Suddenly your dog is freaking out, jumping and lunging at nothing. Nothing that is until you realize that there is a slight breeze and the dog is chasing the changing light patterns through the trees.
No obedience competitor will ever play with a flash light or laser beam because of the obsessive behavior it causes.

[MijaVonDark]

She was really freaking out after I was done playing with it. Looking/sniffing all around for it. Thanks for the advice, I'll take it back. Makes me wonder why they would even sell them at Pet stores.

[RottieMom51503]

I have heard they are really bad and can make your dog aggressive because they are chasing something they are never going to catch..Kinda of like teasing. Your right i wonder why the petstores would sell them.

[scooterjohansen]

Maybe they sell them at the petsores not as a toy but as a pointer. Eg Get pooch to sit and stay looking at the whiteboard. Then using the laser, point to the words on the board. Get him to follow and repeat the words after you. Kinda like school. Not sure if there is any truth to this though heard about it somewhere can't remeber where.

[JD102175]

Originally Posted by scooterjohansen

Maybe they sell them at the petsores not as a toy but as a pointer.

Some are actually packaged as being toys for dogs and cats. Some come with attachments to change the size and shape of the beam (a mouse shape is one of them).


Jaime

[scooterjohansen]

Originally Posted by JD102175

Some are actually packaged as being toys for dogs and cats. Some come with attachments to change the size and shape of the beam (a mouse shape is one of them).


Jaime

And these beams are deemed safe? OMG!

[godfreyc]

I use one with my cat (flame suit on) It's very good for getting him some exercise, but I don't use it with the dogs. And cats chase imaginary things anyway

[mwarlzabwark]

cant do it with three dogs because the new addition is 3 pounds and the oldest is 70 so...havent recently but i have used a laser with my boxer and he loves it, he doesnt have to actually look at it.....it can go around the walls at a six foot height and that is good enough to set him off running around the halls and back. the downside was the whole turning it off sent him into fits of where is it so we had to have an on and off play time word. but he's not been zapped by it, just followed it around the house. he does the same thing with reflections of sunlight off watches and shiny surfaces. he's easily amused!

[Judi W]

cute if you don't mind your dog turning into an AH everytime it sees the reflection off someone's watch. Watched a dog completely blow a trial because the judge's clipboard left some reflections on the ground.

[shybird]

Nor is it good that everytime you use a flashlight. Looking for something dropped under the sofa and they stomp on your head trying to follow the light. My Moose was fine until my now ex played with a laser light with him. The boy goes nuts with any moving light or reflection. Yes he did stomp on my head more than once.

[mwarlzabwark]

Well the thing about him wigging out after the light disappeared and learning to use play words for it before I turned it on or off, kinda put laser wall art into it's own game. So far there's not been a flashlight attack, that would definitely be painful if it happened, and I bet if I said hey charlie blinky time! he'd dive bomb me if i had a flash light. But if I say blinky time and throw a ball he'll sit and stare at the wall instead of chasing the ball, and this boy has a love of keep away so generally the ball is his next favorite game. but yowser glad he did freak out when it got gone making names a necessity.

[Paul (Dozer)]

Laser pointers aren't as dangerous to the eye as most people think, they are very low power. Obviously youshouldn't stare at it, but if it flashes your eye it's not going to do anything. If they could blind or damage in a fraction of a second, they would have been pulled off the shelves long ago.

However, getting a dog to chase something he can never catch is teasing it IMO, so i wouldn't use it as a toy.

[derektjeep]

I'm currently fostering an American Bulldog. The last person who had her before me used laser points all the times. Now when my Sidekick 2 reflects on the wall, she will chase it.

I think that lasers are for people who are too lazy to play with their dogs. Kind of like an armchair quarterback if you want my honest opinion.