This is a review of a smart dog toy, the iFetch is the ultimate automatic ball launcher for dogs. It boasts a slick and amazing design and operates either on battery or mains power. You can change the settings so the ball is thrown to the range you prefer, and it can be used indoors or outdoors.

Meet iFetch. The automatic ball launcher that keeps your dog entertained for hours. Just plug it in, drop the ball into the funnel and its playtime! The best part? You can teach your dog to play with the iFetch so that when you get tired of playing, it doesn’t mean the game is over. Your dog can now play fetch for hours with iFetch, while you do some cooking, or take a phone call, or maybe even take a nap.

iFetch is available on Amazon

What's an Automatic Ball Launcher for Dogs?

Whether your dog loves to play flyball or fetch, somebody (or something) needs to throw the ball away. Until recently, it was the owner, then the owner was helped by ball launchers, but from now on, you can simply relax and let your dog play alone, thanks to automatic ball launchers.

The dog put the ball in the automatic ball thrower, and must trigger the launch to then go fetch the ball, and repeat. The trigger with iFetch is incredibly easy: the dog drops the ball in the iFetch and a few seconds later, the ball is automatically thrown away at the range you decided.

The advantage of automatic ball launchers is that your dog can play, have fun and get exercised without the need for you to be around.

Review of iFetch's Highlights

Short answer, yes! Not just beautifully designed using solid materials, the iFetch is the best automatic ball launcher for dogs. It is not perfect but it is definitely on top of its game.

iFetch’s Design Is Elegant — Round, bi-colored, it kind of looks like a UFO that landed on your floor. When you compare it to other ball launchers, you have a little gem here. The throwing range is managed using the button at the front and is elegantly using three LEDs for you to see what you chose.

iFetch Runs On Battery Mode & Main Socket — Many people use it indoors and set it up to throw at 10ft (3m) so they can easily plug it to their main socket, but what about those who want to use iFetch outside? Don’t you worry, it can work on a battery mode (included and rechargeable) and after testing, iFetch can throw balls for approximately 30 hours on a fully charged set of 6 c-cell batteries.

Three Launch Distance Settings — Whether your dog is a hardcore runner or your flat is a tiny studio, you may have different preferences and iFetch made sure it could cater to all! You can set the launch distance to 10 feet, 20 feet, or 30 feet (3, 6 or 9 meters). Press the button to cycle through the three different distance settings.

the iFetch team has upsized the fun for the imaginatively named iFetch Too

iFetch Too For Large Dogs — You asked for it, it is coming very soon! iFetch is great for all dogs, iFetch Too will focus on larger dogs, using regular-size tennis balls and longer throwing distances at 10, 24 or 40 ft (3, 7 or 12 m.)

Battery Saving For More Fetching — Once your set the distance, the light will stay on for roughly 30 seconds and then turn itself off, but don’t worry, the iFetch remains in standby mode and remains available for play. As soon as a ball is dropped in the funnel, the game starts automatically.

Training Tips & Videos — The team from iFetch is offering amazing videos to show you how to train your dog to use iFetch alone. The lesson is well explained, the tips are useful, and overall, it shouldn’t take long for your dog to get the gist. See below for the links to the training videos.

Award-Winning Product — “iFetch won second best in the new products category at the 2014 Global Pet Expo, and with 3,000 products, that’s a big honor.” said Fox News. Or The New York Times, saying “…made for relentless, fetch-obsessed canines… most dogs are driven to ecstasy by the device.” We confirm!

There Are Few Minor Downsides Though!

No biggie here, but we think you should be aware of a few little areas that would require improvement to perfect this great automatic ball thrower.

Safe If Your Dog Is Trained Well — When you look at it, you probably have some worrying scenario coming to mind. What if the dog drops the ball and stays in front of the launcher? Yep, there is no way around it: you need to train your dog, it does not take hours so not a big deal. And the worst case, your dog will take the ball once, and will learn the lesson.

Special Tennis Balls — Let me break it to you: you cannot use regular-size tennis balls with iFetch. iFetch has been designed for both indoor and outdoor use hence it only accepts miniature 40mm or 1.5 inches in diameter tennis balls. Unlike what the official website states, it is NOT the same size as most miniature tennis balls you can get in pet stores or Amazon. We highly recommend you to buy an extra set of official iFetch Balls just to be on the safe side. iFetch Too, however, uses regular tennis balls.

Works With All Dogs, Better With Small Dogs — Although the iFetch works just fine with all dogs, it is definitely designed with small to medium dog breeds in mind. A bigger dog can easily tip the launcher over or chomp on the balls. The iFetch Too for bigger dogs is in the pipeline and should be ready towards the end of this year, 2015. But the original iFetch is definitely good enough for all dogs, big and small. I would recommend some heavy-duty velcro so it can be fixed on to the floor or ground.

iFetch vs iFetch Too (End 2015)

Buy The iFetch Ball Launcher For Dogs Now!

Thanks to its popularity, iFetch is now easily available online but you should get it on Amazon, it is just safer and better if you want to return or exchange it.

iFetch Too is currently out of stock as it was the first release, they are improving the product and it will be available publicly after this Summer 2015. The original iFetch does work well for larger dogs, though.

iFetch Accessories & Extra Balls

We mentioned a few accessories and extras that you should definitely get with your iFetch Ball Thrower For Dogs just so you are all set from the moment you open your package. Here they are!

How To Train Your Dog To Use iFetch Alone

iFetch made this amazing video so you can teach your dog how to use the iFetch safely and without your presence. It does not take long, an hour for the smart cookies or a few sessions for slow learners. You will need a pouch of treats, patience and a lot of praising and love!