iFetch Ball Launcher Review: Mini-Ball Fetch for Small Dogs

Fetch is a game for two. Take away the second player and a ball-obsessed dog just stares at you. The iFetch is a small tower that fills that gap: the dog drops a ball in the top, the machine spits it across the room, and the dog sprints off to bring it back.

This is the original model, built around mini 1.5 inch tennis balls. It sits below the larger iFetch Too, and the choice between them is mostly a question of how big your dog is and how much room you have.

We reviewed it from the maker's documentation, its training guidance and an independent hands-on test, and we mark each number with where it came from.

Why the small ball is the whole point

The original takes 40 mm balls, roughly golf-ball size. A small terrier or a spaniel can carry one comfortably, which a standard 2.5 inch tennis ball would not allow. That is the reason to choose this model over the bigger one.

It is also the weak spot. The same size that fits a small dog is small enough to swallow for some breeds, and reviewers have raised that worry about dogs as large as a miniature Australian Shepherd. Watch your dog the first few sessions. If it gulps balls, this is the wrong toy.

The balls that ship in the box are the other complaint. In the Gadgeteer test a 26 lb French Bulldog destroyed two of the three within a short stretch, and the reviewer called the bundled balls poorly made. The fix costs money: extra mini balls run $12.50 a set, and the maker's own FAQ suggests miniature squash balls for heavy droolers.

Distances that suit an apartment

The launcher has three settings: 10, 20 and 30 feet. In a hallway or a living room, 10 feet is plenty. The 30 foot setting wants a garden or a long corridor. The maker's FAQ says it works indoors on any of the three, and notes the launcher is 9 inches across and 8 inches tall, so it will not take over a corner.

Power is the unglamorous part. There is no internal battery on this model. You use the included wall adapter, or six C cells that you buy yourself. The maker quotes about 30 hours on six C cells. The larger iFetch Too, by comparison, has an internal rechargeable battery that charges in 2 to 8 hours.

The training is the real cost

Your dog will not work this out alone. The maker lays out a three-step method: reward the dog for dropping the ball near the machine, point at the opening so the ball goes in, then let the launch become the reward.

The maker's advice is to train no more than three times a day and only ten minutes at a time. A cautious dog starts with rewards for standing near the machine and moves to treats for dropping the ball. For a ball-crazy dog that may take a few sessions. For a dog that loses interest after one throw, it may never click, and you are out $130.

There is a safety line on the product page too: owner supervision is recommended. That is a sensible rule for any machine that fires objects.

Original or iFetch Too?

The Too costs $229.99, takes full-size tennis balls, reaches 10, 25 or 40 feet and carries the rechargeable battery. The original costs $100 less. If your dog is small or medium, as the maker defines it, and you live in a flat, the original is the better match and the money saved pays for several sets of balls.

If your dog is a Labrador, the mini ball is too small to be safe and you should look at the Too instead.

Verdict

It does what it says, which is not nothing. The launcher works, the distances are sensible and the small ball is correct for a small dog. But the bundled balls are weak, the training takes patience, and the lack of a rechargeable cell feels dated at $129.99.

We give it 6.7. It is a good match for a small dog that already loves a ball and a poor buy for one that does not. Order a spare pack of balls with it.