Oh my, my dogs and I just had fun with our new GoDogGo fetch machine. I’m sweating and out of breath as I write this.
I’ve always wondered about these fetch robots and machines I’ve seen online and I finally got to try one out for myself. I’m going to be honest, my dogs are not trained to fetch. They chase balls and then sniff them or carry them half way back and drop them but it didn’t matter. We were all chasing the balls. I was also one of those crazy people who turns the machine on in my home to test it out and the machine launches the balls so high they were bouncing off my ceiling.
WARNING: DO NOT OPERATE THE GODOGGO FETCH MACHINE INDOORS!
Luckily I don’t have any chandeliers or valuable works of art so it worked out fine but this is a machine that launches balls high into the air. You don’t want to be standing in front of it, or let children stand in front of it, and you don’t want your dog sticking their face into the hole to see when the next balls is going to come out, so take precautions when using. Pay attention to where people and animals are standing when you launch balls.
That said:
I got this big box in the mail and was worried I wouldn’t be able to figure it out but luckily it was an easy set up. All you do is take it out of the box and either plug it in or insert the batteries depending on what power source you want to use. It comes with a power cable so if you want to use batteries you’ll need to pick up 6 x D8 batteries. I had read some online reviews about the machine and saw someone complaining that their dog was afraid of the sound the machine made, and when I first turned it on my dogs were suspicious and cautious but not afraid.
I played with the fetch machine myself, to show them that it was nothing to be afraid of. They stayed back for a bit but I just kept playing with it myself, launching balls and catching them myself and showing my dogs that I’m not afraid of it. They kept their distance and watched me as balls flew around and got more and more curious as they saw me playing with it. If you have a very shy or skittish dog, this may not be the toy for your pup. You know your dog better than anybody else and you’ll know best if this is the kind of toy your dog would enjoy.
This fetch robot is a great toy for dogs with a lot of energy who like to fetch, but also a great toy for the casual fetcher. My dogs are moderately interested in fetching and this machine has definitely increased their interest in chasing the balls. I’m going to continue to work them them because I’ve always wanted them to fetch. The GoDogGo Fetch Machine has it’s own remote control and you can set it to launch in timed intervals of 4, 7 and 15 seconds or use the “auto launch” feature to launch the balls at your command.
What I liked about the fetch machine was that I got to chase balls with my dogs and that got them more excited about chasing the balls as well. My dogs want to play with me, not next to me or around me, and having a robot that launches the balls leaves me free to run around with my dogs and play with them. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to find that playing with the fetch machine was actually a bonding experience with my dogs and not the passive experience I was expecting.
The machine is made of plastic and feels sturdy and solid. It’s a little bigger than a foot wide and about a foot and a half tall. There are a variety of ball types available that you can load in the machine. The Fetch Ball is like a tennis ball, the Super Fetch ball is made of solid rubber and there are even glow in the dark balls for night time fetching fun.
The GoDogGo! Fetch Machine also makes a great holiday gift for anyone with a dog who likes to fetch.
Be sure to read the instructions and stay out of the way of the balls when they launch. Nobody wants to be hit with a flying ball. Fetch safe!
