Chuckit!: Review

I got Conker a Chuckit for his birthday, but it was mainly for use with Juneau.  I never did get one with Conker since he isn't that big of a fetcher and will also loose sight or interest if the ball goes too far.  Or another dog will get it first.
But when I began taking Juneau to the dog park, I knew I had to get one.  Constant throwing of tennis balls for her made my arm hurt even though I was throwing the ball correctly.  So off I went and got myself a bright orange Chuckit thing.

It cost me $11.99 at Mini Pet Mart.  It might have been cheaper at The Grange but I didn't want to drive all the way out there to see.  Petco was about 15.99 so that wasn't even an option.

I got thew older model Chuckit since I didn't even know if the dogs would like it.  And at first Juneau didn't. She was afraid of it, like she always is with new things.  but after I showed her that a ball goes into it and gets thrown really far... now she loves it!

The Chuckit takes a few throws to get used to.  If you just huff it the ball will fly straight up or way off to one side.  You have to throw it gently for the first few tries to get an idea of where the ball is released.  After that though, go at it, you fetcher will love it!  I'm normally able to throw about half the length of the dog park (it's kinda small) but with the Chuckit I can almost get the ball completely to the other side.  I don't know the exact distance but it's pretty darned far.

One of the only problems with the Chuckit other than getting used to the release point is that you need to be aware of who or what is around you.  I whacked a tall dog on the back with it once (but he didn't care) so make sure there aren't any dogs or kids in the general vicinity if you're going for distance.
Another thing is that your arm will begin to hurt after a long while.  Not how throwing a ball normally does though.  The top of your lower arm, where the hair grows, whatever that muscle is, will get tired.  I guess since it's used for stabilizing the Chuckit and keeping it upright when you swing.  Go get a stick and swing it around and feel for the muscle keeping it upright and you'll know what I'm talking about.

All in all the Chukit is a very good toy for dogs who love to fetch.  It's not too expensive and if you get the standard or "medium" variety you can use any kind of regular tennis ball with it so you don't have to buy the Chukit balls if you loose one.  Like I did with mine on the fifteenth throw.
It's also very durable, as long as you don't let your dog chew on it.

Chuckit!  Juneau approved.