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iFetch Too - Ball Launcher for Big Dogs


First came iFetch which revolutionised the game of fetch by automatically throwing balls across the room for your dog to chase down. However this popular model was more suited to small to medium dog breeds. 

Last year iFetch launched a new model called iFetch Too designed for bigger dogs, which technically could be used indoors - if you live in Downtown Abbey and have a great hall! - or preferably outdoors as tennis balls will reach a distance of up to 12m!

The company tested the concept with Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds etc. all with great success.

What is iFetch Too?

It is an automatic ball launcher and a very impressive "piece of kit", simply by its dimensions: it stands tall at 31.5cm, nearly 30cm wide and 35cm deep which means more grunt than the previous model! 


The iFetch Too take ups larger tennis balls (64mm in diameter) which are optimised to work with the device and it comes complete with a pack of 3 iFetch blue tennis balls.
It uses a rechargeable battery and because it 
automatically shuts off - except when a ball is dropped inside, the battery should last a long time (up to 250 launches on a single fully charged battery).

How does it Work?

1. Before you start playing


First ensure that you fully charge your iFetch Too using the Battery Charger before attempting use or your dog's fun will be short-lived!
  • Green means fully charged
  • Orange  - needs recharging
  • Red / Flashing Red - the battery is too low and needs to be recharged
Then find an outdoor area where the ground is level and clear of any obstacles for up to 12m in front of the launch chute.

2. Select your Setting


You can select various launch distances using the large On/Off button: 

  • one Blue Arrow Light will turn blue which gives a launch distance to 3m.
  • Two Blue Lights will give you a range of up to 7.5m
  • 3 Three Blue Lights up to 10-12m. 
  • The Random Mode (anything between 3m -12 m) will keep your dog guessing! 

3. Play Time

The idea is simple... 
You need to train your dog to understand that each time the ball is dropped into the chute, it will come out the other side within 3s and then he can chase it to his heart’s contents, bring it back, drop it in and repeat until he’s had enough...

The trick however is to get your dog to understand this simple concept quickly and not make you do all the work, which defeats the purpose of an automatic ball launcher…

The hardest part for us was to teach our nosey dogs not to stick their nose into the drop chute or the launch part as they were trying to understand how this “black magic” happened...

One of them excelled at placing himself directly in line with the ball trajectory for a hole-in-one kind of catch! This is not recommended by the manufacturer as both pets and humans (especially young kids) should not be on the direct path of the ball but we did not feel it was packing that much of a punch that it would hurt him!

Note: If the balls get wet or dirty, this will affect the launch distance so keep them neat!  This could be an issue if you share your life with a heavy slobberer and you may need to wipe off the balls from time to time or swap over to a dry one. If a ball is broken or damaged, do not use it with your iFetch device as you could damage the device and also void your warranty.

4. After Play


Even though the iFetch Too is recommended for outdoor use, we would not be leaving it lying around the lawn at night. There is an inbuilt drain in case it’s caught in the rain but you must allow it to completely dry out before use. Still, this could corrode the internal components and cause malfunction. 
So if the weather forecast is stormy, don’t leave it outside unattended!

Always power off and bring it inside after play. You may want to give it a full charge so it is ready for your next play session!

What We Like

Our dogs love novelty (don’t we all?) and the iFetch Too has proven a welcome addition to their games outside as we start enjoying warmer afternoons.


We’re still working on getting them to deliver the ball straight into the chute. I don’t think they’re slow but I feel it will take a bit of effort to get your dogs to use this device all by themselves as intended. 


We’re giving ourselves until the first day of summer to get all three of them to drop the ball in all by themselves. Even better, we’d love to get one to drop the ball in whilst the other fetches and then swap!

Most toys including tennis balls last about 3 seconds in our house. Even without letting them chew, it took only a few throws and catches before the first tennis ball cracked like a coconut! That’s just our “Maligators” jaw power and we’ll just need to have a ready stack of balls... For most dogs however, this won’t be an issue.



Note: You will find some useful tips from professional dog trainer, Nichole Ellis at goifetch.com.au/training-tips/ on how to introduce the iFetch and get your dog comfortable around it.

If you have a small or medium sized dog, your best pick is the iFetch Original (same concept but can be used safely indoors) or the latest addition to the family called iFetch Frenzy which uses a slightly different concept: the balls are gravity fed and roll out randomly out of one of 3 chutes.

Price and Where to Buy

RRP: $399.95 for iFetch Too; $199.95 for iFetch Original; $89.95 for iFetch Frenzy

For more information, please visit goifetch.com.au

Disclaimer: this product was gifted by iFetch Australia for editorial consideration
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