Martin Rütter is a well-known and popular professional dog trainer in the dog world.
In his latest TV programme, Martin Rütter involuntarily found himself in a situation with a dog owner throwing sticks and immediately used the situation to make an urgent appeal to viewers.
Retrieving – the dogs‘ favourite game
The fact that a dog retrieves something is genetically deeply rooted. Almost every dog is in joyful anticipation as soon as it sees a thrown object such as a ball and brings it back to its master immediately after throwing it.
Dogs simply love this type of game. And what could be better for a game of toss between humans and dogs than a walk outside in the great outdoors?
The dog’s favourite ball is often part of the basic equipment you take on a walk. But what if the ball is forgotten at home?
Nature offers all kinds of objects to throw. The stick is probably the most popular and best known.
But the dog professional Martin Rütter has spoken out on television AGAINST throwing sticks!
Why only?
„Throwing sticks is forbidden“: This is why Martin Rütter is against the popular throwing game
Martin Rütter has previously expressed scepticism about the popular throwing game and advised dog owners to refrain from fetching sticks.
Martin Rütter has now spoken out again on this topic in his TV programme „Der Hundeprofi – Rütters Team“ on RTL.
In this season, a dog owner was seen playing with her dog Horst in the park.
One of the actions was that the dog owner threw a wooden stick for Horst. Horst immediately ran happily after the stick and brought it back to his owner.
After Martin Rütter had watched this scene with concern, he turned to the audience and spoke to the camera with a serious expression:
„Please stop playing with sticks! It’s dangerous. I’ve seen dogs chew off a small piece of it time and time again, with small splinters hanging in their necks, abscesses forming or the dog carrying the stick in front like a cigar and ramming it into itself. No playing with sticks!“
Stick alternatives: Retrieving fun without the risk of injury
Some time ago, Martin Rütter used his wide reach on Facebook to share a long post with his fans with the headline „Sticks are taboo„.
In his post, Martin Rütter pointed out the following, among other things:
„Quite a few dogs have suffered serious injuries as a result, and some have even died. But injuries can also occur when carrying the stick if the dog gets one end caught or stuck somewhere.“
You can also buy elongated toys in any pet shop,
„e.g. the Kong Safestix. It is flexible, bendable and made of robust, bite-resistant plastic“,
says Rütter.
