So I purchased a laser pointer and it seems to really grab shadow's attention and he chases it around, he even get's ready to play when I look at him in the doorway ready to jump on it if he sees it. Of course i'm careful to avoid his eyes and he seems to have a good time. What are your thoughts of using one of these as a chase toy around the house? Have you ever used one?

We use ours all the time, kylah loves it!

I've always used them with cats... never thought it would grab a dogs attention. I'll have to try that!

Bode loves the laser!

We bought our laser for the cat. He doesn't like it. So naturally I tried to see if Okami likes it... holy cow it is funny watching her go after that thing. I think I shall get a video like Sara did hehe

We bought one for Deacon so on the rainy days we could get some of his energy out. I got it out of the package, put the batteries in, and got ready for some laughs. Well, what we got was a big let down. I pointed it at the ground, he looked at it, then looked back at me, and walked away. To this day we have never been able to get him to chase it or even paw at it.

I guess some huskies are more cat than others.

We were actually specifically told by our behaviorist not to play with laser pointers, because there is no reward at the end. It just serves to frustrate the dog, and in certain breeds can actually lead to OCD like behavior. I'd use it with caution.

I've heard the same thing Meredith mentioned. I use ours every once in a while with Diz but I'm not even sure where it is at the moment. I'd say just watch out for certain signs. If he starts looking for it or seems to be searching around the house for something, you might want to take a little break from it. Another cat toy you could try, and Diz loves the most, is da bird. Then he actually catches something.

That's interesting Mer, I'd never thought about it that way!

Yes this is good stuff. I thought I heard a while back that pointers can cause some issues if excessively used or used in a bad way.

Don't know anything about laser pointers but son's cat has a "fish" on a flexible fishing pole that he will play for as long as a human has endurance. What about making a flirt pole sort of thing for indoor use - piece of pvc, some bungie cord and a soft, squishy toy, maybe even with a squeekie in it? Then the beastie catches something  

The squeak would make their day. Always brings mine running.

Sorry it took so long to post this, but here is the video of Okami playing with the Laser Pointer.

I would definitely recommend AGAINST laser pointers with a big strong NAY.
 
I recently rescued a GSD who was "tormented" by chasing laser pointers. It's actually causing drastic problems with his concentration and training. I posted about it on the GSD forum, and was given advice on how to break this bad habit. My Kaze is so bad that he will chase shadows or sun rays shining on the walls, etc. I was warned that laser pointers lead to OCD, which when extreme is known to cause seizures. There were examples where people had to have their dog euthanized because the OCD/seizures could not be remedied. That's when I knew how serious of a problem my Kaze is facing. We're working on him daily until he can regain his focus and not torture himself due to his upbringing in his previous home. Here are 2 links I remember from the GSD board where experienced people try to help other people whose dog/s have this problem:
 
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-behavior/437937-dog-trained-chase-laser-pointers-how-do-i-untrain.html
 
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-behavior/468098-do-dogs-generally-chase-shadows-lot.html
 
Hope this helps!

I understand it is a nay now from before I posted my video. I have had that video before I was informed, just hadn't gotten around to posting it like I said I would.

Now that I know what it does, I haven't used the laser again. It is really sad what could happen and I wouldn't dream of doing that to my girl anymore.

I used them on with my lab and my cats all the time. My Loki was a different story. He shows some OCD tendencies with bugs and he was looking for the pointer when I tried playing with him a few times. As he gets older I notice that it is less of a issue and he calms down much faster. I do always end on a toy and that cut the searching out completely. So occassionally (few time a month) or something I play with it with him. Otherwise it is mainly for the cats. If your dog keeps searching for it when it goes out, I would use very cautiously or abandon usage altogether. My lab in his younger years never showed any of those signs and loved it without any issue.