Oftentimes, we want to play with lasers with our dogs since it's so cute to watch them chase it around the living room. However doing this can cause severe issues with a dog's behavior. It causes a condition called Laser Pointer Syndrome, a condition where dogs develop an obsessive, compulsive behavior due to their prey drive that is unable to be fulfilled.

Unlike a tennis ball or a toy, a laser has no smell, touch or ability to actually catch it. This constant chasing something that they cant ever catch causes dogs to get intensely frustrated leading to your dog to have chronic anxiety and restlessness. Not only this but it will cause your dog to become fixated on items similar to lasers like flickering lights, shadows or even their own reflection.

In severe cases some dogs may chase their own shadows for hours ignoring necessities like food and water. Lastly all these symptoms combined lead for these dogs to get severely injured by lunging at walls, floors, shadows etc. then running into all of these items causes snout injuries or broken teeth.

If you want to play with your dog in a similar manner without the risk of causing any issues for them in the long run some things you may be interested in are:
- Flirt poles
- Scent games
- Tug and fetch
These are great substitutes for wanting to see your dog be super silly while keeping their brains stimulated.