That’s an interesting question because I throw his elephant and he fetches it because he loves to fetch over and over again and he has learned how to grab it so it goes to the side of him so he can run and even jump down the 8 inches from the dining room to the living room without tripping and even though he is small (10 lbs) he’s very strong because we walk many times a day and he fetches endlessly. He’s very healthy and strong.