Are laser pointer for dogs bad?

Yes, they could eventually lead to psychological damage for your dog.

Chasing 'prey' with no hope of catching it isn’t good for a dog’s psyche.

Is it a good idea to trigger your dog’s prey drive using an object she has no chance of catching? Dogs can get so obsessed with chasing the light that they develop behavior problems.

Never getting to the point of actually catching their “prey” can drive a dog slightly nuts. There are psychological consequences when the animals don’t find what they’re looking for.T he best way to satisfy your dog’s prey instinct at home is with treat-release or puzzle toys that stimulate the canine drive to hunt, and also deliver a reward for your dog’s efforts.

Another option, if you just can’t put the laser toy away, is to first hide a few dog treats around the room, and then occasionally let the laser dot point out a treat your dog is able to actually “catch.”

Like people, don't shine them in their eyes as that can do damage. And yes, some dogs will develop an obsession which in severe cases can cause them constant distress and even injury.

For reference, an extreme case: https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2014...

Of course not all dogs will develop this obsession, so it's up to you to determine if the risk is worth the enjoyment your dog gets from it. For most dogs, developing such a severe issue is very unlikely, but if your dog is one of the (un)lucky few, it can be a really difficult problem to address once it starts.

Yes depending on the type of dog , the possible level of obsession will vary. Lindseys comment was perfect and I have read the same thing!

I have a german shorthair pointer who has very keen eyesight and gets excited just about his frisbee. When we first introduced him to my family, my little brothers played with him with the laser pointer and he loved it. When it came time to stop though we would put the laser pointer on the table and he would whine and stare at it for hours afterward. We then tried hiding it and this resulted in him sniffing it out and whining, or if there was something similar looking on the table he would whine at that even if we demonstrated that it was not the laser pointer anymore.

I eventually researched this same question myself and found the answer that lindsey presented. From that point on I would not allow any one to play with him with the laser pointer.

We still have to hide the frisbee in the closet in the bathroom so he can't sniff it out and obsessively stalk it lol