The ball is a complete piece of junk. My dog was able to rip the fabric off in less than 1 minute, the rubber was gone within a few hours. My dog has a few real tennis balls, not one has been damaged, ever. As far as the launcher, it will not hold the ball since it has no fabric left, it slips right out. To compare to a real tennis ball, I included a picture of the destroyed Chuckit ball next to a Wilson tennis ball she's had all year long.... So, as far as the Chuckit ball, chuck it right in the trashcan and buy a REAL ball.