I live near a dog park. Every time I go for a walk, I see owners throwing (or using one of those plastic arm extenders) balls for their dogs.
At least once each walk, I see an owner fake a throw. Depending, presumably, on its intelligence, the dog does nothing, does a quick flinch, or takes off for five strides before concluding that no projectile has actually been thrown.
We all like to anthropomorphize pets, and I don’t pretend to understand how a dog thinks. Is this cruel? Does the dog ‘feel’ (and I use this term loosely) irritated by this activity? Or is it all just a form of play? Does a happier dog get a throw every time its owner’s arm is cocked, or only every third time?
Maybe the point is totally moot for the dog, and I’m just laying my human psyche on the happy and unsuspecting mutt.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
I used to fake throw, mostly because my dog doesn’t understand yet that fetching means to bring back the object. Therefore, sometimes, I would just fake thrown in the direction where the object lies and he would look around and run towards it.
I made a little video of that once. I fake threw in the direction of the stairs and here’s what happened:
http://www.martinbreton.com/2006/05/09/the-crazy-yoshi-dog-yoshi-le-chien-fou-fou/
This way, I didn’t have to stand up and get the plush hot dog.
I try nowadays to do the same thing, but the little bugger has become wiser, he doesn’t really fall for it anymore. bummer.
And to answer your question, a tired dog is a happy dog. The more activity you provide, the happier. So I think he doesn’t really hold a grudge. It’s all play to him.
My parent’s dog, Anna, is ball-obsessed. It’s a serious, crippling, and highly-entertaining addiction. Part of the enjoyment of throwing the ball for her does include building up her anticipation by playing the “move the ball rapidly from left to right” game and yes, the “fake-out throw” game. By the time I throw the ball, the hope is that she’ll be so revved up she’ll actually run around and play with the ball on her own for a bit instead of rushing back with the sodding thing for the six zillionth time.
I’d agree with Brem that dogs see it all as play, but I’d also posit that if I played the same game with my cat, he’d see it as a personal affront.
Heather beat me to it – yes, it’s just about getting them so worked up that when you do launch the ball they chase it in such a joyful delirious frenzy because they KNOW they’re gonna catch it this time. It’s a joy to watch.
As for resentment, I figure in the wild, mice and rabbits are likely to fake out a wolf a few times before letting themselves get eaten. Dogs can handle it.
When Ribsy the whippet is in the mood to play (and this is conditional on many factors, including the temperature, the condition of the playing field and the number of bees whizzing about) he will run full-speed completely in the direction that I fake throw it. Then, once he turns back to face me with that “where the hell did you throw it?” look, I throw in in the completely opposite direction of the fake (thinking it will mean twice as much running for one throw, how efficient!) but for a sighthound, this has the incredulous ability to confound him. He has no idea where the ball is. Resigned, I end up walking the length of the park to retrieve it and he ends up walking off, sniffing for cat poo or other delights. So yes the fake works and is fun if your dog isn’t easily distracted, confused or prone to giving up! Maybe if the ball looked more like a flying squirrel…
I was playing “throw” with a friend’s dog and had been doing the fake throw thing quite a bit, and he’d been falling for it to the point of even jumping in the pond and swimming for a bit before realizing he’d been had. When I really did throw it, he got so excited that he’d do a celebratory lap or two around the pond.
After one of the real throws, he came running up with the ball in his mouth, but just as I bent town to take it from him, he swerved off to run another lap. He looked back at me as he ran, and I’d swear the look he gave me said “Now you know how it feels, huh?”
I do the side to side waggle so that Wagner doesn’t start running before I throw the ball, but I don’t fake throw. I couldn’t help but feel mean if I did.
Yeah, we’ve done it. The look when they barrel off and then realize “HEY!” is too funny.
But an active dog is good, and they get wise fast if you throw the ball everytime. Winding the dog up a bit keeps the game interesting.
Our new dog doesn’t dig the ball game yet, and the late dog was too scatterbrained, and she’d forget what she was going for. So it didn’t matter if we threw the ball or not.
Maybe the dog thinks his or her human is just a little on the dumb side… “huh, he missed it again. Well, I’ll look enthousiastic: maybe a little encouragement is all the silly thing needs…”
I have a question.
I have two dogs I got at the pound and they are so sweet.
All they enjoy is walking ( which I take them twice daily ) and the other is chasing rabbits and setting under a tree checking out the squirrels.
I have no squirrels ( only when I go to the lake.)
Is there a fake squirrel remote or other wise that one could put in a tree and sounds come from it.
Just desperate to find entertainment for them. Thank You Nina Wallis