Sponsor

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Product Review: Planet Dog Orbees

The Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff balls are made from flexible rubber. The Planet Dog product line-ip has changed a bit in the last few years, but the quality of their products remains the same.

We have a 4.25" diameter Orbee ball with a hole in it, and two Orbos. The Orbo is a lot like the original Kong toy. These things are extremely durable; mine went through the dishwasher a bunch of times back when we had a dishwasher. I used to stuff Bravo raw dog food into the Orbos and freeze them.

The Orbos have two chambers, the large bottom and the small top, connected by a narrow passage. Getting peanut butter, ground meat, or cooked sweet potato into that smaller chamber can be difficult, but it is equally difficult to get the goodies back out. I've found Brisbane slurping peanut butter out of these things days later.

We used to have several more Planet Dog toys: another big ball, an Orbee-Tuff ball with with a rope handle, an eggplant, and an artichoke. The artichoke was difficult to clean. The eggplant eventually began cracking, and I'm not sure what happened to the other big ball.

The Orbo is supposed to have an unpredictable bounce, but Brisbane has very little use for them once they are empty. I like to fill the big ball with kibble for Josie, who is a bit slower and takes half an hour or more to empty it.

Pros: These things are tough as hell. They outlasted my classic Kongs and are still going strong after at least seven years. The two-chamber shape of the Orbo also makes them much harder to empty than a Kong. I wish they were still on the market as I would happily buy a few more. The large ball makes a wonderful and quiet slow-feeder for my elderly dog. It is large enough that it doesn't get lost under the furniture.

Cons: The two-chamber design of the Orbo makes it very difficult to clean, and sometimes I find a nasty surprise down there.

Bottom Line: We use the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff toys pretty much every day. When they're not being hoarded inside a crate, they are in the freezer stuffed with peanut butter.

No comments:

Post a Comment