Stuff We Destroyed: November Edition

Brisbane wasn't much of a toy destroyer, he had some toys for more than a decade without demolishing them. Godzilla also tend to be easy on most of her toys. Zip, on the other hand, likes to chew stuff up. Yay! I finally get to test how durable our toys are! She's certainly not a power chewer, but she does occasionally decide to give something a good gnaw. Here's the most recent casualties:

Holee Roller by PetMate

I bought the girls a second JW Holee Roller so they could each have an Unstuffaball. Somebody got a little carried away liberating the fleece strips from the toy.

Kong Tuff 'N Lite Pig

Sisci Godzilla filled the pink pig with holes, but Zip is the one that chewed the face and feet off the pink pig. She loves ripping chunks off it. I didn't expect it to be totally hollow, but there was nothing inside. Except maybe dignity. 

Kong Squeezz Crackle Ball

Like so many reviewers before me, I found that our Kong Crackle Ball split at the seam just from regular play. This toy wasn't gnawed into oblivion, it was just fetched to death. I did get to see how it worked though, inside the purple ball was a clear rubber ball, and inside that was a piece of clear plastic like you might find holding a brand new action figure onto a cardboard back card. The result was a very firm and very crackley ball that was, it seems, entirely too much fun to chomp.

Outward Hound Splash Disc

This is one of those water toys that my dogs feel compelled to shred for some reason. I was keeping it out of reach until we could take it somewhere to play in the water, but it was all for naught. They really just wanted to demolish it on land or sea. There's just something about that neoprene bathing suit material that they can't resist.

Hyperflite Jawz Pup Disc

Hyperflite makes their Jawz discs for those dogs that tend to puncture everything in their enthusiasm. These are really seriously tough discs. They are not, however, tough enough to handle being pilfered from the disc bag for a good gnaw. I'm just glad Zip likes discs this much.

So that's what we killed this month. Toys that are getting a lot of playtime and handling it well so far include the Wox, both Jolly Balls, and an antler I bought for Brisbane in 2009.

Product Review: Jolly Pets Romp-N-Roll

The Romp-N-Roll ball by Jolly Pets combines their self-inflating ball with a fun tug rope for an irresistible toy. The ball won't ever go flat, even if punctures it just pops back into shape. It also floats, even when full of water. The cotton rope is durable and soft on mouths. It is available in four colors and six sizes.

Photo by Erin Koski

Brisbane and Sisci love these things so much, I had to buy a second one. Jolly Pets basically added a tug rope to their irresistible Jolly Ball. Now the balls are slightly more interactive!

The only thing bad about Jolly Balls is that my cattle dogs find them addictive. I have the 8" balls, and there's nothing they like more than unhinging their snakelike jaws in order to chomp these balls. Over and over. Rhythmically. Because herding dogs come preloaded with OCD. Even before Brisbane's first surgery, when he had a huge nasty tumor in his mouth, he was happy to bite his Jolly Ball.

The rope makes it a little bit easier to snap Brisbane and Sisci out of Biting Stuff Nirvana. They both like playing tug, so I can finally join them in their Jolly Ball games. The dogs also love to carry and shake the balls by the ropes. This means the absorbent cotton rope can get a bit gross, fortunately these balls also are great for kicking.

Biting Stuff Nirvana
Photo by Erin Koski

The Jolly Pets website actually recommends the Romp-N-Roll toy for water play. The ball is made from buoyant material, so it will still float even when waterlogged and filled with holes. It floats high, and is easy to see from swimming-dog-level.

This ball comes in three different sizes. Mine at the largest, 8" in diameter. There are also 6" and 4.5" versions for smaller or less determined dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Made in the USA. Cotton rope can be easily replaced at the hardware store. Soft enough to kick, tough enough to stand up to a ton of biting. Will not go flat. Large enough for the largest dogs to play safely.

Cons: It's not a chew toy. The biggest complaint about this toy seems to be that heavy chewers can destroy it easily, though it is not sold as a chew toy. The largest size of ball is also quite solid and heavy, so smaller and more sensitive dogs may need one of the smaller sizes.

Bottom Line: Best as an interactive toy if your dog is a heavy chewer. Aside from Kongs, this is actually the only toy I've purchased two of. My dogs like it so much they don't want to share.

Product Review: Jolly Pets Teaser Ball

The Jolly Pets Teaser Ball is a unique toy that combines a ball with, you guessed it, another ball. The idea is that dogs will spend literally hours trying in vain to remove the inner ball. Both the inner and outer balls are made from hard, durable plastic, so the toy rattles quite a bit when moved. The Teaser Ball comes in four sizes for tiny through enormous-sized dogs.

What's the point?
Photo by Erin Koski

These have been around for quite a while, and I know a few dogs who absolutely adore them. I've never been entirely certain why, though. The inner ball cannot be removed, you'd think the dog would figure it out in short order.

Still, dogs who love the Teaser Ball, LOVE it! They love to shake it, fling it, and bat it around with their paws. They also love to chew it, and this doesn't always end well. The plastic isn't  tooth-breaking hard, but it is rigid and tends to form sharp ridges and points when gnawed. A coworker's pit bull has to be carefully supervised with her Teaser Ball and stopped before she makes herself bleed too much.

My dogs? They figured out immediately that the inner ball couldn't be removed, and promptly lost interest. Not even Sisci the puppy will play with it. I've put it away for the time being, we'll get it back out again in a few weeks and see if it becomes fresh and exciting.

Pros: Strangely exciting for some dogs. Hours of high-energy fun. Very durable, stand up to a ton of rough play. Very popular with retrievers, bulldogs, and other rough and tough types of dogs.

Cons: Hard plastic becomes sharp when chewed. Heavy toy can damage walls, furniture, and pretty much anything inside the house if used indoors. Not all dogs find it amazing.

Bottom Line: I think my dogs are too smart for this toy. We'll stick with our regular Jolly Balls.

Product Review: Tug-N-Toss Jolly Ball

The Tug-N-Toss by Jolly Pets is a durable ball with a handle. It bounces, floats, and will not deflate when punctured. The Tug-N-Toss comes in three colors and four sizes, from 4.5" to 10", for dogs of any size.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Jolly Ball began life as a toy produced by the Horseman's Pride company. For this reason, Brisbane's first Jolly Ball was a 14" peppermint-scented hand-me-down from Frisco, my thoroughbred. As a puppy, Briz loved chasing and biting that enormous ball. The best part was clearly the handle, and eventually he chewed it all the way off and it was retired. Not long after the demise of the giant peppermint Jolly Ball, I found this red one in a pet store. I had thought that this was the first time Jolly Balls had specifically been marketed for dogs, but it turns out that Jolly Pets has been around since 1994.

Photo by Erin Koski

The handle on our red Jolly Ball has been similarly gnawed/loved, but it has held up relatively well. I do tend to limit how much time Brisbane can spend chewing it, and I think it might be a little bit tougher than the giant peppermint ball.

This ball is seriously tough, not as tough as an Extreme Kong, but it's also not designed specifically for chewing. The ball holds its shape on its own, so it can be punctured repeatedly and spring back into ball-shape. Ours has, in fact, been punctured repeatedly and is full of tooth marks. Brisbane finds biting it to be extremely satisfying and slightly OCD-triggering. Our Jolly Ball is an 8" model, and is at least eight or nine years old now. It has been left outdoors for weeks at a time and shows no signs of fading or aging.

Bottom Line: Safe for big dogs to chase and enjoy, also fun for smaller dogs with big ideas. I'm pretty sure this ball will last forever, as long as it isn't chewed into oblivion.