Product Review: Petmate JW Megalast Bear

Petmate's JW Megalast Bear is an unusually tough squeaky toy. This is a thick and heavy toy with a recessed squeaker and a shape that's tough to gnaw. It is made in the USA from proprietary material that is 100% recyclable. It is available in assorted colors and two sizes, I highly recommend getting the larger size unless you have a really tiny dog.

Photo by Erin Koski

Indestructible Dog Toys

Godzilla and Zip received several tough toys for Christmas, in an attempt to rein in the rate of toy destruction around here. This one looked promising, possibly the toughest squeaky toy I've encountered so far.

Most squeakies are either plush toys, or thin vinyl. Neither can handle a power chewer, and most don't survive even moderate gnawing. This thing? It's heavy, thick, and made from the same stuff as other JW Megalast toys. They aren't completely indestructible, but many power chewers can enjoy them without reducing them to tiny pieces.

Photo by Erin Koski

The De-Squeaking

Photo by Erin Koski

While the gummi bear is currently holding up to its second month of nonstop fetch and wild chomping, I can't say the same for its squeaker. Not sure what happened exactly, since it's still attached and everything. It just...stopped squeaking. I think the squeaker lasted about three days. 

Pros

• Tougher than regular squeaky toys
• Big enough for large and giant breeds to play safely
• Shape makes it difficult to shred
• Tends to last power chewers longer than most toys
• Made in the USA

Cons

• Squeaker may cease to function
• Not actually indestructible
• No guarantee of durability

Bottom Line

Photo by Erin Koski

Some dogs are still going to shred the Megalast Bear, but there are a lot of reviews from owners of power chewers stating that this is the only toy that lasts in their house. It's certainly holding up well around here! Happily, it's also pretty easy to find for under $10, so it's worth trying for your destructopuppy.

Product Review: Chuckit Floppy Tug

Petmate's Chuckit Floppy Tug is a unique rubber tug toy that changes shape when you move it. The toy starts out as a coiled spring, but can be pulled into a big loop. Let go and it coils up again. This is a surprisingly heavy toy with a lot of potential energy. It snaps back into shape rather quickly, but also uncoils under its own weight.

Photo by Erin Koski

I bought this toy on clearance, thinking it might be too heavy for Godzilla. It's really amazingly heavy. As my friend's toddler remarked while tossing toys for the dogs, "That one is too much." The newer version might be lighter, but ours weighs about 2 lbs. That's a lot. 

The combination of weight and shape gives this toy a lot of potential energy. Stretch it out, and it will spring back with a lot of force. If somebody lets go suddenly mid-tug, whoever is at the other end is gonna get whomped. 

I brought the Floppy Tug along to play with a client's pit bull, who thought it was amazing. When he shakes it, the toy whacks him in the face. This makes it incredibly exciting. Zip and Godzilla avoid shaking this particular tug toy for the same reason. It's too much.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Very exciting toy, especially for dogs that enjoy rough play. Spring shape practically moves on its own. Soft enough to throw and catch without breaking stuff. Good on hardwood floors.

Cons: May be too heavy for some dogs. Can snap back and hit hard when stretched. Not as durable as expected.

Bottom Line: This toy lasted approximately three weeks after the girls discovered it. They didn't tug it, we just played fetch, but it started getting bite marks pretty quickly. It's marketed as a tug and chew toy, but best just as an interactive tug if your dog tends to destroy stuff.

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: PetMate JW Holee Roller

PetMate's JW Hol-Ee Roller is a one-of-a-kind rubber toy with tons of uses. Though there are many imitations and a number of variations offered by PetMate itself, the original Hol-Ee Roller remains the most versatile. This ball comes in three sizes, the largest being 7.5" in diameter.

Photo by Erin Koski

The popular Jumbo Hol-Ee Roller is a a big ball that is easy to get a grip on. It flexes and collapses in a very satisfying way for dogs that like to chomp their toys. It does not present a choking hazard even for giant breed dogs.

This ball is awesome for interactive play. It can be thrown indoors or outdoors without worrying it will hit something. The large shape is easy for dogs to track and catch in the air. It can be used for games of tug as well. No matter what you do to it, the ball always pops back into shape again.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Holee Roller can also be modified in multiple ways. A rope can be tied through it for easy tugging and flinging. The holes stretch enough that a tennis ball can be jammed inside. You can even jam big chews and food items like pig ears and large biscuits in there for your dog to puzzle over.

As awesome as this ball is, there are some limitations. Rubber is easy on the teeth, but can also be chewed through very quickly. The Holee Roller is definitely not a chew toy, and won't stand up to much gnawing.

Pros: Very versatile, many different uses and ways to play.

Photo by Erin Koski

Cons: Unlike the JW Megalast product line, this toy is easy to gnaw into pieces if your dog is in a destructive mood.

Bottom Line: Better for interactive play than self-entertainment, particularly for dogs that like to chew.

Product Review: Chuckit! Indoor Ball and Launcher

The Chuckit! Indoor Ball and Launcher is a low-impact, super exciting way to play fetch without breaking quite as much stuff in your house. The launcher can pick the ball up off the floor without getting your hands slobbery, and incites the same feverish delight as the outdoor Chuckit! The indoor ball is made from soft chenille fabric and is light enough to bounce harmlessly off of walls, pictures hanging on the walls, pendulum clocks, televisions, glass cabinet doors, beer carboys, and lava lamps. Why yes, yes that is a very specific list. The Indoor Chuckit! collection comes in one size that is big enough for an enormous dog but so fluffy even a tiny dog can get a grip on it.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Chuckit! Indoor Launcher normally comes with a donut-shaped Indoor Roller toy, but I found mine toyless at a thrift shop so I had to get the ball separately.

I have to admit, when I first saw this toy concept I though it was kind of pointless. I mean, what's wrong with just hucking regular dog toys around the house, right? That sort of attitude is precisely why my parents' walls were covered with tennis ball marks for many years. Also, I'm sorry about that teacup, Mom. As an adult I'm still prone to lobbing various balls and stuffies around my own house, but I still cringe every time a throw goes a bit wild.

Photo by Erin Koski

With the Chuckit! Inddor Ball, every throw can be a wild throw. This thing has no mass and doesn't seem to be capable of flying with enough force to damage anything (except that teacup probably still could have been demolished). This gives me the confidence to lob it around my house with wild abandon.

So far I've managed to bounce it off the above-mentioned list of objects in my home without damaging anything, to my great surprise. Brisbane is not impressed, but Sisci thinks the short little Indoor Launcher is super fun and amazing. She also loves to carry around the indoor ball around when we're not playing. Overall it has been a much more fun and useful product than I expected.

It's worth mentioning that the original Chuckit! company, Canine Hardware, was purchased by PetMate sometime in the last two years. This is the same company that owns JW Pet and Dogzilla. I haven't yet noticed any decline in quality or toy construction, but it can be tough to tell. My original Chuckit! launcher is still going strong after 16 years so I haven't tried out the more recent ones.

Pros: Fun for dogs of all sizes. Mostly harmless ball flies with minimal force. Launcher is low-powered. Can pick up ball without touching the nasty thing.

Cons: Pastel colored ball looks dirty right away. Ball-launching capability may lead to lack of caution in users.

Bottom Line: As some point I should actually grow up enough to not play ball in the house, but that point has not yet arrived. Long live the indoor ball!

The September Allergy-Friendly BarkBox

Our September BarkBox finally arrived yesterday! Unlike all our previous boxes, this month's did not include a card detailing the contents. Instead, the card directed me to visit BarkBox.com/MyBarkBox for a rundown of all our goodies. Many of our boxes have included corrections of the printed cards, and I know there is a lot of variety sent out each month so it's probably tough to keep track. Makes sense to put the same card on everything.

This month didn't particularly have a theme, and that's ok. We're expecting a whole bunch of winter and autumn-themed everything over the next few months even though it's projected to be 80+ degrees and oppressively humid here till January. Not that I'm bitter.

I would not have been happy to see the PetMate JW Pet Squeaky Barbel before Sisci joined us, but she is determined to play with All The Toys and started carrying it around and gnawing on it right away.

Sisci also happily adopted the BarkMade Shooting Star stuffy. It's not as cute as our P.L.A.Y. star stuffy, but it's not terrible.

We got a tasty EttaSays Rabbit Chew which I'm sure Brisbane will devour as soon as I hand it over.

The Lamb and Kale soft treats are BarkBox exclusives made in the USA by Delca. They look like they'll be good for training.

Those Chamomile, Honey, and Duck biscuits by Organicfuls look delightfully soothing. Sadly, Brisbane can't have them because he is allergic to duck and poultry. These will probably go to a coworker's dog.

Puzzle Toy Review: JW Playbites Caterpillar

The JW Playbites Caterpillar by Petmate is a durable, chewable toy that has for treat-holding segments. This is a natural rubber toy that is intended to stand up to some actual gnawing. It comes in various colors and two sizes for dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

So far the caterpillar has only been used a treat dispenser around here, nobody has felt the urge to really chew on it. They have had quite a lot of fun emptying it out, though. Each segment has an x-shaped opening, and each opening is on a different side.

This is definitely a chew toy that can hold treats, it's primary purpose is not dispensing food. There's no way I could feed meals out of it, but the caterpillar makes a fun project for a crated dog. Sometimes I stick a few pieces of kibble in it when the dogs aren't looking and then leave it for them to discover later.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 1/5
We have the smaller version of the Caterpillar, and I can only fit a few kibbles in each segment. Way less than 1/4 cup.

Loading Speed: 2/5
I have to shove each treat in one by one, but not many fit so it doesn't really take long.

Photo by Erin Koski

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 3/5
My visiting cattledog friends often spent quite a while on this project without getting every treat out.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 2/5
Brisbane has to think about it a little, but he can empty the caterpillar out in a few minutes.

Size: 4/5
Ours is a medium, but the large caterpillar is over a foot long and 4" wide so it should be fine for very big dogs.

Durability: 5/5
This is made out of the same stuff as Cuz balls, so it can handle everything but a power chewer.

Noise: 5/5
The caterpillar is sturdy rubber, but not really heavy enough to make a ton of noise on our hardwood floors.

Locatability: 2/5
It rolls quite a bit and fits under the furniture so it is prone to disappearing.

Washability: 3/5
It's intended for dry treats so it doesn't get too dirty. It's actually not terrible to scrub out either. The only issue is drying it, there's no way to set it so the holes can all drain at once. I have to turn it a few times before it will dry out completely.

Versatility: 5/5
The size of this toy makes it suitable for a variety of animals. The caterpillar is also a favorite of our friend Xhuuya the raven, who loves to wrestle nuts out of the segments.

Total: 32/50

Dogzilla Versus Kong

There are several different companies making durable rubber chew toys, but I'm pretty sure Kong was the first on the scene in 1976. Today there are quite a few different brands to choose from, but none is quite as similar to Kong as the Dogzilla toys by Petmate.

Photo by Erin Koski

The current Dogzilla toys are blue, and they make a big deal out of this. Earlier Dogzilla products were a very familiar red. I always found them for sale in stores that didn't carry Kong products, and wondered if they were trying to confuse people into buying Dogzillas thinking they were Kongs.

I personally think the Kong toys are better designed. The hole ion the toy is big enough to shove a biscuit through, but small enough to prevent most goodies from simply falling out. The inner chamber is deep, and significantly wider than the opening. In contrast, the Dogzilla toys tend to have very wide openings that are nearly as wide as the toy. The inner chambers tend to be shallow. Our Dogzilla dumbbell also has a super tiny passage that leads into the other end of the toy and is far too small to be unpacked even if I wanted to spend forever stuffing one kibble at a time through it.

The Kong company is clearly a dog-centered business. I genuinely believe that their earliest products in particular were designed by dog lovers for their own beloved dogs. I haven't been as impressed with some of their more recent offerings, but the intent to make awesome things for wonderful dogs is still there. Kong also has outstanding customer service, and complaints about their products are usually met with apologies and coupons. When I send a message or ask the Kong company a question, I expect to get back a personal response from an actual person. If I search around the Kong website long enough, I will probably be able to find a picture of this person's dog.

I don't have the same warm fuzzy feelings about the Petmate company, makers of Dogzilla toys. They don't have nostalgic tales about the company founder and their beloved dog gracing the Petmate website. They don't have a community presence or donate to charities on a regular basis. Petmate toys aren't routinely donated to animal shelters, as far as I am aware. They're just a large corporation trying to make money. If I had a problem with one of their products, I would expect to receive an impersonal and mostly useless response, like the time I contacted Premier about an issue with a product and they offered to sell me another one at the regular price.

But my feelings about the companies that make them aside, how do the toys compare? Well, on Amazon most Dogzilla toys have about a three-star rating, with most of the 1- and 2-star reviews complaining that their dogs had never destroyed a Kong but shredded the Dogzilla toy in minutes. Many customers were surprised because their dogs had never done such a thing before. The average Kong rubber toy has a 4.5-rating, and the 1-star reviews consist almost entirely of people lamenting that their super-power-chewers had destroyed the toys. I have yet to find anyone claiming their dog destroys Kongs but the Dogzilla is holding up admirably.

It is my opinion that Kong toys are superior to Dogzilla toys, both in design and durability. There are plenty of dogs who love their Dogzillas, and the brand has many happy customers, but I think Kongs are a more durable product and a better value.

Product Review: Dogzilla Bone

Petmate's Dogzilla toys are durable rubber chew toys that come in various shapes and sizes. Most can be stuffed with peanut butter or treats. Dogzilla toys are available at Walmart and various other retailers.

"Here Briz, hold this."
Photo by Erin Koski

Let's be honest here, these are direct competitors to the Kong toys, and that's ok. The durable chew market has been around for a long time, and we have everything from Nylabones to Bionic toys to choose from. The Dogzilla toys aren't niche products by small companies driven to create products inspired by their own dogs, though. These are large-scale mass-produced for big box stores, and I often wonder if any of the people involved in the design and production process have ever actually used them with their own dogs. I get that these are supposed to be a low-cost option for people to grab while they're at Walmart, my local OSH sells them too.

Photo by Erin Koski

My beef with the Dogzilla toys is just that they feel like someone came up with an idea that looked good on paper, someone else signed off on it, and they went ahead and produced it. The result is our Dogzilla bone. One end has a wide triangular opening, the other end is completely closed except for an air hole. The two ends are connected by a passage just wide enough to fit very small kibbles through. This toy is impossible to clean, impossible to stuff with normal kibble, and impossible to get anything out of once it has been lost down the tube.

I kind of think the idea was to make a toy that could be stuffed with kibble and then emptied out, but the passage in our large toy is too narrow for most kibbles to fit. I can't make treats tiny enough to fit easily into the tube of the toy, and when I tried stuffing kibble down it I couldn't get it back out until I soaked it into oblivion and just rinsed it. The dogs can't get anything out of it either.

With two-thirds of the toy being unusable, that leaves the big open end for stuffing with peanut butter and other treats. I can fit a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter in there, but the opening is so wide I may as well be spreading it in a bowl. I have tried freezing it, but there's no way to turn this into a long-lasting challenge.

Pros: An affordable chew toy that is widely available. The current ones are blue, dogs are supposed to be able to see the color blue really well. Some of the shapes are better designed than this one.

Cons: Not as durable as Kong, Nylabone, or Bionic toys. Design flaws make me feel like this was designed by a committee who wasn't planning to give this toy to their own dogs. Impossible to clean, and either ridiculously easy or impossible to unstuff depending on where the food is placed.

Bottom Line: I bought this toy on a trip when I realized I needed to entertain Brisbane in a crate for several hours and had forgotten all of our puzzle toys. It sort of served its purpose, but I would have bought a different Dogzilla toy or a Kong if either of these options had been available. The Dogzilla bone has fallen out of our freezer toy rotation because it is just kind of useless.

Product Review: Tagnabbit Tag Clip

The PetMate Tagnabbit is a clip designed to attach identification tags to a collar. Rather than using a split ring, the tags go onto the clip itself.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is the second tag clip I have tried, and I'm afraid it cannot compare to my beloved Rubits. The design is wonderful, not strictly utilitarian. I love the little decorative pawprint. The swivel is interesting, it helps the tags lay flat and nicely shows off decorative tags.

The idea is that the tags go on the big loop. and the small loop clips to the collar ring. Obviously I put mine on backwards, the big side was too big to fit through some of the holes in my tags. The small side was too small to fit on some of my collars. A nice thick D-ring is too thick for that little clip.

While the Tagnabbit is a nice idea, it does not seem to be a functional product. Mine lasted through an entire trip to the beach and began rusting almost immediately despite being rinsed immediately afterward. Apparently I was one of the lucky ones, because both the Amazon product page and the manufacturer's own product page are both filled with people complaining that they lost their dog's tags when the product either fell apart or fell off. Both sides of the clip as well as the swivel have been implicated as points of failure.

Pros: Attractive and fun product with a very low price tag, this thing can be found for $3-5. I bought mine on clearance for $1. Eliminates split rings entirely.

Cons: Falls apart and loses tags extremely easily.

Bottom Line: ID tags, rabies tags, and microchip tags often cost $10 each. Sparkly rhinestone tags and custom art tags cost a lot more. I stopped using the Tagnabbit as soon as I read reviews for it and realized just how bad it is. I don't need to spend $30 on replacement tags, this $3 tag clip just isn't worth it.