Product Review: Rogz RFO Disc

The Rogz Flying Object is a soft foam disc that is easy to pick up. It comes in several bright colors, and it floats. The holes make it easy to get off the ground, unlike traditional frisbees. This is a surprisingly durable disc that is still soft enough for airborn catches.

We've been trying out some new discs in our post-tennis-ball lifestyle, and this one is definitely a favorite. It's made from tough but squishy foam, so when they bite it they leave punctures without tearing through the material.

The girls love to catch our competition discs, but I save the Heroes and Jawz Hyperflites for structured training sessions. The RFO is great for the park, or just noodling around the backyard. It's durable enough to withstand a good gnaw from Zip, which is essential for casual play around here.

Pros

• Soft, safe to catch at high speeds
• Easy for dogs to pick up off the ground after it lands
• Floats
• Durable enough for some gnawing

Cons

• Does not fly as well as a regular frisbee
• Only comes in 9" size, too big for some small dogs

Bottom Line

The girls don't get to play with this disc unsupervised, but I don't have to keep it locked up for fear they'll destroy it the moment I turn my back.

Bark at the Park 2016!

We are finally back from Bark at the Park in Lancaster, California. This annual event crams the maximum amount of dog fun into a single weekend. I enjoy it a lot because it draws both serious dog sport people, and average pet owners. I was there to help run Tired Dog Good Dog's lure coursing program. American Diving Dogs hosted a dock diving competition. Disc Dogs in Southern California held a disc competition. Do More With Your Dog did a tricks demo. There were flyball demos and agility demos. Southern California Working Snow Dogs had an urban mushing booth. Doggie Fun Zone set up their...thing. There were contests of all sorts, from best trick to best singing dog, and vendor booths too!

Sisci Godzilla, Zip, and I tried out a few of the activities together. Godzilla and I have been trying to get the hang of urban mushing for a while, but she's just not ok with the concept of pulling and having anything follow behind her. Zip, on the other hand, is fearless. I figured I could probably harness both of them up together, and have Zip convince Sis that this whole setup was ok.

The urban mushing booth had harnesses in every size. They also had a two-dog line to attach to the scooter, and a neckline to attach the girls together at their collars. Sure enough, Zip was quite happy to run around with the volunteer holding the leash and me on the scooter. Sisci Godzilla still wasn't totally convinced, but she was a lot more comfortable with the whole concept. Progress!

Dock diving wasn't quite as successful. Despite both being tennis ball crazy and avid swimmers, neither of the girls took to it right away. We signed up for practice diving time with the instructor, who had me start by rolling the tennis ball down a ramp and into the above-ground pool. Zip was happy to walk down the ramp into the pool and grab the ball, but then she was more interested in swimming laps than coming back to shore for another round. According to Godzilla, that pool eats little cattledogs. She wouldn't set foot in it. Apparently several other dogs refused to jump that day, so maybe they knew something we didn't.

One week prior to Bark at the Park, I threw a couple of discs for Zip. She caught my terrible throws, so I figured we had better enter the disc competition the following weekend. We entered the Novice Toss and Catch competition, which involves throwing discs a certain distance and having the dog catch them and bring them back. Each round is timed, and you only get a minute to throw your disc.

I showed up early, got lots of disc-throwing pointers from the people in charge, and practiced as much as time allowed before the competition. It was super windy out there. In the first round, Zip caught one disc and Godzilla did not catch any. In the second round the wind was even worse. Godzilla still didn't catch any discs, but Zip caught five! I wasn't expecting to do anything at the competition other than have fun with my dogs, but Zip and I placed first in our class! Sisci Godzilla and I scored no points at all, but I'm told we were fun to watch. I always walk my dogs out of any competition like they just won the entire thing, no matter how we did.

Product Review: Soda Pup Bottle Top Flyer

SodaPup's Bottle Top Flyer is a soft rubber disc that flies remarkably well. Made from natural rubber, it is recyclable, non-toxic, sustainable, and easy for dogs to pick up. The Bottle Top Flyer is available in two sizes and three different materials. There is an extra-soft disc for teething puppies, a highly durable disc made from SodaPup's Magnum compound, as well as disc made from the regular Puppyprene rubber.

Photo by Erin Koski

I love SodaPup's products because every single one of them is based on a non-dog object. Most dog stuff is dog-themed, have you noticed? Bones and paw prints are everywhere, on leashes and food dishes and dog sweaters. I honestly find it a bit silly, it's not like anyone assumes a collar is intended for a goat or alpaca because it doesn't have bones on it. "HEY, this DOG collar is for DOGS!" Yes, we get that. Put something more interesting on there.

That's why I like SodaPup, they looked elsewhere for inspiration, and found it everywhere. From soda cans and beer bottles, to rocket popsicles and ring pops, every toy is loaded with nostalgia. Why make a dog toy shaped like a dog toy, when you can make it shaped like something else?

Photo by Erin Koski

I was given the Bottle Top Flyer at SuperZoo, and the dogs think it is awesome. I think it's pretty awesome too, most rubber disc toys don't fly like this. Ours is the smaller 7" disc, and Sisci Godzilla likes it so much better than our 9" competition discs. I ended up buying a couple of Hyperflite Jawz discs this size for our first competition this weekend.

The Bottle Top Flyer is shaped like a bottle cap. It's easy to throw and floats nicely through the air. I don't have to worry about bonking anyone in the head with a bad throw, and it's really easy for the girls to get off the ground when it lands.

Pros: Durable. Puncture-resistant. No fabric cover to be shredded. Does not crack like cheap plastic discs. Actually, really throwable. Soft and gentle on mouths and faces even in frantic mid-air catches. comes in multiple sizes.

Cons: Is not allowed in dog disc competitions. Doesn't really work for throwing a roller, in which the disc rolls along on its edge like a wheel.

Bottom Line: I really like this disc for introducing dogs to the concept. It's very easy to throw, and it flies stable and slow so it's easy to catch.

Product Review: Hero Super Sonic 215 Discs

Hero Super Sonic 215 discs are 8.5" in diameter and made with dogs in mind. These are made from Hero's K-9 Candy material, a translucent plastic that is light and easy on mouths. They come in several different colors.

Photo by Erin Koski

All of Hero's dog discs are made out of a special type of plastic that doesn't shatter or splinter when chomped. Instead it just develops tooth holes. This means that softer discs have a limited lifespan, our Pup 120 discs are currently full of punctures. The K-9 Candy material has held up great though, and our Super Sonics still look brand new.

One of the cool things about Hero is that they sell imperfect discs for half price. The most common blemish involves the stamp on the disc coming out wrong. This is purely a cosmetic issue, and makes for some very affordable discs. I got these for $6 each and they will probably last forever unless Sisci develops a lot more bite power.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Flexible enough to play tug with, and for Sisci to pick up off the ground. Tough enough that none of ours have holes yet. Blems are significantly more affordable than perfectly stamped discs. They come in pink!

Cons: Not tough enough to be used as a chew toy, these are still interactive supervision-required toys.

Bottom Line: Hero goes to great lengths to describe how their discs fly, which probably means I need to get better at actually throwing them further than the length of my tiny yard.

Product Review: Hyperflite Jawz Hyperflex Disc

The Jawz Hyperflex Disc by Hyperflite is a tough but flexible disc made from food-safe materials. It is intended to be a happy medium between a soft, flexible disc and a tough, puncture-resistant disc. It is a purple matte color that is non-reflective to cut down on glare, and it does not float.

Photo by Erin Koski

This was the very first disc I bought, to see if any of my foster dogs would be interested in catching frisbees. None were, but Brisbane thought it was awesome and I've spent years trying to prevent him from leaping into the air. He's built like a coffee table with zero shock absorption and he'd only hurt himself.

So the Hyperflex disc sat neglected in a drawer until Sisci came along andthought it was the best thing ever. She wasn't great at catching it though, so I kept having to retrieve it myself and eventually decided we needed some more discs. This led to the purchase of our Hero Pup 120 set and my realization that most discs aren't $20 each.

Pros: Soft enough to play tug with and flexible enough for inexperienced dogs to pick up off the ground. Strong enough that it still doesn't have any holes in it despite tons of tug games. Easy to throw even for total disc novices. It comes in purple!

Cons: Super expensive for a dog frisbee. Only comes in one color.

Bottom Line: This is definitely a high-level competition disc rather than just for noodling around in the yard. It will, however, withstand an infinite amount of noodling so long as it is not used for a chew toy.

Product Review: Hero Pup 120 Discs

Hero's Pup 120 Discs are nice non-threatening 120mm mini discs. They are light and soft on the dog's mouth, and easy to throw straight. These are made from a dog-safe plastic that punctures rather than shatters when chomped. These come in a variety of bright colors.

Photo by Erin Koski

I knew I wanted to do dog disc sports with Sisci, but nobody local to me does it so I've been figuring things out on my own. The first thing I needed to do was get her interested in discs. I had one big one around, but Sisci wasn't so sure about it. She had never seen a disc before.

These itty bitty discs are awesome for introducing sensitive and smaller dogs to the whole concept of chasing a frisbee. The only throw I've been doing so far is a roller, where the disc rolls along the ground like a wheel. I don't want Sisci doing a lot of jumping until her growth plates have closed so she is less likely to suffer a major injury. She loves chasing rollers though!

Pros: Small enough even for Ru to play with, plus they fit in the pocket of my cargo pants. Tough and flexible enough to play tug. Not too scary if it accidentally hits the dog, and not super-threatening when I wave it around. Very light, so they kind of float in the air when thrown. Affordable, at #3 each.

Cons: Puppy-soft discs are very easily punctured when the dog develops some confidence and is ready to really grab them.

Bottom Line: I just noticed that the Hero website has a page on repairing punctured discs with a lighter. I need to try that with mine because they are now full of holes. Sisci has moved on to bigger discs, but Ru still likes the Pup 120s.

Product Review: Chuckit! Zipflight Flying Disc

The Chuckit! Zipflight is a flying disc dog toy. It floats and is brightly colored and highly visible in the water. The Zipflight is also soft and easy on grab.

Photo by Erin Koski

I bought the Zipflight for a trip to visit relatives who have a swimming pool, and it works extremely well for that purpose. Brisbane has no trouble locating the flourescent orange disc in the water. It's much easier to spot in the surf than a ball. The Zipflight does not soak up water, and dries quickly so I don't have to worry about putting a soggy disc in my car.

Photo by Erin Koski

I'm not a particularly skilled Frisbee thrower, but I can't get the Zipflight to fly particularly far. I think it's because the disc is so soft and squishy, it can't cut through the air like a hard plastic disc. It's disctinctly possible that I'm just really bad at this and the Zipflight is actually on par with the best regulartion Frisbees, tough to tell. At any rate the Zipflight is soft enough to be thrown with great force and caught by an enthusiastic dog without anyone getting hurt.

Most epic Briz photo ever by Erin Koski

Pros: Highly visible, soft and and gentle on doggy mouths. Does not pick up sand or dirt, dries quickly and does not absorb water. Unlike a regulation plastic Frisbee, the ring shape is easy for dogs to pick up. Brisbane likes to run around with it on his nose. The Zipflight is a short-range toy for us, good for smaller spaces and times when I don't want Brisbane sprinting down the beach at top speed.

Cons: The soft and squishy qualities of the Zipflight make it less durable than it could be. Left to his own devices, Brisbane will pull chunks of foam off the disc. This is not a long-range fetch toy for us, and I can't get it to fly high or straight. Exhausting Brisbane with the Zipflight requires a lot of effort on my part.

Photo by Erin Koski

Bottom Line: I love the Zipflight for swimming pool and lake adventures when I can toss it into the water for Briz, but for beach and land-based fetch I much prefer the Chuckit! launcher and Ultra Ball. The Zipflight is highly visible but doesn't have nearly as much range.