Tricky Treats Ball: The best dog toy is not even a toy.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Keeps dog entertained while supposedly working his brain too

Cons: None comes to mind (though it doesn't refill itself)

The Bottom Line: 
Our dog loves this "toy" even after 8 months after he first got it. Do I need to say more?

Author's Review
No, I am not talking about boxes and ropes that toys usually come with. Though it's undeniable that those are often much more interesting to a pet than the actual toy. The Tricky Treats Ball is a slightly different approach to stimulate your dog's brain while feeding.

Our Havenese dog (15 months) is like our child and as such we're always looking for something new for him to play with. About 8 months ago we saw Omega Paw's "Tricky Treats Ball" and if any toy kept his attention ever since then it's this one. The funny thing is that it's not even a real toy per se. (A similar effect can also be seen with empty soda bottles, which he loves as a giant "crinkle" toy. Caution, for strong nerves only!)

The idea is pretty simple. Take a ball, cut a hole in it and put dimples on the outside so it doesn't roll too easily. Put a tube in the hole so the treats you put in it don't fall out. With all that you get an innovative toy that your dog will be begging for.

Santi is our Havanese (a relative of the Bichon Frise), and he basically adopted this toy in a heart beat. Many toys have come and gone ever since, but the Tricky Treats Balls still make the top of the list. Honestly! He even learned to respond to "Bring the ball", by bringing it to me for a refill. The amazing part is that it can be filled with normal food and he will enjoy it just as much. There is something about "hunting" for the food by pushing the ball around and extract piece by piece that makes it sooo much fun for our dog. I am not sure about using his brain, but he gets pretty clever in his ways to roll, toss, and drop the ball to get to his food.

For him one meal fits perfectly inside the ball and he will clear it out in about 5 - 10 minutes. Put a bowl with the same amount and type of food out, and it will be barely touched over the next hour. However, the ball doesn't seem to lead him to overeat, since we don't refill before the next feeding time.

The material is sturdy and so far we are still using the first one, with no signs of breaking down anytime soon. I am not sure how each individual dog will respond to it, but I could see a lot of dog food scattered around if your dog sees it more as a toy than food. Nevertheless, based on our experience they will at least love it as a toy.

There is other versions with the same idea, but the dimpled ball seems the most fun for our dog to push around and get a treat. The harder it gets to actually move it around (i.e. cube) the easier it is for the dog to loose interest. The Tricky Treats Ball seems to have struck a perfect balance.


© 2005, Thomas Theuerkorn