★★★★★ 5
Great Energy Outlet for an Active Dog!
Size: 4 INCH, Pattern Name: IQ TREAT BALL 4"
I have a 1 year old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie/Cattle Dog mix named Josie. When you look up "hyper-active dog" in the dictionary, you'll find her picture. She could run for days if she wanted to. I am always looking for things to help keep her from getting bored, and this treat ball is great!
She was only about 3 or 4 months old when I got this and introduced it to her. With a little help from me, she figured it out in no time. Now she's a pro, and knows exactly how to paw at the ball to make it spin and fling food out.
I have the 5-inch ball. Josie's not a big dog (40lbs) and she can get her mouth around the ball to pick it up. She only does this when it rolls onto the linoleum floor in the kitchen. I think it gets too loud for her (and me too!). I always put it away when the food is gone so she doesn't use it as a chew toy. She has never gotten bored of pushing it around and decided to chew on it. She can hear the food rattling around inside and continues to play with it until it is empty. This isn't the type of toy that you would give to your dog, and then leave them unsupervised.
The ball is made out of hard plastic, and does make a loud banging when it runs into walls, chairs, etc., but it has never left any marks on my walls or furniture. I actually prefer she use it on the carpet because it's quieter and she always gets all of the food pieces (it works just as well on carpet as it does on a hard floor, fyi). If I lived on the bottom floor or in my own house, I wouldn't have a problem with her using it on hard floors, however she always brings it back to the carpet on her own when it rolls off.
I like that the hole on the middle divider is adjustable, and you can also just take the middle part out of the ball so you can fit more food inside, the dog can see the food so they're more motivated to get it, or to make it easier for a younger/older dog to get food out.
My dog loves this ball. She gets excited when I take it out and start filling it with food. With the divider it has enough room for half of her portion. She always goes for the ball first, empties it, then to her dish. When she's done eating she always lays down and takes a nice long nap. I know that she enjoys it, and it definitely gives her 15-20 minutes of good, mentally-stimulating indoor exercise. It also taps into their prey-drive, and I think that helps make your dog feel like a dog.
Overall this is another great buy from Amazon. I did see it at the pet store (after I had gotten mine) for double the price!
***If you have a dog that is food-motivated and needs something to do, buy this. It's worth it.***
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2011
