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Food toy comparisons

4K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  dagwall 
#1 ·
I have a super food driven dog. The majority of his feeding is done during training but he also eats from food toys, as I result I've tried quite a few food toys. I thought it might be fun to post some reviews, maybe see what experiences others have had.

Starmark Treat ball http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Dispens...414442124&sr=8-2&keywords=starmark+treat+ball
This was the first food dispensing toy I bought (other than a kong I purchased for Duke many years ago, Duke hated it but that is a different story). I have had this in two sizes the small and large. All of the dogs like this toy but it took Remus a long time to warm up to it (it was originally purchased to keep him out of trouble but he found the whole concept insulting). The large holds around 1.5 cups of food, the small holds maybe half a cup. As far as difficulty it is going to depend on how your dog uses it. For Freyja, Remus or Blue who just roll it the difficulty is moderate to high with Nature's Domain kibble (which is I would say about average size kibble, not huge but not tiny either). The kibble comes out one piece at a time and takes some significant rolling to get out. It takes a good 45 minutes to get 1 cup out with the "paw roll" method. Now Hobgoblin is a ball chewer, he picks this up and squeezes it dumping all of the food straight out onto the floor. He can empty the entire contents onto the floor in a messy pile in under 5 minutes. I do not use this for him because it is messy, and I don't think it is good for the ball (I'm afraid he will destroy it given time). Dove used to use the small one and I did find that she chewed a few of the little "teeth" from one of the holes allowing more food to come out faster when she rolled it but it still held up to her well. Another thing to mention is that this is very quiet rolling around on my hard floors which I appreciate. I have had it for a year now and it is still in one piece but I am not letting my dogs just sit and chew on it. Over all I'm pretty happy with it, wish it were easier to fill.

Basic Kong, probably don't need to link that one just the plain red one. I bought this when I adopted Hobgoblin after owning one years ago for Duke and not being a huge fan. Hobgoblin enjoys his Kong but to be honest I find it way too easy. The large Kong only holds just under a cup of kibble so it isn't great for him (he needs 2 cups at night though he gets part during training still not enough) and he can empty it in less than 5 minutes. You can get creative and make it harder but then it is really messy which I'm not a fan of.

Kong Genius Mike http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Genius-M...F8&qid=1414442686&sr=8-1&keywords=Genius+mike
I have two of these as well, large and XL I guess. I have yet to figure out a way to use them for food but they are nice to but big biscuits in and keep the dogs busy for a while. So far they are holding up well. It takes Hobs about 15 minutes to get a biscuit out of the giant one, Magic has the smaller one but can't seem to figure it out and has no really interest. We just keep offering.

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#2 ·
I use this: http://www.petsmart.com/supplies-training/toys/toys-r-us-ball-treat-dispenser-dog-toy-zid36-10671/cat-36-catid-100118?var_id=36-10671&_t=pfm%3Dsearch

The lower the food in it gets, the harder it is for it to come out. Mine rolls it with his nose and if it lures him out of the room, I tell him to "bring it back in here". He then picks it up and carries it back to the room I'm in.

I also have the Kong Wobbler and he seems to like it okay. My shih tzu was offended by the small wobbler I got so I returned it. He just sat in front of it and waited for me to rock it so food would come out.

I also use a stuffed kong for a treat, but not as a food dispenser. I usually put dog food, treats, and pumpkin and then freeze it.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Kibble Nibble http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Kibbl...&qid=1414442825&sr=8-1&keywords=Kibble+Nibble
At this point I think this is the favorite. It is easy to fill, just unscrew the halves and poor in kibble. It has the best capacity of any I have tried so far and easily holds two cups (if we can't get out on a walk Hobgoblin can get a full meal easily). Difficulty is moderate-hard, it takes a good 45-hour to get all of the 2cups of kibble out one to two kibbles at a time. Now, Hobs can unscrew the egg, not ideal. He caught on that I didn't like him doing it and stopped but I also feed Remus with the kibble nibble in the morning and he tends to unscrew it because he is a naughty bum. You can make the kibble nibble easier by cutting the "teeth" out at one or both ends if you have larger kibble or a dog who doesn't deal well with frustration. I haven't found it necessary. It is very noisy bouncing around my hard floors which is my big complaint. All in all I really like it. So far it has held up well probably because it is too big to fit well in any of the dog's mouths (Freyja would chew it if she could, she is quite destructive) though Hobs can pick it up by the hole and the side textures he can't really chew or at least doesn't want to.

Ethical Contempo Tessa http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058OECDY/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1414443150&sr=1&keywords=Contempo+tessa
A newer addition, bobber style dispenser. I really thought we were going to like it but there are several flaws with this toy. It is hard to fill. It should be easy but I can't unscrew it, only hubby can so I either have to fill it through the holes or only use it at night. It has a very low capacity, only about half a cup so it is really only good for the small dogs (Blue, though Freyja only eats half a cup in the morning). Blue won't actually use it as it is too difficult and I can't use it for Freyja because I can't open it. The durability isn't great, it is so narrow at the top that Freyja has chewed it badly in just moments before I can get it away from her. The idea is nice, it has adjustable dispensing, and I like the idea of a bobber toy but the execution just misses on this. I will say even though it is a hard toy it isn't as loud as the Kibble Nibble. If your dog eats less and will not try to chew this may work for you.

Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058OECDY/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1414443150&sr=1&keywords=Contempo+tessa
The capacity on this is a bit better, if I work at it I can get 1.5 cups of food in it. Filling is harder, there is just the one hole and you have to pour a little, shake, pour a little, shake and so forth until you have it filled. The other thing to keep in mind is that if you put more than probably half a cup it becomes super easy, the food just sort of dumps out on the floor 10+ kibbles at a time. It is better than gobbling all the food out of a dish but not hard work for the dog by any means. I would say it takes Hobs about 15minutes tops to work this toy. The plus is that it is quiet by comparison to the Kibble Nibble or Tessa. However it is not sturdy at all. Freyja got it while I was out of the room (hubby was "watching" the dogs) and there are huge gouges in it. If your dog chews at all this is not the toy for you.

Toys-r-us (through petsmart) treat ball. http://www.petsmart.com/dog/toys/to...-catid-100021?var_id=36-10679&_t=pfm=category
It is a little pink ball similar to the starmark but with a sort of maze inside. This one is not super easy to fill, a little easier than the Starmark because one of the holes is just a round fill hole (like the tricky treat ball but smaller). I would say this is pretty easy but not too easy. This is the only food dispenser Blue will use and it keeps her reasonably active hopping around the room. It fits probably half a cup of food but Blue only eats 1/4 cup. I would say she actually eats better from this ball which is great. This is not durable at all, this is actually the second one we have had because Freyja ate the first (catching a theme here, she is destructive). However if your dog is like Blue it will work just fine. It is also really cheap, I think we paid about $3 for it.
 
#4 ·
I've been looking for a new kibble/treat toy. All I have is the StarMark Bob o lot, which Kairi has mastered.

I need something that allows for large sized kibbles and nothing too soft as she will tear it up. I need medium-harder difficulty. Any suggestions? I'm thinking the Kibble Nibble, maybe?
 
#5 · (Edited)
Love treat toys. I have a ton now. Watson is pretty smart, and very food motivated, so high difficulty is fine for him. He'll play with a toy he knows has food in it forever, even if food isn't coming out.

Smarter Toys IQ Treat Ball- Watson's first treat toy. He first got it when he was about 10 wks. I mistakenly underestimated him and put it on the easiest setting. He emptied it in about 3 minutes flat. Not he only gets it on the hardest setting and it takes him about 5-7 minutes to empty. He's been using it for a while and it seems pretty durable. Easy to clean, adjustable difficulty.

PetSafe Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom- This one was my favorite, till it broke. But it was not the fault of the toy. Normally, this toy is meant to be scooted around with the nose like other treat dispensing toys. However, my little pup figured out that you could pick it up by the mushroom's rim and just slam it right down, thus getting more food. He loved it till he shattered it. Took him about two weeks of consistent use. And I loved that he used his brain to figure out and easier way to get the food out. Easy to clean, adjustable difficulty.

PetSafe Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble- This one is just your run of the mill toy that you bat around. Nothing special about it. I usually just give it to him to change things up once in a while. The only thing exceptional about it is that it holds a lot of food. Easy to clean, no adjustable difficulty.

Ethical Contempo Tessa- Current favorite. The only toy that he'll play with even when it doesn't have food. It bobs around in uneven patterns. I set it on the highest difficulty, and it takes him atleast 15 minutes to get it empty. However, it's a pain in the butt to get apart, and nigh impossible to clean. Bart regardless of it's flaws, it's still my favorite. Hard to clean, adjustable difficulty.

JW Pet Company Hol-ee- Got this from petco on a whim. Terrible. Way too easy. My pup literally had the food out of it in less than two minutes. Hard to clean, no adjustable difficulty.

JW Pet Company Treat Tower- Also on a whim, also terrible. Food out in less than 5 minutes. Easy to clean, adjustable difficulty.
 
#6 ·
Technically the kibble nibble does have adjustable difficulty, you can only make it easier though. If you have large kibble it is more difficult than if you have small kibble.

fortheloveofdogs, I think the kibble nibble may be a good option if Kairi has mastered the Bob-a-lot. It is a different type of toy, a roll around vs a bobbing toy so it might give her a different challenge. It is more difficult to chew on, if you use the large version she may be completely unable to chew it. You can cut out the "teeth" if you need to for large kibble, let her play with it awhile first and see if she can get the kibble out (or try to get it out yourself) before altering it at all as the difficulty will be higher with all of the teeth in place. I have been wanting to try a Bob-a-lot or Magic Mushroom for Hobs, I think that is our next purchase though there are a few listed on some of the "indestructible" toy pages I've been looking at as well. He can be hard on toys but not his food dispensers, Freyja on the other hand will destroy anything she can find and is worse if something smells like food.
 
#7 ·
My go to is the omega tricky ball because it's the only one Jubel doesn't damage. It's not the most challenging but I don't have to replace it frequently like all others we have tried.

Second favorite is the bob-a-lot, it is pretty durable but if I'm not actively supervising him he will shove his teeth in the adjustable slide hole in the side. If I leave it partially closed to up the difficulty he figured out to open it back up to speed the food delivery. He has "broken" two toys by jamming the slide inside the toy so it is no longer adjustable on that end. He doesn't treat it as a bobbing toy though, he rolls it like all his other dispensing toys.

Really liked the kibble nibble ball but yet again he will slowly destroy them without active supervision and being ready to stop his chewing. He will chew at the openinings and gradually crack and break the toy. Been through seven or eight of them before I just stopped buying them. Was our first dispensing toy.

I bought an IQ ball but it is just too small for him. You CAN fit 1 cup of kibble in it but it's jammed full at that point. Plus the entire ball fits in his mouth, too easy to try and chew. Bought it online and didn't realize just how small it was. Plus side it's working great for current foster dog Lizzy.

Tug-a-jug was a bust with Jubel, the concept is nice but he decided it was easier to get to the kibble if he just bit the top off the jug. Took like two or three chomps on the neck before I could stop him it's broken.

I like the orbee tuff mazee ball okay but it isn't very challenging and again Jubel can damage it pretty easily. I stopped using it for him shortly after buying it because he would kill it, but it's a nice introduction to dispensing toys for fosters. With the clear shell they can see the kibble inside, they just have to figure out to roll it. That concept took Lizzy a bit to grasp, she just wanted to shove her tongue in the hole and hope for the best. I graduated her to the IQ ball once she grasped the rolling idea. Has a large capacity.

I have a buster cube but just didn't like it. Was a hassle to open and fill, very noisy even on carpet (hitting walls/furniture). It's been a while so can't even remember details well, still sitting on a shelf in my basement.

I bought one I have no clue what the name is anymore, still have it but can't use it with Jubel. It's a rubber disc like attachment you put on an empty plastic bottle. Fill the bottle with kibble and shove the neck of the bottle into the disc which has a hole off to the side on the bottom. The idea is for the dog to bat around the bottle, knock the kibble into the disc and eventually out of the disc. Jubel doesn't have time for all those steps, he went straight to pulling the bottle out of the disc. End result still doesn't get him food though. Too smart for the toy itself... Not smart enough to defeat a bottle. Anytime I've tried to use a bottle as a dispenser the first thing he always does is chew the mouth of the bottle shut. /facepalm

I have seen the magic mushroom but I'm pretty sure it would be a bust for Jubel, he would break it I think. The kong wobbler just looks too simple to me, the hole is way too big. I can't see it being anything but super easy. Might check out the ethical contempo Tessa, sounds decent.
 
#8 ·
If he is breaking the other toys he will destroy the Tessa, it is made of really thin plastic and is super narrow at the top. Even Hobgoblin who doesn't purposefully break his food dispensing toys has left several tooth marks on the Tessa (before Freyja got to it and cracked it, still works but it isn't long for the world if she goes at it again) just picking it up to move it out of a corner or from under the chairs. It is a good idea just poorly executed. It also fits very very little food which isn't ideal if your dog eats more than half a cup of kibble at a time. One good chomp on the top of it will crack it open.
 
#9 ·
I agree about the Buster Cube. Noisy, hard to load and wash. Great idea and it got the whole treat toy thing going but there are lots better options out there now.

I also have this thing. http://www.petcarerx.com/amaze-a-ball-rubber-treat-ball/14794 Again, hard to load, impossible to clean with the added bonus of being thin rubber that could be destroyed fast if the dog chooses to do so. Been fine for my dogs though.

The Kong Stuff a Ball http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Stuff-A-Ball-Dog-Extra-Large/dp/B0002DHO18 is a very easy food puzzle but I can also use it to anchor chews. Also impossible to clean!

Since I feed whole fresh raw now no more commerical food puzzle toys for me. The half dozen kongs, stuffaball and amazeaball will have to do for the occasional peanut butter or lamb lung treat sessions. I am not getting that horrible Buster Cube out though!
 
#10 ·
The only one I have or have tried is the Kong Wobbler and I LOVE IT SO MUCH. With Maisy recovering from her surgery, I have to work a lot harder to keep Squash busy, so I got it for him (when she is well, they play for hours in the backyard).

Most puzzle toys of any kind he either breaks right away or he learns to sort of fling them around, spraying food everywhere. So far he hasn't been able to break the Wobbler (knock wood) and it doesn't succumb to his flinging, so it keeps him occupied for a long time. Up to an hour sometimes depending on how big a meal I'm feeding out of it.
 
#11 ·
We have the wobbler and the tricky treat ball. They both keep Luna occupied for about 15-25mins give or take. I prefer the wobbler because it's a lot quicker and easier to fill, however my bf prefers the ball because it is much quieter on our hard floors.
 
#13 ·
I don't have the bob-a-lot to compare but I know that the wobbler is weighted at the bottom where the bob-a-lot isn't. So it always rights itself which makes it a bit different. Also (for Luna anyway) the size/shape/weight makes it so she can`t pick it up and/or throw it around like I know some dogs do with other toys.
 
#17 ·
I'm not familiar with the bob-a-lot, but the less food in the Wobbler, the harder it is to get it out. Because the bottom of the chamber is slightly lower than the hole, if that makes sense, so there's a lip on the base. If it's standing up, the food won't just pour out the hole unless it's pretty full. It's like shaking out a piggy bank trying to get those last few pieces out. It's not unusual for me to find a few pieces still in it when I go to fill it up.
 
#18 ·
We have the JW Hol-ee and the Magic Mushroom. The Hol-ee is too easy for her on it's own but is just right if I put a few bunched up pieces of paper inside to slow her down. She really likes it and immediately took to it. The Magic Mushroom she's only used like 5 times so far and already is pretty banged up from her trying to chew on it. It's adjustable difficulty but even the lowest one seems to frustrate her.
 
#19 ·
There is a video on cleaning the bob-a-lot on the Starmark web site. I haven't watched it, so I don't know if it's actually useful.

One change I'd make to the bob-a-lot is to make the top compartment bigger as that would increase difficulty. As it is now, most of the food goes into the body and only a small amount (< 1/4 c) needs to make it through two openings.
 
#20 ·
Hmm seems the wobbler may need to be my next investment. I need something that will hold at least 1.5 cups but 2 would really be ideal and that can hold up to a dog who thinks it is her life work to destroy things. Really if it can just survive a few moments before I catch her chewing that would be great.
 
#22 ·
Probably dumb of me to post this here, but my dog is every food motivated, instead, he's very play motivated. For example, when doing training, I give him a treat when he does something I want and I play with him and his favorite toy. He learned much quicker when I started doing this.

With that knowledge, do you guys recommend any toy more over the other that Truffles may like?
 
#25 ·
My dogs managed to break a bunch of the food toys. I am going to have to go shopping for more. The Kibble Nibble, a ball very similar to the Kibble Nibble and the Tessa (it is still here but not looking good). Freyja will sneak off and destroy toys when no one is looking. I did buy Blue some food toys of her own, she has one of the little ball puzzles from Petsmart, simple but she enjoys it. I also bought her a tiny kong that I fill when we leave the house. She seems to be experiencing some separation anxiety since Duke passed. She has never really been alone, he was always there. Hoping the Kong will help.

If you have a Marshalls or Tuesday Morning near you they tend to have food puzzle toys cheap, I've picked some up to try out.
 
#26 ·
Tried out the Kibble Nibble and my dog hated it at first due to frustration. It took some adjusting to the large kibble size I have, but once I got that sorted out it worked just fine. She likes it now but can never seem to get the last 2-3 pieces out no matter what. I'm changing food brands soon, so that should help. I don't want to cut anymore prongs off.

It is loud as crap but it takes her quite a bit longer to get all of the kibble out than my Bob-a-lot. I'd say it takes her about 20 minutes for half a cup of kibble. She has managed to unscrew it once but only once thankfully. Overall I like it. She really has to work to get the kibble out, giving me more time to be lazy.
 
#27 ·
Needed to get a new omega tricky ball as it's getting beat up by fosters wanting to chew on it and since it's hard to clean very well it's just getting dirty. So I've ordered a new one and a couple other toys to try out. I'm trying a ethical contempo Tessa and a Tricky Treater. The Tricky Treater looks like it's a combo of the kibble nibble ball and an IQ ball.

I'll update after I get them and see how they work out.
 
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