1. Ranger can be an aggressive (read: *destructive*) chewer when it comes to his things.
2. I *hate* to spend money on something without at least a fair amount of certainty that it will last us.
So, when I saw the Everlasting Treat Ball, I figured there was *no way* I could get it and have it last more than a day - tops. I mean, Ranger tore through the Tug-a-Jug and that was supposed to be airplane-grade, bullet-resistant plastic! Thus far the only Kong (other than his Camo Wubba and Purple Snugga Wubba!) that he hasn't managed to mangle and destroy is our favorite Blue Kong - which is intended for K9 units and schutzhund dogs. Yup... that's my baby!
Of course, not being able to FEEL one made it hard as well. The packaging makes it look like its a hard plastic blue ball. Au contraire! Its actually a very flexible rubber. I'm still looking for the right material to liken it to - but its... not "plastic" that's for sure! And yet, still, I hemmed and hawed, stopping every time I was in a store that carried it. Do I; don't I?
Then, I saw it on the streaming video at leerburg.com Ed Frawley. My idol among dog trainers. HE recommended it? I watched the demonstration. I saw the 4-year-old one left out in the yard to be played with by German Shepherds, Malinois... working dogs... hard-as-nails working dogs.... TOUGH dogs. And it withstood THAT?
Yup, you guessed it - We had to see how it would do against "the Ranger Test!"
We got the Everlasting Treat Ball home and I opened the package, filling the inside with his kibble, leaving only ONE treat dome in it (saving the second one as a 'spare' for another time!). That's one of the nice things, it DOES come with an 'extra,' though to tell the truth, both sides of the "ball" are designed to take one dome, so truthfully you probably could (should) insert one, put your kibble or treats in the center and the insert the other dome in the other end.
Ranger, however, did not mind in the least. As soon as I put it on top of the food containers, he had to go check it out - and then when I said 'take it,' it was all he could do not to pounce on it! He was *definitely* motivated!
He figures out that the 'dome' is a treat and starts to go to town! You can see the large is really made for "large breed" dogs! His mouth DID fit around the dome though and probably I would have gotten him an 'extra large' if they'd had one because as you'll see in the next picture, he was able to *easily* pop the dome treat out!
And there you go. Dome treat out. Dog kibble everywhere. He was still enjoying licking/chewing on the dome! --- All this mayhem in UNDER 15 minutes. (I even put the dome back IN there and it took him only seconds to pop it out and start gnawing on it.
I had hoped, as Mr. Frawley says in the video, that it would "keep him busy for hours." It did not. It was 35 minutes start to finish - including the kibble that he got on the floor! But, the ball is still intact. I have no concerns about him chewing on it because of the material it is made out of, and most importantly - he enjoyed it.
SO, while it claims to be the "everlasting" treat ball, I think what they mean to say is "everlasting ball that holds treats!" For an industrious chewer, it seems to be a good fit. Replacement treat domes can be purchased on Amazon for anywhere from $3 to $8 per 2 pack in a variety of flavors (everything from chicken to BBQ, liver to peanut butter, hypoallergenic (wheat, corn, and soy free!) to vanilla-mint!) - Will it keep your dog happy for hours? I don't know. Ranger's a rather unique and special dog. He tends to figure out the fastest way to do something and he's off running, but your mileage may vary on that one.
All in all, we give it 4/5 paws for entertainment and (so far) for standing up to the 'Ranger Test.'
Jessica and Ranger
Lunar K9s Service Dogs Team #2
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