Durable dog frisbee
November 27, 2010 6:41 PM Subscribe
Recommend me an indestructible dog frisbee and/or other throwable/tuggable toy.
Our 1-year-old dalmatian mix likes to play fetch in general, and is especially fond of playing frisbee because she gets to play tug-of-war after she brings it back (this payoff for her has greatly improved the "return" part of the fetch game, instead of overrunning the thrower on the return and playing keep-away).
We bought one of these Easy Glider foam disks, and while it flies really well and has held up longer than I expected it to, after a couple months of daily usage it's beginning to lose its integrity.
I'd appreciate personal recommendations for a super durable frisbee-type toy that throws on par with a regular frisbee and can also be used to play tug-of-war with.
Also, if you have any other suggestions for favorite durable throwable-tuggable toys that she might enjoy, let 'em fly! She does really enjoy playing with her Kong wubba friend wabbit, but it just doesn't throw that far. Ideally, the throw toy could be thrown 50+ feet.
Our 1-year-old dalmatian mix likes to play fetch in general, and is especially fond of playing frisbee because she gets to play tug-of-war after she brings it back (this payoff for her has greatly improved the "return" part of the fetch game, instead of overrunning the thrower on the return and playing keep-away).
We bought one of these Easy Glider foam disks, and while it flies really well and has held up longer than I expected it to, after a couple months of daily usage it's beginning to lose its integrity.
I'd appreciate personal recommendations for a super durable frisbee-type toy that throws on par with a regular frisbee and can also be used to play tug-of-war with.
Also, if you have any other suggestions for favorite durable throwable-tuggable toys that she might enjoy, let 'em fly! She does really enjoy playing with her Kong wubba friend wabbit, but it just doesn't throw that far. Ideally, the throw toy could be thrown 50+ feet.
Nylabone makes a Frisbee (licensed and everything). DogR would kill a regular frisbee in a week or two, and it took her 3 years to kill the first Nylabone (MrR hastened its demise by running over it with the lawnmower). We're still using the second. (She didn't like the Kong one -- too soft, I think.) I don't know how well it would work for tug-of-war, though.
posted by jlkr at 6:56 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by jlkr at 6:56 PM on November 27, 2010
here's a better link... petsmart actually has them in stock..
posted by HuronBob at 6:57 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by HuronBob at 6:57 PM on November 27, 2010
seconding the nylabone frisbees. My Samoyed would destroy a 99 cent pet store disk in 1 or 2 play sessions. I never had one of the Nylabone Frisbees die- though they would get lost in the snow, so we ended up having no less than 5 around most of the time. The Nylabone ones also handle cold weather really well.
I could huck it a good 50 yards, more if the wind was right, less if it wasn't.
posted by rockindata at 7:07 PM on November 27, 2010
I could huck it a good 50 yards, more if the wind was right, less if it wasn't.
posted by rockindata at 7:07 PM on November 27, 2010
The Kong ones are quite tough. You wouldn't want to leave it around as a chew toy, but for catch, it's great.
posted by zippy at 7:23 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by zippy at 7:23 PM on November 27, 2010
We bough a kong for our blue healer puppy - lasted about 10 minutes. So be aware.
posted by the noob at 7:42 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by the noob at 7:42 PM on November 27, 2010
The new Kong's are fantastic. My Shepherd would tear the center out of the old red Kong's but the new flimsy black ones are great. They fly better also.
posted by JohnE at 7:51 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by JohnE at 7:51 PM on November 27, 2010
Our Chuck-It Amphibious Flying Ring has held up to a great deal of abuse. We have an Aussie who loves nothing more than playing tug with other dogs and this frisbee is really tough. It also flies a lot truer than a lot of the lousy dog-friendly frisbees I've used.
posted by tybstar at 7:56 PM on November 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by tybstar at 7:56 PM on November 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seconding Kong. I've had those things resist getting chewed up long enough to get lost!
posted by goblinbox at 8:57 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by goblinbox at 8:57 PM on November 27, 2010
These disc/tug toys from Clean Run have held up well to my border collie, who is a master destroyer. She is a tugging MACHINE. She can pull me off my feet. She has not yet managed to rip the toy though she did put a few holes in it. I would say it is about as tough as a Kong nylon Wubba (we have several of those in many sizes).
Planet Dog makes a disc thing. I have not tried those, but the balls from Planet Dog are fabulous. Very sturdy. They are expensive but worth it. I bought a bunch about 5-6 years ago and they are all still in perfect shape (though sadly the peppermint scent has faded away). Added bonus there is that they will not wear your dog's teeth down (like a dirty tennis ball will) if they get dirty and they rinse clean easily.
posted by AllieTessKipp at 9:29 PM on November 27, 2010
Planet Dog makes a disc thing. I have not tried those, but the balls from Planet Dog are fabulous. Very sturdy. They are expensive but worth it. I bought a bunch about 5-6 years ago and they are all still in perfect shape (though sadly the peppermint scent has faded away). Added bonus there is that they will not wear your dog's teeth down (like a dirty tennis ball will) if they get dirty and they rinse clean easily.
posted by AllieTessKipp at 9:29 PM on November 27, 2010
Our Eurasier/Norwegian Elkhound can rip a supposedly heavy duty dog toy to shreds in a couple hours. This Mega-ring from Tuffie has lasted 6 months with only slight fraying on the single small exposed seam. And it was only 3x the cost of standard toys. Best. dog deal. ever.
posted by Mitheral at 12:09 AM on November 28, 2010
posted by Mitheral at 12:09 AM on November 28, 2010
I'm a little stunned that nobody has suggested the Flying Squirrel by Chuckit yet. It's one of the few flying toys that our Australian Cattle Dogs can both retrieve and tug that actually stand the test of time (and teeth)!
posted by labwench at 5:41 AM on November 28, 2010
posted by labwench at 5:41 AM on November 28, 2010
This one: West Paw
We have had one for over a year. We take it to the dog park where the dogs play tug with it. It floats, it flies well. And, the people at REI told me it it breaks they will replace it.
posted by rachums at 8:24 AM on November 28, 2010
We have had one for over a year. We take it to the dog park where the dogs play tug with it. It floats, it flies well. And, the people at REI told me it it breaks they will replace it.
posted by rachums at 8:24 AM on November 28, 2010
Response by poster: I'm reporting back on my first round of experimentation. For Round One, I purchased (1) a red regular Kong Flyer (Amazon seemed to indicate that the original red discs were actually more durable than the black "extreme" discs); (2) a Tuffie Mega=ring; and (3) a Nylabone "durable" Frisbee(tm) (not the "flexible" model).
The Mega-Ring was a sad excuse for a flying disc--more of a "toss" toy. Our dog also got her teeth under the binding that seals the edges and managed to start tearing it up within 5 minutes. I gave up pretty quickly on using it as a frisbee and it's been indoors as a tug toy. It didn't take her long after that to open up the seam all the way and get one of the squeakers out. (She's got an interesting habit, wherein once she feels like she's killed and destroyed the "head" of a squeaky toy and eaten all the brains out, she pretty much leaves the rest intact).
The red Kong Flyer has held up so far to our playing, and it is very suitable for a nice round of tug-of-war after she fetches it back. However, it is very heavy for a frisbee and is difficult to get enough loft on it for her to outrun the disc and make an in-the-air catch. It does fly true and straight, though.
I've only used the Nylabone a couple of times now. I was worried that it would be easily punctured, as it is plasticky rather than rubbery, and in that regard seems like it would be about as durable as a regular frisbee. However, she's not poked any holes in it yet, so that's a good sign. The plastic doesn't seem to dent or scratch as easily as regular frisbee plastic. That said, it's pretty light for a frisbee, and I've been having a hard time getting good throws on it. It's also hard to get a good grip on for playing tug-of-war when she brings it back.
So, I feel like I've not quite found the perfect combination of durability and flying performance, but we've had a pretty good time so far in our experiments!
posted by drlith at 2:30 PM on January 8, 2011
The Mega-Ring was a sad excuse for a flying disc--more of a "toss" toy. Our dog also got her teeth under the binding that seals the edges and managed to start tearing it up within 5 minutes. I gave up pretty quickly on using it as a frisbee and it's been indoors as a tug toy. It didn't take her long after that to open up the seam all the way and get one of the squeakers out. (She's got an interesting habit, wherein once she feels like she's killed and destroyed the "head" of a squeaky toy and eaten all the brains out, she pretty much leaves the rest intact).
The red Kong Flyer has held up so far to our playing, and it is very suitable for a nice round of tug-of-war after she fetches it back. However, it is very heavy for a frisbee and is difficult to get enough loft on it for her to outrun the disc and make an in-the-air catch. It does fly true and straight, though.
I've only used the Nylabone a couple of times now. I was worried that it would be easily punctured, as it is plasticky rather than rubbery, and in that regard seems like it would be about as durable as a regular frisbee. However, she's not poked any holes in it yet, so that's a good sign. The plastic doesn't seem to dent or scratch as easily as regular frisbee plastic. That said, it's pretty light for a frisbee, and I've been having a hard time getting good throws on it. It's also hard to get a good grip on for playing tug-of-war when she brings it back.
So, I feel like I've not quite found the perfect combination of durability and flying performance, but we've had a pretty good time so far in our experiments!
posted by drlith at 2:30 PM on January 8, 2011
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posted by HuronBob at 6:52 PM on November 27, 2010