Puzzle Toy Review: Planet Dog Artichoke

The Planet Dog Artichoke is a durable rubber chew toy that can be filled with kibble. It is part of Planet Dog's Orbee-Tuff Produce product line, we also have the Raspberry and had an Eggplant in our toy rotation for several years. This is actually Brisbane's second Artichoke toy, I don't remember what became of the first one years ago.

Photo by Erin Koski

Back when Brisbane was eating premade ground raw food, I used to stuff his daily ration in a toy and freeze it. One of the toys in that rotation was a Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Eggplant. It lasted through several years of stuffing, freezing, unstuffing, and dishwasher before the rubber began to split.

The Artichoke didn't really work as a wet food stuffing toy because it has a relatively small hole set on the end of the stem. It's tough for Brisbane to get peanut butter or anything gooey out. Kibble, however, works perfectly.

Photo by Erin Koski

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 2/5
Fits about half a cup of kibble. Not a lot, but Brisbane only eats 1/4 cup a day so this actually works really well for us.

Loading Speed: 2/5
It's a pretty small hole, even a soda funnel isn't that much help.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
The foster puppies can spend half the day emptying the artichoke.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 5/5

Photo by Erin Koski

This is the slowest-dispensing non-adjustable toy we have. Brisbane is fascinated with it.

Size: 2/5
The Planet Dog Produce toy line has everything from super-tiny to eggplant-sized toys, but the artichoke comes in just one size. This toy is small enough for Ru to roll but not carry. I wouldn't give it to a dog much bigger than Brisbane.

Durability: 5/5
Our last Planet Dog Produce toy lasted through several years of hard use, I expect this one to last a decade unless something shreds it.

Noise: 5/5
Soft rubber is wonderfully silent on my hardwood floors.

Locatability: 2/5
It doesn't roll very far, but the artichoke fits under furniture. It's not unusual for it to disappear.

Washability: 2/5
Small hole? Check. impossible to see inside? Check. I can jam a scrub brush in there, or fill it with soapy water and shake it, but I can never be sure it's really clean.

Versatility: 3/5
The small hole means that anything bigger than kibble won't just fall out. This toy is a fun shape and can provide opportunities for assorted critters to forage for their dinner.

Total: 33/50

Have you used any Planet Dog toys?