Product Review: Planet Dog Nook Ball

Planet Dog's new Nooks are cute little balls made from their special Orbee-Tuff material. They come in one size and three color/shape combinations known as Peace, Love, and Happiness. These are made in the USA out of peppermint-infused recyclable material. Planet Dog guarantees their toys 100%, though I have yet to test this because all of my Planet Dog stuff is apparently indestructible and awesome.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Nook

These are very solid balls, we don't have anything like them. They are basically solid rubber with a design cut all the way through. Ours is Happiness, the yellow smiley face ball. The design makes for several nooks in which to hide treats.

Planet Dog says this ball is for dogs of all sizes, but I disagree. Slightly smaller than a tennis ball, the Nook presents a choking hazard for large dogs. As a child I read a James Herriot story about a collie nearly choking to death on a small ball lodged in its throat, and have been paranoid about it ever since. I'm fairly certain this ball is big enough to be safe for Brisbane and Sisci, but I certainly wouldn't have a dog bigger than 50lbs playing with it.

Pros: Cute and smells nice. Bounces and floats. Can be stuffed with peanut butter or have small treats shoved into the smiley mouth. More durable than a tennis ball, and easier on the teeth. Fits in the opening of a different Planet Dog toy for a bigger challenge.

Cons: Not durable enough for serious power chewers. Does not fit more than 3-4 treats at a time, and if wedged firmly enough a motivated dog might tear it apart to get them. Too small for most labs, goldens, and shepherds to play with safely.

Bottom Line: It's a cute addition to the toybox, and the small, narrow cavities mean that the dogs spend a lot of time and effort to lick out a very small amount of peanut butter.