Is a giant ball for dogs a good toy for my pet? Discover the exercise and fun benefits now.
Okay, so I saw this massive ball thing advertised for dogs. Looked kinda fun, thought my dog, Buster, might like it. You know how they get with new toys. So, I went ahead and ordered one.
Setting the Thing Up
The box shows up, and yeah, it's big. Pulled the ball out, still folded up. First job, gotta inflate this beast. Found the little pump it came with – looked way too small for the job. Spent what felt like an hour pumping air into it right there in the middle of the living room. Buster just sat there, head tilted, probably wondering what on earth I was doing. The ball got huge. Seriously massive.
First Encounter
Got it all blown up. Rolled it gently towards Buster. He jumped back, barked a bit. Sniffed it all over. Then more barking. He wasn't sure what to make of it at first. Kept circling it cautiously.
The Great Outdoor Test
Decided the backyard was the only place for this. Getting it outside was a challenge in itself, barely squeezed through the patio door. Once it was out on the grass, though, Buster's attitude changed. Full-on chase mode activated. He started running at it, bouncing off it. Tried to grab it with his mouth, which was pretty funny to watch 'cause it was way too big. He ended up mostly head-butting it and pushing it around with his paws and nose. Went absolutely crazy for it.
Some things I noticed pretty quick:
- He got super energetic, maybe a bit too much.
- The ball just rolls wherever it wants, nearly took out my wife's flower pots.
- It picked up every single blade of grass and speck of dirt. Looked gross fast.
- Durability seems okay? Buster’s a chewer but he couldn't really get a grip to do damage.
So, the verdict? Buster loved it. Ran himself ragged, totally exhausted him, which honestly, is sometimes the goal, right? But man, this thing is unwieldy. Storing it is a pain unless I deflate it every time, and who wants to do that? Plus, it's a real dirt magnet. It was fun watching him, but it's definitely an 'occasional supervised chaos' kind of toy, not an everyday thing. Cleanup afterward involved wiping the whole giant thing down. Worth it? Maybe, just to see him that happy and tired. But it's a lot of effort.
