i just built a fence for my Lab. Now he needs something to do inside his fence. I was thinking a jolly ball. does anyone have one? does your dog use it/play w/ it? what size jolly ball do you have? 6", 8" or 10"
My boys have two Jolly Balls, they are both 8". One has the handle on top and the other has a rope through the center for tugging.The Jolly Ball toys are quite durable....mine are several years old and look like new. I also keep a couple of Lucky Dog bumpers in the yard for them to play with. My 3 1/2 year old boy will actually swing the bumper around by the rope and toss it for himself if I'm not out there with him. My dogs are rarely outdoors unless I'm with them. They'll just sit and wait at the door for me to come out and play with them.
Our dogs chewed the top handle off and then thoroughly enjoyed carrying them around by the hold in the top of the ball. I tried the plain balls, and those didn't seem to be anywhere near as much fun!! You can find great deals on them- 2nds because of color flaws- from bigdweb.com -- it's a horse supply co., but they have started a pet products offering as well.
To be honest....... I am not a huge fan of the jolly balls. I have a couple of them with the handles....my dogs chewed the handles off !! The balls are hard and not easy to carry in their mouths. My dogs much prefer the Planet Dog balls.....I have several of them....with ropes and without....they come in all different sizes. My dogs love to retrieve them in the pool or just carry them around the yard. They also like the glow-in-the-dark balls....if you hold them up to the light they will glow.....fun for after dark play. If your dogs like to play soccer...using their feet and not their mouths I guess jolly balls might work.
I've had them all and replace them often because they do last well! They can eventually get the rope out of the rope through one, but the ball itself is soft enough that they then carry it around (I use it to play soccer with them). They can chew the handle off of the one with the handle, and that one usually gets thrown away then (because chewing off the handle makes a whole that they then eat the ball... no fun seeing plastic in poop or cleaning up vomit with it). The plain hard ball is great (as long as you don't kick it!), but I have one OCD boy who can't have it out because he'll push it with his nose barking until his nose is bleeding!
I have a round ball about ten inches in diameter and a slightly smaller one that is football shaped. Neither have handles, both have lasted well, and neither gets played with at all.
I agree with Joan. Mine LOVE the 8" Teaser balls. They are several years old and still going strong, even though I leave them out year round in the snow and the baking sun.
I never put them in the puppy pen, only with the adults.
My dogs play with a horse Jolly Ball that my horse decided she didn't want to bother with. I have 2 of them, 1 of which is about 4 years old. It's my Raven's favorite toy.
