Starmark Everlasting Treat Wheeler

Next up in Dodger's test lab, the Starmark Everlasting Treat Wheeler.  I picked this product up at my local PetSmart for 24.99.  For that kind of money, I hoped it would be a valuable purchase and worthy of Dodger's future playtime and ongoing interest.  According to the package, it "provides hours of interactive chewing challenge, virtually indestructible, great for dental hygiene and dishwasher safe."  It also claims to help "prevent destructive boredom behaviors," which is a good thing, given that Dodger is prone to less-than-ideal behaviors in my backyard when he is bored.

The product itself is basically a large black rubber ring that looks like a monster truck tire. There are ridges and indentations on the outside, where  you can presumably tuck cookies or kibble in to enhance the interactivity.  There is also a large "treat" that is inserted in the center of the wheel.  My purchase came with a treat already inserted, but there are inserts you can buy once your dog has devoured that one.  The treat insert itself is comprised of rice flour, glycerin, corn starch, powdered cellulose, natural chicken flavor, mono-diglycerides, calcium carbonate, sorbic acid and garlic powder.  The packaging then claims "wheat free and soy free," which sounds healthy, but I'm not sure based on some of the other ingredients.

So onto the results...

I gave the toy to Dodger.  He inspected it, and seemed perplexed by the rubber ring (maybe it tastes or smells funny to him?).  I rolled it on the floor to him, which made him promptly run away.  It didn't take him long to pick the toy up with his mouth and retreat to the front room.

Dodger wasn't particularly interested in the rubber surrounding the treat insert, but sure did like the challenge of eating the treat.  Given our last toy challenge lasted him all of 48 minutes, the goal was to make this toy surpass that time.  We were in luck this time around.

Mmmm, yummy.

I was almost certain Dodger would have figured out a way to tear through the surrounding rubber, but he didn't (note: it's been 10 days since I purchased this toy, and the rubber tire is still intact!).  Dodger sure was intrigued by the treat though.  He worked solidly for an hour and 20 minutes before he had devoured the entire treat.

I haven't yet purchased another insert for Dodger, nor have I tried sticking treats in the crevices of the wheel. He will occasionally pick the toy up and play with it further, but it's not his go-to toy.  I'm sure if I bought another insert, he would be just as captivated by it as the day I gave it to him originally

Dodger is tired after his toy challenge

So all in all, I'd say the toy worked as promised.  The only caveat is that it didn't provide "hours" of challenge (in our case, 1.5 hours) but I'm sure if I purchased more inserts, then the claim would hold up.

So on the Dodger Destruct-o-Meter (one being very easy to destroy and 10 being impossible to destroy), the Starmark Everlasting Treat Wheeler earns:

8 DODGERS  

       

My recommendation: This toy proved to be interesting and challenging for Dodger, so I would recommend it for dogs who are into puzzle toys.  I spent $24.99 on this toy (size large) at PetSmart.

Where to purchase:
PetSmart
Amazon.com