The other day I went to a big-box pet store to use a gift card I had been given. I had no idea what I was going to get. I figured I’d load up on a few plush toys since this particular store doesn’t carry food I use. I brought Shayne along and she worked BEAUTIFULLY in the store sans treats. The only time she got treats had to do with offering calming signals when she saw/heard other dogs in the store.

But I digress! I was walking up the toy isle and came across a treat dispensing toy I had never seen or heard of before. The JW Hol-ee Treat Ball–I was quite intrigued because I’ve had a few JW Hol-ee Roller ball for years and it’s a great toy.

The toy is essentially a hard plastic cylinder with a hole in it that is surrounded by a another hard plastic ball with a hole in it ALL tucked into a normal Hol-ee Roller. Treats/kibble get put in the center cylinder by an easy to open screw-top and then they fall out of the hole into the hard plastic ball surrounding the cylinder. As the dog rolls/throws/pushes the ball, the center ball goes up and down, and spins around the cylinder spilling treats as they go.

Pros: The treat ball is really easy to fill. The top unscrews easily and is easy to screw back on–filling is pretty easy. Not as easy as the Kong Wobbler, but easier than the Nina Ottosson discs. It is a very unique design which is nice. Although it is relatively large, because of the Hol-ee Roller on the outside, it is easy enough for small Bandit (my mom’s Shih tzu) to use effectively.

Cons: The PRICE! This sucker was crazy expensive! It was $19 and if I hadn’t used a gift card, I would have never spent that type of money on the toy. For Shayne and Rio it was WAY too easy–next time I will use large kibble like Solid Gold or something to make it more challenging. I have some questions about durability but time will tell about that one. It is not quite as loud as the wobbler or buster cube but it’s still pretty loud. Other than submerging the whole gosh darn thing in soapy water, I can’t think of a way to clean it.

Bottom Line: I like the toy–but it is a bit pricey. It’s easy to fill, keeps the dogs busy for a while, and is something very different from any other treat dispensing toy I own. It’s also really great for novice dogs because it is very easy. If you are looking for a challenging treat dispensing toy, this may not be the best choice unless you feed large kibble. I do want to see how it holds up, I am curious if the center will continue to hold up to Shayane who does a little more “brute force works” type chewing if she gets frustrated, but am pleased so far.