The Orbee-Tuff Mazee puzzle toy from Planet Dog is a sturdy, economical choice for challenging puppies and keeping bored dogs entertained. It’s also a wonderful tool for distracting puppies from scary noises such as thunderstorms or fireworks, and provides portable entertainment when the puppy must travel or be boarded.
Pros
- Soft ball sphere gentle on teething pups
- Quiet on hard floors
- Made in the USA
- Clear container for viewing pleasure
- Hand washable with soap and water
Cons
- Energetic chewers can damage inner structure
- Requires supervision to prevent chewing
- Best for small puppies or very young large breed pups
Description
- Clear soft flexible “ball”
- Bright red (raspberry) or green internal segments
- Washable, recyclable, 100 percent guaranteed
- Food dispensing for meals and/or treats
- One size approximately 6 inch sphere
- $14.95
Review: Orbee-Tuff Mazee Puzzle Toy
The Orbee-Tuff Mazee is a dog puzzle toy product that can be used for play, behavior modification, and portion control feeding. It comes in two colors—raspberry or green—and its one size is ideal for young puppies and small breed adult dogs.
The product is a clear approximately 6-inch flexible “ball” with an internal colored rigid plastic divider “maze.” An opening on each side allows dry treats or puppy food to be inserted and is large enough to contain a puppy meal. The larger opening dispenses the kibble when the puppy noses or paws the ball to roll the Mazee over the floor. The opposing smaller hole serves as a safety vent, important to prevent the soft toy from creating a dangerous suction against a puppy’s tongue which can happen with larger pets.
Puppies have no off switch and benefit from brain-teasing entertainment that keeps them out of trouble. The Mazee keeps most pups occupied for as long as the food holds out. The soft ball design allows for bouncing play, even when the food has been eaten. When placed inside a crate, the toy can potentially keep a fussy or lonely puppy quiet, and works especially well when you can’t constantly entertain the new baby.
Larger pups may prove to be too rough with this product. Even with supervision my adult German shepherd very quickly “crushed” part of the innards, attempting to get at the treats. That could be in part because the samples of Planet Dog EATS sent with the toy proved irresistible—peanut butter and blueberry jam flavored (or so they’re labeled). Shaped like tiny flat “bones” the treats take some finagling to shake out of the Mazee and will keep most puppies entertained and inspired to strive for this healthy reward.
The Mazee is NOT intended as a chew toy so for pups sized large enough to get their jaws around the ball, supervision is vital. But for small breeds, the Mazee should hold up well and keep pups entertained even as they grow up. I really liked that the product was quiet, unlike some of the hard plastic “puzzle” dog products that shake, rattle and create lots of racket on hard floors.