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Starmark Interactive Play Dog Toys - Review

You can never have too many dog toys to keep your dogs mentally stimulated and away from your prized possessions! We learnt that lesson the hard way with our first puppy eleven years ago ...   

With everyone away for the entire day and no constructive outlay for his teething, puppy Conner created his own fun, working his way through shredding BBQ and spa covers, munching on outdoor furniture and digging freshly planted flower beds ... No doggy daycare or dog walkers in the suburbs back in these days!

We've missed out on this 'glorious' puppy phase with our two rescue Malinois so we haven't experienced this full onslaught again but with three large dogs who are very tough chewers, dog toys only have a limited lifespan!

The Starmark Training and Behaviour Solutions dog toys are definitely not new yet it was a brand we'd never tried with our dogs. We were therefore more than happy to put some of these interactive play and chew toys through their paces, hoping to uncover a toy that would both entertain our pack and last more than one week! So here's our verdict on three of their most popular dog toys for different occasions...

#1. Starmark Fantastic DuraFoam Ball

These bright colourful balls are designed to play throw and fetch games with your dog.

The Fantastic Durofoam Ball is made from durable patented foam so it's pretty tough yet it is soft on teeth and gums

This is a great alternative to tennis balls as we found our dogs cracked these like coconuts after the first catch and then focused on tearing off the abrasive fabric, potentially causing tooth damage.

The balls are so lightweight (70g-100g) that you can safely use them both outside and indoor (great for those rainy winter days). 

Conner catches Durafoam Ball Large (Blue)

The Durofoam balls also float so you can toss them in the pool if your dog is a good swimmer or a shallow clam shell if they just enjoy a quick splash to cool off on hot summer days!

They're very easy to grip (even wet!) which makes them easier to pick up and throw again.

Available in both Medium (6.35cm) and Large (9cm).

Please note: this is an interactive toy to use with your dog so supervision is always advised. You should never leave this toy available for your dog to destroy or eat and always remove the toy from your dog if it damages this toy or tries to swallow pieces. It this happens very quickly, it's probably not tough enough for your pooch which brings us to our dogs' favourite!

RRP: $10.99 - $14.99 from www.petsofaustralia.com.au

Putting all four toys in front of two different dogs, this one was selected first every time ...

#2. Starmark Treat Dispensing Football

The Treat Dispensing Football is designed to hold a variety of treats and dry dog food to encourage play and reduce boredom. It rolls, bounces and it floats in water as well.

When we received the Treat Dispensing Football, we noticed this was the Medium size (designed for dogs under 18kg) and were not holding much hope this would last very long with our Malinois.

This toy is constructed from non-toxic (no latex, vinyl or phtalates), durable material that's stronger than rubber and your dog will need to work quite hard to retrieve the treats from the opening unless you break them into very small pieces so they can roll out easily.

The crunchy inner core is keeping our dogs engaged for much longer than other toys yet it is mercifully quiet (even in full chewing mode!) so from our perspective it's a great alternative to squeaker toys.

Definitely select the model recommended for your dog's size as we noticed a crack in the yellow opening (both sides) after a few days, probably because our Malinois was able to fit the whole Football in her mouth and exercise her full jaw pressure. The toy is still fun to use, it just doesn't look as pristine any more!

This toy is available in two sizes:
Medium (9cm in length); and Large (12.5cm in length)

RRP: $14.99-$17.99 from www.petsofaustralia.com.au


#3. Easy Glide DuraFoam Disc® 


The Starmark Easy Glide is a soft, extremely durable flying disc which is perfect for teaching your dog to catch.
Its shallow design means it can be used as a water bowl when you're on the go, though you'll have to refill it a few times!

Using the same material as the Durafoam balls, it is very soft on your dog's teeth and gums. It will float in water which makes for great disc-catching fun at the beach, lake or if you have a pool.

The patented design sends the disc straight and level delivering a steady, hovering movement and this makes it easier for your dog to track and catch. 


Well, that's the theory anyway! We're very poor at throwing  - clearly not playing enough sports growing up! - so we thought we'd rather share how the experts do it!



The Easy Glide
DuraFoam Disc® is available in two sizes: 23cm or 28cm (diameter).

RRP: $26.99-$32.99 at www.petsofaustralia.com.au

In summary, the Starmark Durofoam range are toys we would personally considert when we next shop for new items for our dogs' toy box as we found they offered good value for money.

Disclaimer: product gifted by petsofaustralia.com.au for editorial consideration
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1 comment

  1. The Durafoam balls lasted out German Shepherd over 2 years with hardly any dents in it, so we are always recommending them to people

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