Are the Puller Training Ring Toys a great catch or a toss-up?

One of the main reasons for behavioral issues in dogs is lack of exercise, or improper exercise. We don’t always have the time to walk our dogs for hours each day, and when a dog isn’t exercised properly, they sometimes will get destructive in the house or develop irritating behaviors. It can be annoying to walk through the door after work to a jumping dog, but if that dog just sat at home all day bored, can you really blame them? I tell my clients to think of their dog’s energy as a gas tank. Each morning it starts out full and it’s your job as the owner to empty it throughout the day. And the Puller Training Ring Toys (Puller for short) promise to help you empty that tank in 20 minutes, while offering a workout for all of your dog’s muscle groups.

Puller toys ($22.99) come in a set of two lightweight, purple rings. They come in small and large and are made of polymer, making them a great toy for any size and breed of dog. The rings are odorless and they even float if you have a pet that enjoys the water. It is the only product I’ve seen that comes in a set of two, which allows for a trade-off with your dog and the ability to expand on training exercises that use fetch and tug.

I was curious to see if the Puller rings were as effective as they claimed, so I loaded up the car with some of my most high-energy Lab clients and headed to the park. I usually bring treats with me as a reward, but this time I refrained – I wanted to see if the rings would work in place of them. At the park I tested the small and large rings out with them and here’s the training we were able to cover:

Catch: By throwing the ring upwards and not too far from the dog, you can teach them to catch.

Fetch:

Sit/Down:

Tug:

I brought my phone along and was able to capture a bit of the rigorous testing process in action. Special thanks go out to Moose and Captain, who were quite happy to help me out.

The Verdict:

BUY!

However, if your dog is a heavy chewer, this toy should only be used as a training aid and should be closely monitored while in use, which means you shouldn’t use it as an everyday toy. Moose the puppy chewed through one of the small rings them when I left it with him for five minutes unattended – lesson learned!

For more information and purchase options, visit the Puller website.

Note: PetGuide.com was NOT compensated for this review. We received a Puller Training Ring Set to review. The opinions expressed in this post are the author’s. We provide unbiased feedback of the products and share products we think our readers would enjoy using and learning more about.

Rachel Leavy lives in Rochester, New York with her dog, Maria, and her gecko, Nigel. She has loved animals all her life, and has owned her own dog training and walking company for 5 years. When she’s not playing with puppies, she can usually be found writing short stories, riding horses or out at a play.