EXAMINATION – Dogs are like children. They need daily exercise and mental stimulation. Interactive dog toys are a great way to provide both. Recently, I was allowed to test two such toys from Cheerble. The Wickedbone and Wicked Ball PE.
What is this?
Cheerble Wickedbone and Wicked Ball PE (enhanced rubber version) are smart interactive dog toys for medium to large-breed dogs.
What’s in the box?
Bad Bones
- Wickedbone
- Wickedbone tires
- USB charging cable
- User manual
Wicked Ball PE
- Wicked Ball PE
- DC charging cable
- User Manual
Details
Wickedbone
- Model: C1702
- Target Type: Dog
- Weight: 300 g (Battery included)
- Dimensions: 151.5 x 64 x 64 mm / 6 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches
- Battery: Li-Polymer 500 mAh
- Operating Temperature: 0-40 °C / 32-104 °F
- Max Speed: 3.5 m/s (11.5 ft/s)
- Control Distance: <20 m (65.6 ft.)
Wicked Ball PE
- Model: C0722
- Target Species: Medium-Large Dogs
- Weight: 238 g / 8.4 oz
- Dimensions: 78 mm / 3.08 in
- Battery: Li-Polymer 3.7v 300mAh
- Operating Temperature: 0-40 °C / 32-104 °F
Design and features
Wickedbone
Cheerble Wickedbone is, as you can imagine, shaped like a bone. The main body is plastic, and TPU rubber wheels are on both ends.
Two indicator lights are on the front, and a charging port is on the back. The rubber wheels are removable for easy cleaning.
Before using the Wickedbone, you must charge it with a USB cable. The charging port is protected by a small rubber bone-shaped cover. When charging, the front LED lights will glow yellow, turning solid green when fully charged. Charging time is about an hour. Wickedbone will run for up to 1 hour in Drive Mode and up to 4 hours in Interactive Mode.
Wickedbone App
Cheerble Wickedbone allows you to interact with your dog remotely using the Wickedbone App. The App is available for both IOS and Android. The App has two modes: Drive and Interactive. In Drive Mode, you can use a virtual joystick to drive Wickedbone wherever you want and play a chase game. There are also 9 preset moves that you can use to play with your puppy. You can also check the remaining battery life and change other settings. My only issue with the App is that to connect it to the Wickedbone, you have to plug it in and unplug it from the charger each time. This makes it slightly annoying and seems like an unnecessary step. On top of that, it’s very responsive and a fun way to play and interact with your dog. A short video shows each of the 9 preset motions in action.
The interactive mode allows Wickedbone to interact with your dog when you can’t. It responds to your dog’s touch and reacts accordingly.
Wicked Ball PE
The Wicked Ball PE is 3.1 inches in diameter and has a durable, natural rubber shell. This is the improved rubber version of the SE that also has a textured surface. A small circle on the ball serves as the power button and features eye-catching LED lights. The DC charging port is also located here. It somewhat resembles a mini Death Star. Wicked Ball PE is also IP65 waterproof, so you can easily clean it under the tap. Unlike Wickedbone, Wicked Ball PE does not have an app. It relies on your dog to interact with it. There are 3 contact modes: Normal with active rolling and bounce, Passive with bounce on contact, and Gentle with slow rolling or shaking on contact. Wicked Ball PE is activated by pressing circle. Toggling through the different modes is done the same way. LED lights indicate different modes. Blue is for normal, green is for passive, and pink is for mild. The LED lights also flash while playing.
The battery is charged using the included DC charging cable. The LED indicator will glow yellow while charging and turn solid green when fully charged. The charging time is about one hour, and the playing time is up to 4 hours.
Performance
Wicked Ball PE
Wicked Ball PE performed well; My 9 month old French Bulldog Cooper loves it. His favorite toys are balls, so this is not surprising. I put the ball in normal mode because it’s on carpeting, and I want it to move as much as possible.
The only problem is that Cooper is at a stage where he wants to chew on his toys rather than interact with them. This meme accurately describes the cycle of behavior that Cooper is currently in.
Once he got over the initial excitement of the Wicked Ball bouncing and vibrating around, he grabbed it and carried it to the couch. This is his go-to move when it comes to his toys. Then he started chewing on it. I took it off and put it back on the floor, but each time, he grabbed it and went back to the couch. At one point, he actually moved the internal mechanism stealthily. I was able to push it back into place, but this is when I realized that it was not the right toy for him, at least not now. I decided that instead of letting him destroy it, I would box it up and reintroduce it to him when he was more mature and beyond his heavy chewing phase.
This is not an indictment of Wicked Ball PE. This is more of a Cooper issue. Cheerble makes many different versions of Smart Balls. They first sent me the SE version of Wicked Ball, but it was too small for Cooper. Fortunately they sent me the PE version. The picture shows the difference in size between the PE and SE versions.
If you are interested in Wicked Ball, I recommend checking out the different versions of Cheerble and making your decision based on your dog’s breed, size, and age. Wicked Ball PE is an amazing product; however, I do not recommend this for a puppy going through the chewing phase.
Wickedbone
Fortunately, we had better luck with Wickedbone. The main reasons are that it’s a bit bigger and I can control it remotely. Using the App initially prevents Cooper from touching Wickedbone and bringing it to the couch. But Cooper is smart, and he realizes that he can pin Wickedbone with his foot and grab the end of it to bring it to the couch; UGH! However, Wickedbone’s move is strong enough that even on the sofa, I can stop him from actually chewing on that. The Wickedbone rubber tires are durable, and the Cooper hasn’t done much damage to them yet. I also love that I can buy replacement tires for a reasonable price ($10 a set) from Cheerble. And there are different colors available if I want to jazz things up a bit. Overall, Cooper and I love Wickedbone, and getting him to calm down for the day has become part of our nightly playtime. I also believe that Wickedbone would be more fun if Cooper got a little older and less aggressive in his play. The video below shows Cooper playing with both toys.
What I want
Wicked Ball PE
- Durable
- Easy to operate
- 3 interactive modes
- Eye-catching LED lights
Wickedbone
- Remote play with the Wickedbone App
- Easy to clean
- Interchangeable tires
What I would change
Wicked Ball PE
- The internal mechanism can be pushed vertically
Wickedbone
- Make connecting to the App easier
- The rubber charging port cover is small and easy to lose
Final thoughts
Cheerble Wickedbone and Wicked Ball PE are fun ways to interact and play with your four-legged friend. I recommend checking out Cheerble to compare toys and decide which one is best for you and your dog. As for Cooper, he gives them 4-out-of-5 paws.
Price: Wicked Ball PE: $49.99 Wickedbone: $54.99
Where to buy: Wicked Ball PE: Cheerble Wickedbone: Cheerble and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Cheerble.
