REVIEW – Dogs are a lot like kids. They need daily exercise and mental stimulation. Interactive dog toys are a great way to provide both. Recently, I was allowed to try two such toys from Cheerble. The Wickedbone and Wicked Ball PE.
What is it?
The 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?
Wicked Bone
- Wickedbone
- Wickedbone tires
- USB charging cable
- User manual
Wicked Ball PE
- Wicked Ball PE
- DC charging cable
- User Manual
Specs
Wickedbone
- Model: C1702
- Target Species: Dog
- Weight: 300 g (Battery Included)
- Dimension: 151.5 x 64 x 64 mm / 6 x 2.5 x 2.5 inch
- 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
- Dimension: 78 mm / 3.08 in
- Battery: Li-Polymer 3.7v 300mAh
- Operating Temperature: 0-40 °C / 32-104 °F
Design and features
Wickedbone
The Cheerble Wickedbone is, as you would imagine, shaped like a bone. The main body is plastic, and TPU rubber tires are on either end.
Two indicator lights are on the front, and a charging port is around the back. The rubber tires are removable for easy cleaning.
Before using the Wickedbone, you must charge it using the USB cable. The charging port is protected by a small rubber bone-shaped cover. When charging, the LED lights on the front will glow yellow, turning solid green when fully charged. Charge time is about an hour. Wickedbone will run up to 1 hour in Drive Mode and up to 4 hours in Interactive Mode.
Wickedbone App
The 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 the Wickedbone wherever you want and play chase. There are also 9 preset motions you can use to play with your pup. You can also view the remaining battery life and change other settings. My only issue with the App is that to connect it to the Wickedbone, you must plug it in and unplug it from the charger every time. This makes it slightly annoying and seems like an unnecessary step. Beyond that, it’s very responsive and a fun way to play and interact with your pooch. The short video shows each of the 9 preset motions in action.
Interactive mode allows Wickedbone to interact with your dog when you cannot. 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 enhanced rubber version of the SE that also has a textured surface. A small circle on the ball acts as the power button and features eye-catching LED lights. This is also where the DC charging port is located. It kinda resembles a mini Death Star. The Wicked Ball PE is also IP65 waterproof, so you can easily clean it under a faucet. Unlike the Wickedbone, the Wicked Ball PE doesn’t have an app. It relies on your dog to interact with it. There are 3 interaction modes: Normal with active rolling & bouncing, Passive will bounce on contact, and Gentle with slow rolling or shaking on contact. The Wicked Ball PE is activated by pressing the circle. Toggling the different modes is done the same way. The LED lights indicate the different modes. Blue is for normal, green is for passive, and pink is for gentle. The LED lights will also flash during play.
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. Charging time is about an hour, and playtime maxes out at 4 hours.
Performance
Wicked Ball PE
The Wicked Ball PE performed well; my 9-month-old French Bulldog Cooper loved it. His favorite toys are balls, so this was no surprise. I put the ball in normal mode because it was on carpeting, and I wanted it to move around as much as possible.
The only problem is Cooper is at a stage where he wants to chew on his toys rather than interact with them. This meme accurately describes the behavior cycle Cooper is currently in.
Once he got over the initial excitement of the Wicked Ball bouncing and vibrating around, he grabbed it and took it onto the couch. This is his go-to move when it comes to his toys. He then began chewing on it. I took it away and placed it back on the floor, but each time, he grabbed it and went back to the couch. At one point, he actually moved the inner mechanism askew. I was able to push it back into place, but this is when I realized that this wasn’t the suitable toy for him, at least not now. I decided that rather than let him destroy it, I would box it up and reintroduce it to him when he was more mature and over his heavy chewing stage.
This is not an indictment on the Wicked Ball PE. This is more of a Cooper issue. Cheerble does make several different versions of Smart Balls. They first sent me the SE version of the Wicked Ball, but it was too small for Cooper. They were kind enough to send me the PE version. The picture shows the difference in size between the PE and SE versions.
If you’re interested in the Wicked Ball, I recommend checking out the different versions Cheerble has and making your decision based on your dog’s breed, size, and age. The Wicked Ball PE is a fantastic product; however, I wouldn’t recommend it for a puppy going through a chewing stage.
Wickedbone
Fortunately, we had more luck with the Wickedbone. The main reasons are that it’s a little larger and I can control it remotely. Using the App initially kept Cooper from grabbing the Wickedbone and taking it to the couch. But Cooper is smart, and he realized he could pin the Wickedbone down with his paw and grab the end of it to carry it to the couch; UGH! However, the motion of the Wickedbone was strong enough that even on the sofa, I could keep him from really chewing on it. The rubber tires of the Wickedbone are durable, and Cooper has yet to do much damage to them. I also love that I can purchase 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 the Wickedbone, and it has been part of our nightly playtime to wind him down for the day. I also believe the Wickedbone will be even more fun when Cooper gets a little older and isn’t as aggressive in his play. The video below shows Cooper playing with both toys.
What I like
Wicked Ball PE
- Durable
- Easy to operate
- 3 interactive modes
- Eye-catching LED lights
Wickedbone
- Remote play using the Wickedbone App
- Easy to clean
- Replaceable tires
What I’d change
Wicked Ball PE
- Internal mechanism can be pushed askew
Wickedbone
- Make it easier to connect to the App
- The rubber charging port cover is small and easily lost
Final thoughts
The 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 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.
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I have the KickStarter version of the Wickedbone. The drive pad doesn’t allow driving it at all. It only calls up 8 of the 9 preprogrammed motions, depending on which of the 8 directions the pad reads. Tech support has been no help at all.
My dog likes it anyway. She likes to attack it and carry it around. But only if I keep using the preprogrammed motions. Interactive mode is not attractive to her.