Finally, a ball that throws itself

The Chase Buddy is a self-moving dog ball with a knotted rope on top. Switch it on and it's off: rolling, wobbling and changing direction across the floor, with the rope whipping about behind it like a tail. Your dog chases. It swerves. Your dog pounces. It rolls away again. You drink your tea while it's still hot.

Three modes, one button

• Fast - quick and unpredictable, for hard floors and thin carpet. This is the one for dogs with energy to burn.
• Slow - a gentler roll for hard floors. Start here with puppies, older dogs and the easily startled.
• Interactive - it sits still until your dog touches it, then springs into life.

It knows when to stop

After five minutes of play it goes into standby, so it isn't rattling round the kitchen all afternoon. One nudge from a nose or paw wakes it up again. That rest is also what keeps dogs interested, because a toy that never stops soon becomes background noise.

It chirps

There's a bird-chirp sound built in, which gets ears pricked up straight away. If it's doing the same to you, press the power button twice quickly and it goes silent.

The rope comes off

The rope is there to be grabbed, tugged and carried. It unhooks from the ball, so you can wash it, or take it off altogether for dogs who'd sooner eat it than chase it.

A quick word of honesty

This is a plastic ball with a motor inside, made for chasing, not chewing. It's sized for small and medium dogs, and a large dog with strong jaws can damage it. It's at its best on hard floors and thin carpet. It will move on short grass and thicker carpet, but more slowly, so expect more of a wobble than a sprint. Some dogs go mad for it in thirty seconds, some need a few days on slow mode to decide it isn't a threat.

Specifications

• Shell: hard plastic with soft-touch outer; detachable cotton rope
• Modes: fast, slow, interactive (touch-activated)
• Sound: bird chirp, can be switched off
• Auto standby: after 5 minutes, touch to restart
• Power: built-in rechargeable battery, USB-C, full charge in about 2 hours
• In the box: 1 Chase Buddy, 1 rope, 1 charging cable
• Best for: small and medium dogs; supervised play
• Colours: blue, orange

Safety and care
Always supervise play and switch it off afterwards. It isn't a chew toy: take it away if your dog settles down to gnaw the ball. Check the rope for fraying and replace or remove it when it's worn. Twist the ball open to reach the charging port, and never charge it while your dog has it. Wipe the ball clean with a damp cloth; don't put it in water.