Light-Up Flying Saucer Dog Toy

He can't predict it, and that's the whole game.

• A chase he can't work out — press the plastic dome inside out, set it down, and it flips itself into the air a moment later.
• Built for dogs who chase, not dogs who carry — it rewards a collie or a spaniel that pounces on movement, and does little for a dog who would rather take a toy to his bed.
• You'll know when to call time on it — it's a plastic shell over a spring, so the moment he settles down to chew it instead of chase it, take it off him.
• The game carries on after dark — the LEDs light up as it goes, so the garden at six on a winter evening still works.

How it gets off the ground

There is no motor in it. You push the dome inside out and put it down, and the tension held in the plastic does the rest — a second or two later it snaps back and throws itself up.

The delay is the useful part. He can't time it, so it doesn't go stale the way a thrown ball goes stale.

The bit before it goes

He drops into a crouch. Ears forward, weight on his front legs, eyes locked on a plastic disc that is doing nothing at all.

Then it goes, and so does he. That pause is about as close as your garden gets to the second before something bolts in a field.

Questions