The Jolly Egg: Is It The Better Herding Choice?

Battle-Tested: JOLLY EGG

Monte’s Verdict 🐾: [FAIR ENOUGH]

All in all, it is a fair enough toy, but it comes with some notable caveats.

How We Got Here: From CollieBall to the Jolly Egg

If you read my previous review on the CollieBall, you will know it is brilliant outlet for a herding dog’s busy brain. However, because of our yard’s size and the fact that it is split-level, it created some practical hurdles that often outweighed the daily benefits.

Navigating those limitations made me keep looking for other options that could still satisfy Monte’s herding instincts without needing an expansive, level space. My search led me to pick up the smaller 8-inch Jolly Egg to see how a compact, alternative shape would stack up.

Note: This post originally started as a live, in-progress testing journal. After months of putting it through its paces across our suburban yard and open spaces, we have wrapped up our trial and reached a verdict.

Jolly Egg vs CollieBall: Quick Comparison

The Material

A toy has to stand up to persistent paws, but the physical design presents a few hurdles.

The material itself is not something I can truly endorse without reservation. I was expecting something a bit more forgiving, similar to the dense, firm rubber you find on a traditional KONG toy. Instead, the Jolly Egg is made of a hard, unforgiving plastic that is exceptionally loud when it slams against a Colorbond fence or echoes across the pavement.

In a suburban yard setting, that brings a few specific realities to keep in mind:

• Impact & Acoustics: When Monte herds it off the grass and over to our paved area, or slams it directly into a Colorbond fence, the sound is hard to ignore. It makes quite an echo.
• Facial Impact & Safety: Because the hard plastic has zero give, I have watched it bounce and hit Monte awkwardly in the face on more than one occasion, which always leaves me feeling a bit anxious given how rigid the structure is.
• Surface Compromise: Over time, because he figured out how to pin it down and nibble on it, that hard surface has become rough and somewhat sharp. It loses its smooth factory finish pretty quickly once a clever dog figures out its weak spot, making you second-guess the long-term integrity of the material.

The Clever Breed Factor

As time went on and the novelty settled, Monte’s approach to the egg noticeably evolved. Because he is such a clever breed, he eventually figured out a structural loophole. Despite its slippery, awkward shape and his small-sized jaw, he learned how to pin the egg down and actively nibble on it.

What started as a smooth surface has now become rough, somewhat sharp, and compromised from months of localized pinning and trying to chew it. Because he cracked its “code,” his play style shifted away from fluidly pushing it around the yard and more toward strategic pinning, which is a real shame for the longevity of the toy.

I can only imagine this issue would be much worse for a larger, stronger dog, making an upsizing an absolute necessity for bigger breeds. However, once you start looking into a larger-sized Jolly Egg, the budget-friendly value proposition starts to break down. Given the superior quality finish and multi-layer construction of a CollieBall, the investment makes a lot more sense if you are looking for durable longevity.

To keep the excitement high and prevent him from getting frustrated or trying to nibble on it, I make a point of taking the Egg away. More importantly, because hard plastic toys can break down into a rough texture that poses a real ingestion risk, we will only continue letting him play with it under strict supervision so he doesn’t have a chance to chew on it further. Ultimately, that wear and tear and the potential ingestion risk means this toy is headed for complete retirement from our rotation.

The Open-Field Experiment: A 5-Second Wonder

In our initial write-up, I noted how well the Jolly Egg works in our restricted yard space. Thinking an open space would unlock a whole new level of enthusiasm, we decided to take it out to a big field, genuinely expecting Monte to go completely wild with it.

Instead, it was a five-second wonder.

It took me by complete surprise when he almost immediately lost interest the minute I set it down. He literally gave it a lazy little shove and then just lay down right next to it. The only way I can make sense of this shift in behavior is the missing boundaries. In our yard, his default strategy is to guide the egg straight to the edge, pushing it along until it hits a corner in a clever attempt to trap it or force it to pop back up. Without those perimeter boundaries in the open field, the game’s primary appeal seems to have vanished entirely.

Getting the Size Right for Miniature American Shepherds

I will be the first to admit: I learned the hard way with the CollieBall that bigger isn’t always better. I made the mistake of going too large, which actually made it tougher for Monte to engage with it properly given the space we have.

This time, I was more deliberate about the sizing. For a Mini American Shepherd like Monte, the 8-inch Jolly Egg feels like the real sweet spot.

Value and Intentional Play

The 8-inch version retails around $35 AUD brand-new, whereas the next size up sits closer to $100 AUD, which feels a bit steep for a mold of hollow plastic, especially when compared to the multi-layer construction of a CollieBall.

I managed to pick this Jolly Egg up for $15 – more than half off the typical retail price.

Final Thoughts

For around $15, yes, it’s a fun enough distraction that works well in a medium-sized yard and still tires Monte out in short bursts.

However, months of observation show this isn’t truly a traditional herding activity; for Monte it is more about a stubborn determination to conquer an elusive, frustrating object.

If you want a budget yard toy and don’t mind the noise and safety mindfulness, it fits the bill. But for true, long-lasting herding engagement, the CollieBall remains the superior choice in quality and safety, provided you have the right open space and level yard to let it run.

I would love to hear from you, too. Have you noticed your dog figuring out how to nibble on the Jolly Egg, and how has it held up over time?

Drop a comment below and let’s swap notes!”