Amazon.com: Customer reviews: VARRAM Pet Fitness Robot: Interactive Treat Dispenser & Companion for Dogs & Cats, Automated Play & Activity Monitoring

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2019

The fitness robot so far is the best interactive toy i have tried. If your dog is new to this whole robotic experience, i would strongly suggest you start here. It took no time for my dog who is somewhat timid to realize he gave treats. However, Varram doesn't go fast, but yet fast enough. The treat dispenser is tricky, sometimes it does not give a treat..... but come one! it's a drum with a hole. It's fine! It gives treats 80% of the time, which is satisfactory.
Varram can go on carpets. He will get stuck but rarely. He lasts for hours feeding my dog because the treats dont always come out! His battery life is amazing. I run him from 930-2 at night and he still has over 50% left. And he is moving about the whole time giving treats. Varram is ok to drive on his own but it's lame and slow-ish. There are better toys to interact with your dog like that (gobone).
But varram can keep your dog entertained all day. You can load up the treats and know its going to take awhile for them all to be gone. but, your robot will last all day and your dog will follow... at least scoop up the treats. durability wise, i feel totally safe with this alone with my dog. Varram is robust and wrapped in that big shell of plastic. very well made and i see no problem. overtime the plastic shell, which does have to be removed each time... like i wonder how durable it will be snaping it back together.. but it should be fine.
bottome line... this is safe for my dog.. keeps her busy for hours each day eating her regular food. the upkeep on the robot could not be any easier. Im legally blind and did not read the instructions like any sensible person. and everything is fine. older women or children may have trouble getting off the plastic shell but... there is a tool provided that helps, that i never use.
last note by controlling how big the treats you give and or which drum you use... there is a small and a big one... you can get better success rates with dispersal. I just dont care and keep using my same dog food. OH Varram is only bluetooth not wifi... so dont expect to schedule stuff while your away. you MUST charge him and leave him on clothed (with shell) and he will go at his applied schedule time.

6 people found this helpful

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Michael Mc

Worth the money for sure.

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

This robot is great! Quality product. Definitely worth trying out for your pet. I have an older small dog that I'm just trying my best to keep her mind going especially during the day, I like to think the robot makes her feel less lonely.
You can control it manually while at home or set it to just cruise the house for a while and of course you can schedule it to play with your pet when you're away at work etc. I like to control it manually to remind my dog that the robot is a fun friend that can spit out treats. Also I was surprised that the dog got renewed curiosity with the robot when i installed the cat wand that drags around a feather.
It works way better on hardwood/linoleum floors. Even low cut carpet will offer quite a bit of resistance to the robot and it has a much harder time scooting around on carpet, the offroad tires that come with it help on the carpet. I'm looking forward to future models of the robot that have better AI and slightly more power. The AI on this robot sort of just drives it around in small circles, it won't cruise around quite like a roomba and it get's "high-centered" on the floor thresholds between rooms if you have those (0.5inch) . Make sure your pet is well house-trained, imagine what happens when you have a floor cruising robot run over some poo...
PROS
High quality, holds its charge well, autonomous, can avoid objects, easy to control manually, many short maneuvers programmed-in to get your pets attention, effectively spits out treats, makes cute sounds and motions that your pet will probably find interesting, it can flip itself back over if needed (on hardwood floors). Bring it over to a friends house to play with their pet - this may inspire their owner to get a robot as well.
CONS
Robot will find a nook to get stuck in and you'll come home to find it there almost every day. Robot will drive through poo and pee puddles and make a bigger mess. Doesn't perform as well on carpets and can't upright itself if turned over on a carpet. The AI doesn't exactly learn the room or know when it's found your pet. Future models will undoubtedly be better so stay tuned.
OVERALL: Buy one of these and give it a try. Remember that all other options for keeping your pet busy during the day are way more expensive (i.e. another pet or a petsitter)

3 people found this helpful

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mjweitz

Love it

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2019

Verified Purchase

I was excited to get this, especially after reading all the positive reviews. Considering I work from home, it’s nice to have a little gadget that turns on automatically plays for 5 minutes+ and gives my frenchie treats. The thought process behind the toy is perfect and my pup, loves it! When he hears it turn on, his head comes up and he jumps for it. It keeps him busy and I get to watch TV! I did have some issues at first, their staff was super friendly and kept following up. Thank you!

Let me break down some pros and cons.

To start off with the pros:
- durable body. It fell down stairs on multiple occasions and still works.
- app has a schedule to set the time(s) of day you want it to run, along with how many treats to eject during that play interval.
-strong battery life once it’s charged.

Cons:
- charge cable was finicky but found another one laying around and it worked perfectly.
- you need to take the plastic protector off, to turn the device on and off and to charge. This gets a little annoying.

Side notes:
treat dispenser comes in two sizes. If you use the small one, make sure the treats are substantially smaller. The larger one may toss a few treats out at a Time... but hey just a special gift for the pup .

To the devs: the app can use some work. The controls are finicky and slow. I love the preset features.

2 people found this helpful

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RINK,ROBERT

Fun Product.....

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

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Our puppy LOVES this thing..... He goes crazy with it.... It is pretty hardy and didn't break. One thing is that you need to do some training with your puppy if he gets too excited (like ours did). As you can see in the video, we have a 6 month old Rottweiler puppy.... He could EASILY put this in his mouth. If you have a LARGE dog, be sure you have plastic cover over it. He could not bite through the plastic cover.

This is easy to assemble and easy to use.

One of the problems we experienced was that he would pick it up and toss it... the cover would come unsnapped and fall off.

Also in the video it had the "rough" terrain traction covers on it which he could easily pop off. As soon as he did, the were a NEW toy and in seconds, they were gone.

The APP to utilize this toy is super easy to use, the scheduling is super cool.

If you have a small dog, I would say definitely go for it.... they can't hurt this item. Bigger dogs take a second look and your dog and how excited they get.

Spoke with customer service, they were very nice and wanted us to give it another try.

SO... we are going to do a little more training with the puppy to see if we can get him to be a little calmer around the item. Going to try and switch the traction to low instead of rough so he can't grab as easy.

I will update this review in 2 weeks and let you know how it goes.

UPDATED on 2/18/20 - This is what I sent to Varram with my thoughts and comments.

I just wanted to get back to you on the item and give my personal feedback.....

Reagan no longer plays with this item. We had to take it away. He is just too big for it. The Hard plastic case just comes right off when has it in his mouth and we tell him to drop it..... Tires come off too easy and we ran out of replacements. Continually having to replace these two items every week would be very expensive for us. Don't get wrong.... I love this item and so wish I could let him use it, but it would only last a day or two in it's current condition.

So positive points about this item:

1) Battery life is great... It will go 2+ days without a recharge. This is having it play for 10 - 15 minutes per hour for 9 hours each day.
2) The autonomous features of this device are great. Not once did it get stuck. I always found a way out.
3) Scheduling was spot on and easy to use. Loved that I could do different schedules (ex. Weekday vs Weekend)
4) Treat distribution.... I we tried all different kinds of treats and sizes. Not once did it jam or refuse to distribute. This was pretty nice, that you could use whatever you wanted.
5) Loved that it would change eye color and make sounds. It would continually confuse the dog. Sometimes it would disturbed treats other times it wouldn't and this kept Reagan on his toes.

If I could make a few recommendations for you that I think could be beneficial to people who have larger puppies....

1) on the hard plastic case. On one side, it has the two dots that you push to make it release. Those work OK. I would suggest that you put hinges on the other end inside. There is plenty of room between the case and the toy to fit some small plastic hinges in there. This would allow you to open the case are remove it while also keeping it from opening when dropped from 28"+ dogs mouth.

2) Wheels & Tires.... I think that the "OFF ROAD" are all that are needed for this device. They work in all conditions. If you could make this permanent vs. removable, it would keep dogs from being able to take them off rendering the robot useless. Reagan would pick it up by a wheel, his teeth would graze the rubber tire while he was carrying it, it would pop right off.

3) Docking... have you thought about having the robot return to as specific place or dock. That would be awesome... if the item could return to a specific spot so it wasn't left in the middle of the room or ????

3 people found this helpful

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Matthew Rothenberg

Good but could use some improvements on design

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

So far this seems to be a good buy. My 1 year old pomsky (2/3rds husky) seems to be entertained but only as long as the robot doesn’t run out of treats. We use Zukes, they’re the right size, we used them for training and he loves them.

Here are my few issues...
Why do I need to take the case on and off every time I need to turn in on/off?
I need to charge it every night because the battery doesn’t last that long and the case is kind of a pain, so much so they give you a special tool to get it off...not that you really need it but some people might.
The point of this thing is so I can be a little bit more on auto pilot, not that I need to spend more time every day filling it up, charging it up and having to take the case on and off multiple times.
Please create a new case with a hatch door you can open to charge it and turn it on or off. I can live with removing it to fill it up with treats .

The automatic driving is okay we live in an apartment in downtown Boston so we don’t have a ton of room...there’s lots of tables, chairs etc in a small area so it runs into things every few seconds so I think it would be more effective with more space

On the positive side my dog while a little skeptical at first now won’t leave it alone as long as he can smell the treats inside and while we’re away at work he would just lay on the couch and sleep until our walker comes and then go right back to sleep in between wake just saving all his crazy energy for when we get home at the end of the day 😂.

It’s only been a few days of using this so I can’t say if he’s really a little calmer and doesn’t need play time from 6 until midnight but at the very least I know he’s not just sitting there while he’s alone anymore and that makes me feel better

2 people found this helpful

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Nancy Nguyen

Affordable and easy to use!

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

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Y'ALL I have never seen a dog toy like this before and I’ve never actually written a review for anything… Like ever… And now, here we are! Here’s why I enjoy it so much and why I think it’s worth the price:

1. It’s like the first interactive dog toy that’s actually interactive. It. Has. AI. What dog products in the market now have and AI interactive treat tossing robot that plays with your pets?!
2. Going out has been so much easier with the help of this bot because instead of focusing on me, my dog is focusing on his new friend (or should I say the treats that it throws out LOL) ! His separation anxiety has been much better ever since!
3. It comes with a case, treats, and some gadgets. Honestly, the case was super helpful! I mean, I have a smaller dog, but it helped a lot with preventing scratches and and dents from being pushed around by my dog LOL. I’m sure bigger dogs would benefit from this more than I would of course.
4. Its price is pretty cheap! I really do feel like It’s a great value for its price. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather pay for $150 or an interactive dog toy that moves on its own and gives treats and other things than to pay $200+ for the alternative of petcube or furbo that just stays in one spot and toss treats. It’s a no brainer. PLUS, if your dog flips it over, it flips back on its own!! It seems like I'm crazy or something, but I'm just so mind blown at the fact that a toy bot can flip back up on its own!
5. The app is pretty great! You can manually control the bot or set a schedule for thr bot so it can automatically play with your pet. Although, I definitely feel like there could be some improvements made. Though, I’m sure they will improve so much more in the near future as with all the other app related products, no doubt about that.
6. Customer support is super friendly and on point. Great job for a startup pet product!
7. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking to invest in an affordable and durable toy to keep their fur babies company!

96 people found this helpful

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Ellasyn Jacklin

Rubber treds break easily and then robot is useless

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

It took a while for us to figure out set up but once we got it going it was great. We realize only one person could have the app otherwise there was issues with trying to get it to work. That has been a downfall since I have to text my husband to see if he could engage action while he’s at work in order for the dogs to play with it.

I would give this 100 stars if It weren’t for the fact that it didn’t come with several extra tire treads and maybe 1 back up case. After 3 days of play my very smart vizsla wanted someway to pick it up or play with it as it moved...such as swatting at it with her paws. She very quickly but through the blue rubber tire treats (it fucntion being down one—but not two). Once the rubber trees were both gone the robot will not roll or move AT ALL making even the value of this product disappointing. My dogs are in love but now with a robot that can’t move and just simulated noise it isn’t capable of doing what I bought it for in the first place...stimulations during the day while we were at work.

I hope the company sees this and is willing to send me extra blue rubber tire treds so I can use my brother with longevity S I purchased it on Black Friday and got at 100 when it was above that initially.

I do have video footage from my home the days that I had set the robot up on a schedule and can prove that it does make them more active and stimulated. But I will not be buying a new replacement for 100 just for the need of tree to continue to make it work.

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Daniel Champion

As much fun for you as for your pets!

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

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App is easy to set up and use; the interface is clean and not difficult to navigate.
The device itself has the heft of quality materials; it is definitely a tough little machine.

Nifty features:
-You can set:
--Pet's Name, Photo, Species Breed, Health, Age, Weight, Whether to Feed Treats
---Cat accessory mode
---Three speed settings
---Smart enough to know when your pet is afraid of it - will back up and wait for interaction
---DID I MENTION CAT ACCESSORY MODE?
--When to run, for how long, how many treats (or none)
-Manual drive mode (turbo mode makes it go FAST)
-Multiple different 'play' styles for manual mode

Cons:
-I can see the hard plastic cover that snaps over the device breaking at the latches over time
--Not a huge drawback, as it is likely cheap to replace
-There are only two ways to put it in automatic drive mode:
--Enter manual drive mode, and click 'Test'
--Set a schedule, apply it, then exit the app
--I wish there was a button to just start automatic drive mode

Battery life is EXCELLENT. Four 15 minute play sessions and the battery was only down to 88%.

I highly recommend this as a fun way to engage your pets when you're not home, when you are home, and to entertain yourself!

--I WAS NOT PAID FOR THIS REVIEW AND DID NOT RECEIVE A REVIEW MODEL--

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MewMew

Dog love it immediately and wanted to kill it. Perfect for separation anxiety. Rottweiler-10 months

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

Update:
This didn’t really last too long although I did repair the tires many times. It was engaging but just wasn’t too effective. Either the dog would try to kill it or be bored with it so I had to closely monitor and modify play all the time. Ended up being a hassle and we threw it out after I couldn’t repair the rubber tire parts anymore.

I’ve found much better, and less expensive, toys on the market that engage him for longer. Just wasn’t a fit.

Older:
My dog is obsessed with it. I think i made the mistake of using the treats the company provided, which are way stronger and more enticing than the treats we use at home and my dog went crazy after it. I had to turn it off and let the dog just play itself out after I swapped out the treats to our house treats and stopped distributing them. I purchased this for a dog with severe separation anxiety and it worked. He doesn't follow me from room to room when this is on or even if i turn it off but leave it out.

It takes a short time to turn on and get working. Mine also stopped working after 2 minutes of playtime and i was annoyed that it was a dud. Then i updated the firmware and it began working again and all was well.

You have to use the plastic encasing, it would be broken if not for that. However, my dog ripped the rubber strip on the leg immediately and I had to replace that part with the extra one in the package.

TBH I do not know how long this will last but if it lasts one year I will be super satisfied with that.

3 people found this helpful

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Danielle A.

Good idea, poor execution

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

My 9-lb dog has come to work with me for six years, and recently he started wanting to play more during the day whereas we previously played at night. I’ve had this for about two months. It took my dog a few days the really interact with it because he is scared of everything, but it gives treats and he’ll do a lot for food. He came to love it. I loved that I set a schedule and it would play on its own. My dog perks up as soon as he hears the on sound- he’s ready for treats and he watches it with laser focus, and follows it as it moves. But after about a month it started saying it was ‘disconnected.’ I have to turn it off, plug it in, and turn it back on, sometimes twice, to use it again. That’s incredibly frustrating when I got it so that it would auto-interact while I’m working. Worse, the battery, which lasted three days at first, now seems to last a day at best, but usually more like half a day. Again, this is a problem when it is supposed to be playing three times a day and dying between the first and second. Tonight it had 30% (had not been on at all)- I knew I’d have to charge it overnight- it dispensed one treat and turned off two minutes into a 30 minute play session. I don’t know if this is typical or if mine is defective, but I’m disappointed. I loved this to start and told everyone about it. But I feel now like I’m breaking my dog’s heart every day having to take it away to fix or charge it.

4 people found this helpful

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