My CBR is just now 5 months old and doing really great. The Cato place board has been invaluable as a tool to help with his retrieving, holding, and stay. It gives him a good visual of where he is supposed to be. It is also MUCH more stable than some other place boards or raised beds I have used in the past and it does not tip over at all. That has helped with his confidence in jumping on and off the board. I initially got the turf grass surface as it seemed like that would not get hot in the Colorado summer sun. My second board has the rubber surface. There are pros and cons to each - the turf doesn't get hot but it can get slick when it's been water logged by a wet pup. The rubber gets warmer in direct sun but doesn't get slick at all.