Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Who Said You Can't Play With Your Food?




One of the first pieces of advice we got at Doggy Kindergarten was to invest in one of Premier's Busy Buddy toys. Designed to challenge your dog, it's the perfect from of "thinking" entertainment for your dog. Especially great if you are like us and leave your alone dog for periods of time (yes, work unfortunately takes us away from our pup 5 days a week)- it is sure to provide a few minutes/hours of entertainment!

Paddington's favorite happens to be the Squirrel Dude. A giant purple squirrel that has an opening for treats, we stuff ours with small pieces of cheddar, kibble and on Fridays, Puperoni (I swear Paddington just looked at me as I typed that...). Like a Kong toy, the Squirrel Dude will dispense its contents with enough careful manipulation. Unlike the Kong, it has small plastic "fenders" at the entrance which prevent treats from falling out too easily (see diagram below). That's right Pup, you gotta work for it!


While the small size is ideal for Paddy, we also have a medium toy which she seems to be able to easily play with too. While she'll occasionally use her tongue to get the treats out, she tends to prefer the throw/destroy method. Luckily, the Squirrel Dude is made out of super durable rubber and stands up to her rough love (but doesn't damage the floor/cabinets when it gets tossed). 

If your dog looks quizzically at this toy at first, try playing with it with him/her to demonstrate how it works. Stuffing the Squirrel with particularly odorific treats (like cheese), may also helps to get your dog's attention. We've found that the rubber prongs initially made it too tough for Paddy to get her treats out, so we snipped two of the four and enlarged the opening. 

Busy Buddy toys are a great way to not only entertain your dog, but feed your pet as well! Our dog trainer recommended using the Twist n' Treat (review to come later!) as a good way to make your dog work for his/her meal while keeping him/her entertained.

The Squirrel Dude is available directly from Premier's online store . The small toy retails for $8.00, the medium for $11.00 and the large for $16. You can also find at PetCo or other pet retailers.


xoxo The Barkistas

Disclaimer: All images courtesy of Premier.com, this item was purchased for review by us. 

1 comment:

  1. I love Busy Buddy toys! Mingus does too - he once stole one from a pup friend of his at my husband's office! We need to get a Squirrel Dude - I love durable, well-designed toys! :D

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