King Kong Has A New Friend

     

     He's deceptively cute, innocent even.  But this is no Beatrix Potter squirrel.  Think Rocky of Rocky and Bullwinkle or better yet the squirrel in your own backyard that taunts your dog from the safety of the fence.  He's The Dude, the Squirrel Dude and he's here to steal some play time from King Kong. 

     Well, you know he's from the Busy Buddy line of toys from Premier Pet Products because he's purple.  Premier has an astounding variety of innovative and effective toys for dogs.  As a matter of fact, to label them  toys is a bit simplistic given that they serve as enrichment for your dog and even assist in behavioral modification. Why purple?  Who knows.  Who doesn't like purple?                                                            

     In many respects the Squirrel Dude seems to be a squirrel shaped Kong- hard rubber, large hole in the bottom, small hole in the top.  The secret of Squirrel Dude's complexity is the presence of tabs across the large hole in the bottom.  These tabs make it very difficult to extract treats from the toy.  As per instructions these tabs may be removed to make the treat acquisition easier for your dog.  I removed one of the tabs and my reviewer, Xena was still unable to access any treats.  In order to give the Dude a fair shake it was clear that we needed to enlist some dedicated chewers.  Ruby and Dudley Young volunteered to work over this most challenging of treat dispensing toys.

     At first Amy (Dudley and Ruby's owner) loaded the Dude with some larger square shaped pieces of kibble.  This presented some difficulty as the tabs effectively prevented the larger odd-sized pieces of kibble from escaping.  Dudley lost interest in the Dude when he realized that treats would not be forthcoming.  Amy then tried some smaller, round pieces of kibble and these Dudley was able to coax out of the toy.  The Squirrel Dude occupied Dudley for quite an impressive amount of time.  Being somewhat single-minded regarding food Dudley was not going to rest until all treats had been consumed.  After the Dude was emptied, Dudley relinquished the toy to Ruby who found satisfaction in chewing the empty version.
     Based on the positive experience of my guest reviewers I would have to rate the Squirrel Dude as Excellent as to Playability.  It has the potential to captivate all levels of food-motivated dogs.  It can be made
an easy treat dispenser by removing all of the tabs on the bottom hole and more challenging by only removing some.  If you have an intensely food- focused dog like Dudley the toy in its original form is the way to go.  Just remember to pack in treats or kibble that can exit the tabbed bottom hole.
     Durability I think is Good.  The Squirrel Dude, unlike the Kong, only comes in one "strength."  It is unknown whether a determined dog might be able to chew a piece off.  However, it is recommended for strong chewers and Premier affirms that "its extreme durability holds up well under the toughest chewers."
     Safety I think is Excellent.  The Squirrel Dude comes in three sizes and so needs to be matched correctly to the size of the dog.  I would recommend observing how your dog interacts with the toy before leaving him alone with it.
     All in all the Squirrel Dude demonstrates that it is not just a Kong copy.  The idea behind the two treat dispensing toys is similar.  They both serve to occupy the dog's time by providing a not too readily obtainable food source.  The Kong may be stuffed with just about anything- dry food, treats, canned food, peanut butter, etc. and can even be stuffed and frozen to provide a longer treat extracting experience.  How challenging the experience will be is determined by how the owner stuffs the toy.  The Squirrel Dude is meant to be stuffed with small kibble or treats that will be metered out as the tabs on the bottom hole allow.  The toy itself and your dog's interaction with it determines how quickly the treats are dispensed.  Stuffing the toy with larger treat items will necessitate removing some, if not all of the tabs.  If all of the tabs are removed it will then be used like a Kong.  I recommend having one of each type of toy.  Stuff and freeze a Kong one day and the next day offer your dog a Squirrel Dude packed with some of his regular kibble.  After all isn't variety the spice of life?