Premier Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug Treat Dispensing Dog Toy

by Premier

• Interactive dog toy provides multi-sensory appeal to keep your pet engaged
• Durable non-toxic material withstands prolonged play
• Textured rubber wrap cleans teeth
• For dogs over 40 pounds
• Treats sold separately
• New packaging, same great product

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 9.5 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000KV7ZGQ
• Item model number: PTY00-13740
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (657 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,799 in Pet Supplies (See Top 100 in Pet Supplies)
  • #57 in Pet Supplies > Dogs > Toys > Chew Toys

Product Description

Size: Medium/Large

Premier Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug

The Busy Buddy line of dog toys and treats is designed for longer lasting playtime. Busy Buddy treat holding or treat dispensing toys encourage dogs to interact with the toys longer. This built-in gratification system keeps them actively engaged and can be used as a part of your dogs’ treat routine, instead of giving them high calorie treats that they consume all too quickly.

The Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug provides a multi-sensory appeal to keep dogs interested and motivated to play. It stimulates your dog’s sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste, making the Tug-A-Jug the ultimate solution for interactive play. He can see and smell the treats and hear them rattle. Dogs are positively rewarded when treats or kibble dispense from the jug's opening.

The Tug-A-Jug is perfect for a game of tug, hide and seek, and fetch. It can also be used as a training tool for commands such as “Bring it,” “Leave it” and “Fetch.”

Product Features

Treat dispensing toy:
Reward your dogs’ playtime and make it more fun. The Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug dispenses treats or kibble for your dog to enjoy while he plays.

Longer lasting playtime:
The Tug-A-Jug is made from an incredibly durable, non-toxic plastic. However, the Tug-A-Jug is NOT a chew toy. Supervise your dog during play and remove the toy if damaged.

Dishwasher safe:
Top rack only.

Treats

We recommend using dense, hard-to-break treats so your dog has to work harder to get them out of the toy. You may find that you need to use smaller treats at first, so they come out faster, rewarding your dog as he plays. Once your dog becomes more experienced with the Tug-A-Jug, you can begin using larger treats. They will come out more slowly and make the Tug-A-Jug more of a challenge for him. Remember to stock up on Buddy-Ohs! treats for longer lasting playtime.

Use as a Feeder

The Tug-A-Jug can be used to feed your dog his entire meal. This is especially helpful for dogs that “inhale” their meals, and immediately start asking for more. Fill the Tug-A-Jug with your dog’s kibble, and make him work for his dinner!

Getting the Right Size

Remember to consider your dog’s size and breed when choosing the right size Tug-A-Jug. If you aren’t sure which size toy is correct for your dog, go up a size. This is a good rule of thumb for choosing the right size toy.

The Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug will challenge your dog to work for his meals and encourage longer lasting playtime.

PLEASE NOTE: Some dogs may chew through the rope during play. However, this doesn’t mean that the toy is unusable. You and your dog can continue to enjoy the Tug-A-Jug by placing various sized balls inside the jug with kibble or treats. As the balls roll back and forth, they interfere with the dispensing of kibble. By changing the size of the balls or the treats, the level of difficulty can be adjusted to suit your dog’s level of play and interest. We recommend using a couple of golf balls or a Wiffle ball to begin with to build your dog’s confidence as he plays. Once he understands the new rules of the game, you can increase the number and/or diameter of the balls.

As always, we encourage you to observe your dog as he plays and to take the toy away as necessary.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

146 of 147 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good alternative to a Buster Cube July 6, 2007

By M. Smith

Size Name:Medium/Large|Amazon Verified Purchase

This toy takes more effort to get food out than the Buster Cube, which I like because it occupies the dog longer. I find that the cube, even on its "hardest" setting only takes a few minutes to get out most of the food, and then the rest doesn't come out no matter how long the dogs work it. With the bottle the dogs can get nearly all the food out if they keep at it.

At first you should fill the bottle so that it is over half full. This way food can come out more easily when it is on its side. This will encourage the dog to play with it. Once the food level goes down food will only come out as they toss and pull the bottle. It took my dog a few days to get to this, but now she seems to have mastered it. She stands the bottle up and knocks it over, putting food into the neck, then she works the rope a bit and manages to get a piece of kibble out. When I first got the toy I thought she would never be able to figure it out, but she has. Even so, it takes a fair amount of work to get out just a few pieces of food, so it can keep them occupied all day.

79 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Power-Chewers! May 19, 2007

By Patricia Miller

Size Name:Medium/Large|Amazon Verified Purchase

Our 16 month old yellow lab loves to play with empty 2 liter pop bottles. I bought him this toy because I worried he would cut his mouth and gums on the sharp plastic shards of those flimsy bottles. No worry about that with the Tug-a-Jug...this toy will most likely survive through the next millennium!

To fill with treats, just twist off the bottom; couldn't be easier. It's a lot of fun watching our dog figure out how to get at the goodies inside.

I honestly don't think the rope pull is going to last very long; especially if you are buying this for an aggressive chewer. However, don't let that stop you from buying the tug-a-jug. Even without the rope, it's still a great and challenging toy.

168 of 186 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Love the Idea But Not as Great in Practice for Us May 28, 2008

By Jennifer King

Size Name:Small|Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 1:01 Mins

Tucker was nervous about this toy at first (as you'll see in the video) but really warmed up to it quickly and has enjoyed gnawing on it. However, this has not worked very well for us as a treat dispenser. I consider Tucker to be quite a clever puppy, but after fiddling with the tug-a-jug for a couple days, he just began bringing the thing to me and dropping it at my feet for me to dispense the treats for him. (I suppose that may be evidence of just how clever he is!)

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not for a medium chewer! September 28, 2008

By J. White

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have a medium size dog - 38 pounds. He enjoys to chew on things but I have never thought of him as a heavy chewer. The night I received this he was so excited about it. It was so tempting to see, hear and smell the treats. Well, within 20 minutes the toy was in the garbage. He chewed off the rubber toy that blocks the treats from coming out. He then started to chew where the smell of the treats is able to escape. The plastic fell apart so easily! He then started to break off little pieces. I woudl not recommend this for a medium or large sized dog!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Toy for a dog that's tough on toys August 16, 2007

By T. Hall

Size Name:Medium/Large

Our dog loves her Bad CUZ, but this toy she loves more than any other. She's a VERY tough chewer, and it's survived for quite some time with no damage. One thing - protect your toes with this toy - it's pretty heavy and does get swung around a bit. I wouldn't recommend this toy if you have low tables with knick-knacks, sensitive shins or teeny kids that may get bonked with it. Ours has gotten thrown (by the dog) repeatedly down the stairs onto a hard floor and hasn't broken yet.
As far as treats to go into it - remember that the rope is knotted inside the jug, so don't put anything into the jug that's soft or the rope will end up smelling REALLY nasty...

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Tug-a-Jug lasts 5 minutes. October 15, 2008

By Scarlet Girl

I was very disappointed with the tug-a-jug. It came in the mail today. The dog had it for 5 minutes and she had the rubber rope chewed in half in that short amount of time. A waste of money for me. I have yet to find something that this black lab doesn't destroy in record time.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad but not Jasper proof May 5, 2007

By media junkie

Size Name:Small

This toy is great for preventing my dog from inhaling all his food. Unfortunately it takes him less than an hour to empty it, so it's doesn't keep him as occupied as long as I'd like. So far minimal/suspected wear (bottle is scratched up and some of the nibs of the rubber chew part are gone) and I'm waiting to see if he manages to untie the knot of the rope (like he has on another toy).

Update 6/30/07: The screw on part has suffered some damage. It's almost as if Jasper bit it while it the toy was intact, nearly breaking a chunk out of it. Looks like I'm gonna have to buy another or find another toy. (So if I could I'd drop my rating to 3 stars.)

Update 12/30/07: Now the rope is "unraveling" near the top knot and it's getting stuck in the opening, making it hard for even me to get the rope out enough to dislodge the food. So it's definitely time for a new toy to dispense Jasper's food, which could very likely be this one simply for the ease of loading the food.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars My dog likes it May 29, 2007

By Andy B

Size Name:Small|Amazon Verified Purchase

My Beagle, who is an avid chewer, really enjoys the tug-a-jug. It took her about a day to figure out the fastest way to get to the treats, but even so it still takes her some time to work everything out of it. It's better than other treat-dispensing toys I have which make the treats either too easy or too difficult to get out. The only reason I wouldn't give this toy 5 stars is that my dog was able to chew right through the attached rope within the first hour of playing with it, so that part of it was not too durable. Still, even without the rope it's a good product.