Customer Reviews

Premier Squirrel Dude Dog Toy

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Our dog won't touch a toy unless it's filled with food. She's figured a lot of the puzzle toys out, and cleans out a classic Kong in record time. I really needed something to keep her occupied for an extended time, and Squirrel Dude is my man. It's similar to a classic Kong, except it has four flexible, triangular tabs in the opening. You can control the "flow" of food--simply leave the tabs as is to make the dog's job harder, or trim them so the food falls out faster. You'll have to gauge it based on the size of the treat you plan to use, and how dedicated your dog is. We like to fill this with smaller treats--kibble, bits of chicken jerky, Zuke's, and broken-up biscuits, so I just barely trimmed each tab and it works great. She'll work at this off and on all day, and sometimes will take longer than a day to empty it. We've had Squirrel Dude about six months--he takes a beating every day and has held up incredibly well. This was truly money well spent.

I bought this for my Pembroke Welsh Corgi and at first, he didn't like it. The food wouldn't come out because it would get stuck in the purple knobs that hold the food in. So finally, I just cut those off and the food came out easier (but it's not like it poured out; very subtle). He was bored with his generic dog food I put in there so I got into chopping up carrots and celery and mixing them with peanut butter and freezing it, and Little Bear goes NUTS!!! He LOVES it! And it takes him a good 30-45 minutes to get everything out. Just as long as its frozen food with some sort of buffer (like peanut butter or Kong Stuff), its one of his favorite things. It's a pretty exhaustive process to get everything out for him, and he's pooped afterwards. He likes it more than his Kong balls I'd have to say.

We don't put kibble in our squirrel buddy, as my two girls will fight to the death over it. I do, however, put some peanut butter inside the opening each morning when I leave for work. Keeps them busy for a good little while. The squirrel buddy is stronger than Kong -- my mild-mannered, but very persistent 60 pound Weimaraner destroyed two Kongs -- one regular and one heavy-duty. She hasn't managed to chew up the squirrel. Other toys from the same company haven't fared as well against her, but the squirrel continues to survive my ferocious chewers. Ordering three more!

We've had this toy for quite some time, and originally thought it was better than a Kong because it held the treats more securely and was a greater challenge for our aussie.

Today, however, we came home to find that the toy had gotten stuck on his lower jaw. I would not have thought this was possible, given the size of the opening. But apparently the prongs and the type of rubber combined to create a situation where the bottom half of his jaw became stuck in the toy. He was in pain, and it was an ordeal getting it off.

Of course, once it came off it went into the trash.

I never would have thought that his jaw would fit in the opening. Our pup is intense and focused, so if you have a more passive dog this problem might not arise.

My local independent pet store highly recommended the large Squirrel Dude for my big dog who loves to chew. I gave it to him, and he had chewed off the head in less than five minutes. He was starting to swallow the rubber chunks he chewed off. I'm getting a refund. The label said that this toy "is not considered indestructible" -- no kidding!

My dogs love this toy! My oldest is almost 8, but he's still a puppy at heart. They're Golden/Lab mixes, so they love to play and are very food-driven. They're very rough on toys and have destroyed several other treat-dispensing toys by simply chewing through the toy to get to the treats inside. I've had two of these toys for a few weeks now, use them at least once or twice a day, and they're still good as new. Ben loves this toy so much he carries it around with him a good part of the day and takes it to bed with him at night, so I'm pleased with how durable they are. And it's so much fun to watch them play with it. They each have their own, so there is no fighting over the toy or the treats.

I normally use dog food to fill the squirrel and my dog goes to town on it! It does turn into a slobbery mess as he sits there and tries to lick out all the food. Before giving it to him I try to show him that by shaking it you can get the food out, but I don't think he understands. He gets most of the kibble out, except for the soggy ones that are towards the squirrel's head. I definitely recommend the squirrel especially since it is dishwasher safe and it has the prongs that controls the flow of things coming out. You don't have to deal with the peanut butter mess every time you try to stuff it like the Kong.

I bought this toy for my dog a month ago, and I'm going to get rid of it. It smells horrible, it has a really strong rubber and baby oil smell. I washed and scrubbed this toy many times, but the smell does not go away. When my dog played with this toy, he bit some of the plastic/rubber off. This was a complete waste of money, and I will stick to the Kong toys for my dog.
It may work for your dog, but I don't recommend this product to anyone.

We've had this for about a month now and it just has little teeth marks but no major damage. This is a really durable toy. It's been loved on by our three dogs, all of which have destroyed countless toys. I keep it filled with their kibble and they just love it. I had to cut the little bumpers some before any food would fall, like directed. I'd definitely recommend this toy over a Kong or Rhino bone (as both have been destroyed in our house). Even if you don't fill it with food, its a great toy. And it smells nice too.

** EDIT: I'm updating.. Its 5/20/09 and the little guy is still going strong. Our three liked it so much, I bought a 2nd. Anyone who's dog can eat through a Kong should try this toy. It's awesome.

My lab mix can empty a kong in seconds if it is just dry food, even mixed with something sticky. So I thought I would try something else.

At first, he was not a fan--barked cause he didn't know how to get food out. I snipped two of the prongs at the bottom and now he loves it.

However, now that he is a pro at two prongs--I want the prongs back! =)

With prongs, you can't really freeze or put gunk in it (cause good luck trying to clean it!) but without prongs it is basically just a kong.

Downside: it is too hard to chew, especially for puppies. Thus my pup uses it more as a treat ball than a chew toy.

It is fun to take outside and bounce though. Good quality, not raving about it but glad I bought it. I just bought the large and am keeping the prongs in!