Three Tug-e-Nuff dog toys we love – and your dog will too

Have you got a dog that likes to tug, chase and fetch? Me too. Phoebe and Frank are, fortunately, both toy and food driven, which means we often get to use both as fun training aids. However, we quite often find that toys don’t tend to last very long, or the novelty wears off.

But over the last month we have been thoroughly putting some Tug-e-Nuff toys through their paces, which has landed them in our list of holy grail toys for strong dogs. Not only do they look great, designed in colours that dogs can see, they’re also extremely sturdy, suitable for supervised interactive play that will help your dog grow in confidence and build a stronger bond with you.

We’ve got three very different toys, including a food-themed training tool that’s perfect for long-distance rewards, as well as one that will help your dog tap into their all important prey drive, and another that’s a cracking all-rounder for throwing, fetching and tugging. Phoebe and Frank have, on more than one occasion, snuck into the pantry and rooted these out of the toybox, which goes to show that when given the pick of the bunch, these are their favourites.

Here are three Tug-e-Nuff toys my dogs love, and we think yours will too!

Tug-e-Nuff Faux Fur Squeaky Chaser

Some dogs have a higher prey drive than others, which you’ll often see displayed in a love for squeaky toys. Phoebe is practically a dog possessed when she hears a squeaker and loves trying to get to the source of the sound.

This Faux Fur Squeaky Chaser toy offers the look and feel of a fur toy that dogs will love, but it’s made of entirely synthetic fur. The motivating tug toy is made with a fluffy bite area which is realistic to look at but more durable than fur, complete with a long-lasting and satisfying squeaker that will tap into your dog’s natural instincts. Both Phoebe and Frank go mad for it and it works incredibly well as a recall tool.

The toy measures approximately 118cm from the tip of the handle – made with signature foam-padded webbing – to the end of the 27cm bite area. It costs £17.95, comes in an array of pet-friendly colours and is covered by a 45 day Tug It + Love It Guarantee.

I found the size of the bite area to be good for our large breed dogs, and from an owner’s perspective, it’s comfortable to hold and play interactively with your dog.

Tug-e-Nuff offer tonnes of helpful bite size training tips on their website which we’ve used in conjunction with the toys, including teaching them which part to bite and when to ‘drop it’.

Both Scamps come running when they see the toy, so you can imagine how well it works for recall. Not only that but it’s ideal for taking on walks to use as a distraction for Phoebe’s reactivity to some dogs. 

The Clam

Phoebe and Frank are real foodies, and if you have a food motivated dog, The Clam is a valuable treat-dispensing training toy that you can use to reward your dog from afar. Coming in at £17.95, the pocked-sized training aid can be tucked away until it’s needed ready to surprise your pooch with the flick of a paw. 

The compact tool can be used for things like agility or flyball, but equally, your dog doesn’t have to be ‘sporty’ to enjoy it, and can engage in a game of hide and seek, or use it in trick training instead. We’ve loved using it in freedom fields when Phoebe and Frank have been having a run about, or to encourage them to have a go at some of the agility courses.

We also like to play hide and seek with The Clam and watch Phoebe and Frank use their noses to work out where we’ve stashed it. 

Perfectly weighted for throwing, the tool has been designed to reduce training frustration and maximise results. This is thanks to its clever opening mechanism which is big enough for your dog to get their treat, but too small for the treat to fall out when it’s thrown, offering instant rewards and some impressive training results. In the same way a police dog might be rewarded with a squeaky ball when they make a find, your dog’s brain gets that same satisfaction when they get to their Clam.

The Clam comes in three colourways: pink and purple, blue and yellow or blue and orange – all of which are colour combinations that are easy for dogs to see. This makes play time and training more exciting and enjoyable – particularly if you’re throwing it into grass.

Tug-e-Nuff PowerBall Bungee

Frank is ball obsessed, and Tug-e-Nuff say they’ve created the ‘world’s most perfect dog ball’ in their specially designed PowerBall toy. 

The PowerBall bungee, costing £16.95 is a brightly coloured and fun toy that can be thrown, fetched and tugged, making it a real winner for the Scamps.

The bungee range is more robust in comparison to other Tug-e-Nuff toys, making it particularly good for strong dogs, using two strands of shock cord, reducing the risk of jarring the handler’s shoulder or the dog’s neck during play.

The ball incorporated into the toy has been designed by in-house training and play experts, and manufactured exclusively for Tug-e-Nuff to feature easy-grip grooves and a unique dual texture for canine sensory stimulation. 

Tug-e-Nuff said: “Unlike conventional tennis balls, which are often made with dangerous glass fibres, the PowerBall is non-toxic and non-abrasive. It’s also tuggable, bounceable and the perfect weight for throwing.”

It comes in three three eye-catching core colours to choose from, but each PowerBall has a blue outer shell as that’s the colour dogs see best. 

The brand added: “We think it’s the world’s most perfect dog ball, and we’re certain your canine companion will agree.”

Read more: The surprisingly durable Scooby Doo balls for a bargain price

This is the toy we play with in the garden the most. It’s perfect for those days when you want a day off from a walk but still want to keep them occupied. We play tug or fetch with Phoebe and Frank, and have found the toy to be a real gamechanger. 

Since using it, Frank’s confidence has really developed and he’s more willing to and more interested in play time, while Phoebe enjoys the interaction and digging her heels into the grass to show off her Staffy strength. 

Tug-e-Nuff added: “All our toys are designed by our family of professional trainers and hand-finished by experts in our Devon workshop. They’re also backed by more than 5,000+ verified five star reviews and, when used for supervised, interactive play only, our tuggies can last years.”

You can shop the Tug-E-Nuff range for yourself here.

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