Shopping for new toys for Mikki our Miniature Pinscher is definitely up there on our list of favourite things to do-and he certainly wouldn’t have it any other way. He is spoiled but he’s worth it🥰😚. We tend to stick to buying strong and durable toys that can stand up to enthusiastic chewing, should we say, similar to the Kong stuffer toys. Now we do love Kongs but unfortunately, the last one we bought Mikki was undersized which resulted in him fairly quickly chewing the toy in half. We want to make it clear that this was our fault-pay attention to Kong’s size chart AND the tons of dog owners’ advice (including ours) of sizing up! Anyway so our answer to this unfortunate event was to replace the Kong with another one of the correct size, however, after watching a video from a YouTuber, we found the Busy Buddy stuffer toy. We thought it was just another stuffer toy but we looked at some reviews on some shopping sites and found customers commenting on how tough it feels and how it has lasted longer than some other similar toys. So after stumbling across the Busy Buddy in a shopping mall and getting to hold the toy in our hands, we realised that Mikki just had to have it. So we bought it right there and then.

Tough Chewers Need Tough Toys

In the store there were 3 sizes of the Busy Buddy and they were all rather heavy when we picked them up-heavier than the Kong in the same sizes.

Looking inside of the Busy Buddy you can see the walls are very thick (compared to the Kong) and the toy itself is very firm when squeezing it. But the toy is ‘soft’ enough to be enjoyable for a dog when biting it (there will be some resistance). PetSafe say that their toy is durable and holds up well under the toughest of chewers. The Busy Buddy comes in a few different forms i.e. animals, and the one we bought was the Squirrel Dude in a medium. The Busy Buddy at face value appeared tougher and thicker than a Kong Extreme and it also bounces well. Just so it’s clear we’re not drawing comparisons between these products in this review-not deliberately anyway. It wouldn’t be fair as the Kong was in an inappropriate size for our Min Pin. There is a very strong rubbery smell that comes with the Busy Buddy which doesn’t seem to subside and we’ve had this toy for a few months now. It doesn’t bother us however, least not our Mikki😁. We mention this because looking at the online reviews it does appear to bother a lot of people🤷🏾‍♀️. The Busy Buddy is a stuffer or treat-dispensing toy which means just like the Kong, it has a hollowed out inside which means it can be stuffed with treats or your dog’s meals. It has 4 flaps that the company calls ‘Treat Meter Prongs’ which can be cut to make it easier on your dog to access the treats. This is a similar feature of treat dispensing toys that are marketed to challenge your dog’s thinking skills by being able to customize the ‘difficulty rating’. In the Busy Buddy the flaps are the only thing keeping loose treats/kibble inside so we would recommend definitely not cutting them unless you are stuffing the toy with actual food that sticks to the insides. Pretty much the same thing you’d do with a Kong. So far we’ve only filled the toy with treats that are large enough as to not slip between the flaps immediately.

The Busy Buddy has two holes just like the Kong and can be frozen when filled with food. The toy is made from non-toxic, BPA-free material and 100% natural rubber. It is also dishwasher safe. The Busy Buddy Squirrel Dude comes in 1 colour which is a dark purple and one level of firmness (unlike the Kong)-which we think is pretty firm anyhow😉.

The Busy Buddy like other treat dispensing toys is fantastic for combating boredom in your Min Pin, at least for a few hours. At best it can serve as a distraction for dogs with separation anxiety.

Mikki’s Verdict?

From the get-go Mikki was very keen to get his teeth into the Busy Buddy. After all he had to put up with the strong rubbery scent for days before we gave it to him! Mikki really tested the toy’s mettle and continues to do so. He chewed on this toy for hours and hours and we think he’s spent more time using this toy in one session than he has any other toy in his life! We haven’t yet filled the Busy Buddy with any inspirational fun recipes but we do plan to so keep checking our blog😎😃.

There was some wear and tear after a few sessions with Mikki. He does really chew it harshly and will make these, what can only be described as, squelching noises when he does so. He’ll also use his nails to scratch at the toy, pawing it around, which explains the scratching marks.

Mikki absolutely loving his Busy Buddy Squirrel Dude😝

Our Thoughts

All in all the Busy Buddy seems to be a fun and durable as well as a high quality product. Would we recommend it for aggressive chewers? We can’t say for certain. It depends on the breed of dog and how large they are. However we would recommend it as an excellent contender for stuffing toys. For small dogs like the Min Pin, the medium Busy Buddy is the size to go for. Much the same as you’d do when selecting a Kong or similar toy, ensure that the toy is big enough as to not fit comfortably in your dog’s mouth-if it can, then it can also be chewed up and become a hazard if swallowed.

The videos below demonstrate how to stuff these toys and different recipes you can try.