The Suction Cup Dog Toy – A Four Dog Review
One of my main strategies for keeping our house in good condition is to ensure the dogs get enough interaction and playtime that they don’t feel the need to interact with the couch cushions or table legs. The good news is that there are thousands of interactive toys on the market like the classic KONG – the King of interactive toys, a plethora of pet puzzles, and Scout’s new best friend, the snuffle mat, a game-changer for our little hound dog. (Read the post here). The new interactive toy that is all the rage is the new-fangled suction cup dog toy.
What is a Suction Cup Dog Toy?
The idea is that the suction cup attaches to the floor, and the dog will pull and pull all the livelong day. The instructions remind you that all dogs should be supervised when playing with any toy, but let’s be honest, the selling point is that you can squeeze in some meal prep or make a work deadline while the dog does their best to rip this toy from the ground. I totally get it. We have three dogs, and they each need some mental stimulation before we can do any work around here. While I love playing with them, it can be time-consuming to tire out the dogs.
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclaimer here.
Providing Mental Stimulation to Our Pups
Their personalities are very different, and they each have their favorite activity, which comes with an assortment of challenges. Mort likes a little afternoon walk to sniff and pee on things. The dilemma is I can only walk one or two dogs at a time. I feel like leaving two behind is better than one, right? To get Mort out the door for a walk, I first need to throw the ball with Scout and August in the backyard. Then I throw the ball as far as I can and rush through the house to the front door to try to get the leash on Mort, grab a poop bag, and get out the door before Scout and August have figured out we are going for a W-A-L-K.
Scout, on the other hand, likes us to throw the tennis ball for hours. No joke. Hours. The repetition can kind of get to you after a while. You can listen to a podcast for an hour, but it’s still tedious. I keep thinking as she gets older, she will want shorter sessions, but she is ten, and they still go on for hours.
Worse than both of these, August likes to play keep away. Nothing makes you feel more out of shape than running after a young German Shepard on your backyard’s uneven ground. Plus, you can’t even be lazy about it and pretend like you are going to chase him and then fake him out. He requests legit chasing. If the neighbors ever saw these shenanigans go down, I would be mortified.
Suction Cup Dog Come in Different Sizes
So I get wanting to attach your pup to this dog toy suction cup when you need a moment of freedom from the repetition and humiliation of providing mental stimulation to your dog. It’s the equivalent of giving your kid an iPad so you can take a quick conference call. So, I went to Amazon and read the reviews. I found the suction cup dog toy with the highest star ratings.
But this scution cup dog toy is for dogs 40lbs which is a bit small for my dogs so I moved on to a larger version.
The Suction Cup Dog Toy for Larger Dogs
The version larger dogs was the dog rope toy suction cup. The suction cup is larger and so is the attached toy. Seems promising.
Getting it to Stick
As soon as it arrived, I pushed the suction cup into the tile floor of our kitchen. It didn’t seem to work. I tried the side of the cabinet, and that kinda worked. I ran around the house, trying to stick the thing on any surface that would have it. We have hardwood floors in most of the house and only tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. I didn’t find any place it wanted to stick.
I checked the Google about how to increase the effectiveness of suction cups. It recommended that I find a smooth surface and make sure it was clean. Two things our kitchen floor did not have going for it. I searched around the kitchen to find the tile with the least amount of texture and cleaned the heck out that single tile, (I figured I would clean the other tiles during my new free time, right?) I stood on the suction cup until it was truly secure and It stuck!! Now, to add the dogs!
The Suction Cup Dog Toy Reviewed
Toy Hoarder – German Shepard Review
My plan was to put them in their own rooms and introduce them one at a time to this new magical toy. I wanted to set myself up for success, so I started with our German Shepard August, our little toy hoarder. I brought him into the kitchen to check it out, and he kind of sniffed it and walked away. Then I added a schmear of cheez whiz and invited him back in. He licked the cheez whiz, incessantly. Then he got up and walked away.
My next idea was to play a little game of keep-away with it. So I tried to tease him with the non-suction cup end of the toy and he totally bought in (sucker). He grabbed the toy in his mouth, and I gave him the command to go play outside. Then he stepped towards the door with the toy in his mouth, but he dropped it when he realized it was tethered to the floor. He gave it one more go and then ran outside and retrieved his favorite Kong toy.
I gave it a few more attempts because I refuse to be a quitter. At one point, I got him to pull on it, which he did, and it immediately released from the floor. He then ran into the backyard, and we were back playing keep away. The rope busted somehow as I was trying to retrieve it, so I had to tie it back on. I admitted my failure and moved on to another dog.
Food Motivated – Hound Dog Review
Scout, our hound dog, was next on deck. She loves food like only a hound dog truly can. So I added some cheez whiz and stuffed a little treat inside before sticking it back on the kitchen floor and inviting her to meet her new favorite suction cup dog toy. She licked the cheez whiz off for what felt like hours and then walked away.
Since this is real life, August unexpectantly showed up. He was somehow able to free himself from the room where he was sequestered (I am totally not blaming my husband for this at all.) August saw that Scout was into this new suction cup dog toy, so now he wanted it. When Scout walked away, he jumped in and pulled on it, once again freeing it from the floor, but dropping it as soon as he crossed paths with his favorite orange soccer ball.
Older Dogs – Shepard-Lab Mix Review
After retrieving it back from August (a second time), I loaded it up with cheez whiz and tried to woo Mortimer. Like the others, Mort licked the cheez whiz off the toy and then abandon it. When I tried to play a little game of keep-away to see if he would grab the toy, he convinced himself that it meant we were going for a walk and ran to the front door.
Why could I not figure this thing out? This was when I realized the joke was on me. This toy didn’t provide mental stimulation for dogs, it was a puzzle for humans. It was like giving your kid an iPad to take a conference call and then spending the entire call trying to connect it to WIFI and breaking into your YouTube account.
Puppy – Labradoodle Review
I had one more trick up my sleeve before I admitted defeat. My parents have the sweetest little labradoodle named Tasha Bell, and she is basically my younger sibling. Like most older siblings, I was confident I could get her to do whatever I wanted, including pulling on this suction cup dog toy for hours. I put the toy on their hardwood floors, which are much smoother (and nicer) than ours, and it seemed to stick. I swapped cheez wiz for peanut butter, but the results were the same. She licked the peanut butter for a very long time and walked away from the toy.
On the upside, the dogs did engage with the toy like they would have with a Kong. However, with the rope and other attachments, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving my dog alone with it as I do with the Kong.
Honestly, I think this suction cup dog toy is a bust. If you have had a great experience with one of these, let me know in the comments below.
The Best Dog Toys – Certified By My Three Dogs
Here is a list of our dogs’ favorite toys. There are more, but these are the ones we really couldn’t live without.
This is the ultimate in dog toys. There are blogs dedicated to what you can stuff into it. In the end, with a little cheez whiz or peanut butter, you can calm your dog down during a thunderstorm or distract them while the entire house is being remodeled.
Jolly Pets Soccer Ball Doy Toy
This is our German Shepards best friend. When he comes home from doggie-day care, he runs in the backyard to make sure it’s okay. He sleeps with it. Please let this orange ball never get hurt. I don’t know if we could recover.
– This is really a gift for humans. You can throw the ball without getting slobber all over your hands. If you are sitting down it gives you a little reach in case they don’t bring it right to you. It also makes you look like an MLB pitcher, even if you got cut from the high school softball team.
Frisbee can be hard, but this flying squirrel will make you look like a champ and will entertain your pup for hours. It’s also super durable. Unless your throw it into some else backyard it will be will last forever.
Jolly Pets Flathead/Squeak Toy
This is Scout’s favorite. The joy it brings her to swish that thing around is unreal. It has a crinkly factor and squeaky. It’s durable but doesn’t last forever. We have to get her a new one every year or so. It’s totally worth it. It’s pure hound dog happiness. (Get it here)
We are on our second Bark Box Liberty Ball. Scout and August trade this one back and forth but it’s always one of their mouths. I think they enjoy chewing on the soft spikey texture of it. It’s pretty durable considering it gets a ton of action. (Get it here)
This is a new one for us, but I really enjoy it when the dogs pass out with it in their beds with their paws on a bottle of Rosé. It’s also smart. You can open it up and replace the plastic water bottle inside when it gets crushed. There is a little attachment that connects at the top of the water bottle that makes it into a squeaky toy. If you hate those, just use a regular top. You can also wash it, which is unheard of for a dog toy.
This is another treasure from Kong. They last forever and the dogs are really into them.
Are you wondering what Mort isn’t mentioned? Well, this could probably be a whole other post, but he is way into cat toys. It’s not safe, so I can’t say I recommend you give them to your dogs. They are small and could be a choking hazard, but he steals them from the cat and then holds them in his mouth.
His favorite are these Furry Mice with Rattles. Ugh. So gross, but they make him so very happy.
To get more tips and reviews delivered right to your inbox, drop your email below!
