Product Review: West Paw Zogoflex Air Dash

West Paw's Zogoflex Air disc, Dash, is a frisbee that can handle some serious chomping and chewing. Made with their proprietary air-injected Zogoflex material, it's tough enough to handle independent dog play. This disc is soft to catch, and easy to pick up after it lands. It floats, is dishwasher safe, and is made in the USA. The Dash disc comes in three colors.

Our Zogoflex Wox toy is still going strong after being fetched an infinite number of times, so I thought a Dash disc would be a good addition to our collection of safer toys.

Unlike most of our discs, this one is durable enough to be used as a chew toy, so it's not just for interactive play. It's also soft enough for the girls to catch in midair without hurting their mouths.

Sisci Godzilla can easily pick this toy up after it lands, she has trouble with regular discs. The Dash floats, and you can keep it clean by sticking it in the dishwasher, which I am totally going to test out in the near future.

West Paw has a really cool recycling program where they accept old and damaged toys. They process these into more toys, so the chewed up bits don't end up in a landfill somewhere. They also guarantee their toys, so if your dog destroys something you can get a one-time replacement.

Pros

• Durable enough for regular chewing
• Soft and easy on mouths
• Center hole makes it easy for dogs to pick up
• Floats
• Dishwasher safe
• Recyclable
• Made in the USA

Cons

• Does not fly very well
• Center hole makes a great place to begin chewing it into oblivion

Bottom Line

Zip really enjoys a good game of fetch, and then she settles down to give the disc a good gnaw. We've lost a number of toys that way, but it looks like the Dash disc can handle it.

Product Review: West Paw Zogoflex Air Wox

The nice people at the West Paw Design booth gave me this Zogoflex Air Wox toy at SuperZoo. It's got a unique texture that is clearly irresistible.  The shape is obviously fun to bite, given how much biting goes on around here. It's also fun to shake and tug. There are two other toys in the Zogoflex Air line, a disc and a ball. All are backed by West Paw's one-time replacement guarantee, and you can get a sturdier toy as a replacement. These are recyclable, dishwasher safe, they float, and they are made in the USA.

Photo by Erin Koski

It don't know what it is about this thing, but Sisci Godzilla feels compelled to hoard it in her crate. She's not gnawing on it in there, she just...likes to take it with her.

I'm pleased with the Wox because it combines several qualities that I don't normally find in the same toy. It floats, and it floats high in the water so that dogs can spot it while they're swimming. It's soft, so if I accidentally bean my dog with it, she'll be ok. We can play tug with it. It's durable and doesn't scream "SHRED ME!!!" like toys with fabric covers or ropes seem to.

Photo by Erin Koski

The shape of this thing is particularly fun. The legs wobble all over the place, and when the dogs bite or shake it, those legs thwap them in the face. For some reason they LOVE this. Face thwapping seems to be a major perk.

Pros: Durable enough to handle quite a bit of chomping. Guaranteed for a one-time replacement if your dog manages to shred it. As a tug toy, it's easy on both my hands and my dog. Floats high enough for dogs to see even if they are swimming with their eyeballs barely above the waterline. Does not absorb water. No parts to rip or shred. If I set it on its feet on a hard floor and nudge it, I can kinda make it walk.

Cons: Not as durable as some of the original Zogoflex toys, it's an interactive toy and not a let-your-dog-reach-chewing-nirvana toy.

Bottom Line: It's a weird toy made out of a weird material and my dogs LOVE IT.

Product Review: West Pet ZogoFlex Bumi

The Zogoflex Bumi is a durable dog toy from West Paw. Intended for games of tug, it is throwable, chewable, and recyclable. It stretches, floats, and is easy on the teeth. As an added bonus for some dogs, it can be shaken wildly so that the ends thwap them in the face. The Bumi comes in two sizes, the large is about an inch bigger than the small.

Photo by Erin Koski

This arrived in our highly disappointing May BarkBox, and I was not happy to see it. Brisbane really doesn't like solid rubber toys, and will only hold it to be polite. The Bumi doesn't squeak or make any noise at all when he bites it, so he just doesn't see the point.

Sisci, on the other hand, thinks the Bumi is pretty cool. She is determined to play with all the toys, and absolutely must carry something around when excited. She thinks the Bumi is very nice to gnaw. When thrown end over end, it skips across the ground in a way that is lots of fun to chase and bite.

This is the smaller of the two sizes, and it's still bigger than Ru. He ignored the Bumi completely until Sisci started playing with it. Ru loves to play tug with Sisci, sometimes she even notices and plays along. The shape of the Bumi is just right for Ru to grab and end and run along with her. They can even gnaw on it at the same time, which is excessively cute.

Pros: Super durable. Stretchy to absorb shock during vigorous tug games. Stands up to a decent amount of recreational chewing. Easier on the teeth than rope tugs, and it lasts longer too. soft enough for indoor play on noisy hardwood floors. Provides places for multiple dogs to grab.

Cons: Won't stand up to a power chewer on a mission of destruction. Does not come in a size suitable for tiny dogs.

Bottom Line: I appreciate the Bumi a lot more since Sisci and Ru started using it for the most adorable tug games ever.

What is your dog's favorite tug toy?