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Dog anxiety is on the rise, and heartbeat toys are an increasingly popular solution in a pet parent’s anti-anxiety toolkit. We offered the Snuggle Puppy to three of our favorite anxious Rover test pups to see what it can do for dogs working through separation anxiety and crate training. Here’s their review.
The Snuggle Puppy Combines a Heartbeat with Heat
Coming onto the scene in 1997, the Snuggle Puppy was one of the earliest heartbeat toy for dogs—and it’s continued to dominate the market. First designed by a breeder who wanted to help a litter of puppies transition to their new homes, it combines a small plastic “heart” that pulses with a heat pack for warmth, stimulating the feeling of a mother dog.
The Snuggle Puppy’s heart is battery-powered (AAA batteries are included) and has two settings: one that shuts off automatically after eight hours and another that beats continuously until manually switched off.
The plush toy’s heating pad works like disposable human hand warmers, heating to a gentle warmth when exposed to air. Though it can last for up to 24 hours, it’s only single use—so if you find that heat is an integral part of the toy’s appeal, you’ll want to invest in a supply of refill heat packs.
Both the heating pad and the heart fit into a small pouch on the toy’s belly that fastens shut with Velcro. Once it’s closed, you can feel the heat and heartbeat from the outside.
Ruby, a very sweet volunteer, tests out the Snuggle Puppy.
Rover Test Pups Review the Snuggle Puppy Heartbeat Toy
To test how anxious dogs respond to heartbeat toys, we put nervous six-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog Ruby on the case, with support from protective Eskie Remus and charming-but-destructive Miniature Dachshund Oscar.
Each of our test pups reviewed the Snuggle Puppy for several weeks to determine if it might help calm them during stressful situations. Here’s what we discovered.
Sweet and anxious Ruby uses the Snuggle Puppy for crate training
The first to test the toy was Ruby, a former farm dog adopted by her current family as an adult. Though she’s pretty content when her humans are around, she gets nervous and can be destructive when they leave. She also hates to be confined, which can be challenging for her human, Katie.
To help with this, Katie usually crates Ruby in a jumbo kennel with their other dog, Sabine (one of Ruby’s adult pups), and the two cuddle until their family returns. Since having a real snuggle buddy tends to help Ruby, Katie wondered if a heartbeat toy would have the same effect.
Upon introducing the toy, Katie let Ruby sniff the Snuggle Puppy while still in its packaging. She then placed it next to Ruby whenever she was resting, turning on the heartbeat for a few minutes at a time. Slowly but surely, Ruby warmed up to the Snuggle Puppy, and Katie would catch her lying on it or placing her head on it throughout the day.
Ruby says the Snuggle Puppy also makes a very comfy pillow.
The real test, though, was the kennel. While Katie always leaves the door open, Ruby doesn’t go in voluntarily and never by herself. On a whim, Katie placed the Snuggle Puppy inside the kennel. To her surprise, she later found Ruby inside it taking a nap next to the toy!
On-guard Remy is restless at night
Our next tester, Remus the Eskie, belongs to Kelsey. He’s an energetic and social pup but exhibits some quirks that appear to stem from anxiety. For example, he’s very protective of his people. So when he hears a noise or sees someone walking by the house, he’ll pace or stand guard. Even in his crate, he’ll jolt up and start barking if he hears a noise that sounds like danger.
But Kelsey faced a problem with introducing the Snuggle Puppy during the day. Remus shares his home with a younger pup, a super chewer known to steal a toy or two. So Kelsey started giving Remus the Snuggle Puppy in the evening since he sleeps in a crate in her room—though not always restfully.
After a few days, she found that he slept better through the night with the heartbeat toy. He even started using it as a pillow when falling asleep. She knew it was a win when he brought the toy out of his crate in the morning and presented it to her, something he only does with his most prized possessions.
Remy proudly shows off his Snuggle Puppy.
Chew-loving Oscar has separation anxiety
Last but certainly not least is Oscar, who, by contrast, couldn’t care less about passersby—the threat he anxiously guards against is the departure of one of his humans from the apartment. He belongs to Allie and undertook the durability test on behalf of all the chewers and plushie destroyers out there.
Oscar’s prep involved a snack and some soothing couch time with his two humans, who made it clear they were going nowhere on a rainy Sunday afternoon. He was as calm as could be when the warm Snuggle Puppy was placed on the carpet for him to inspect.
At first, Allie thought Oscar approached the heartbeat toy with more reserve than he usually does with plush things. But his confusion didn’t last long. Within five minutes, he was identifying weak seams, and within ten, a serious campaign of destruction had begun. She removed the toy and offered it again several times, but the results were the same.
Oscar gleefully identifies a shreddable piece of the Snuggle Puppy.
Final Review: The Snuggle Puppy Offers Subtle but Important Help
Overall, we think the Snuggle Puppy Heartbeat Toy is well worth a try for anxious pups—and our interviews with experts confirmed there’s science to back it up.
Katie found it helped some of Ruby’s anxiety and even gave her the confidence to try something new: sleeping alone in her kennel. Kelsey also reported that the Snuggle Puppy helped Remus sleep better in his crate at night and became a much-loved toy (and an accessory to many heart-meltingly cute pictures).
Oscar’s experience, however, leads us to conclude that it’s not the toy for the truly committed chewers out there. Given his history of passionate plush destruction, Allie expected as much—but hope springs eternal.
Oscar says he can’t be blamed for such a deliciously destroyable toy.
We think the Snuggle Puppy heartbeat dog toy could benefit quite a few pups, in particular:
- Puppies adjusting to sleeping without their mother or littermates
- Dogs who have issues with confined spaces or pups learning how to use a crate
- Dogs who need extra help relaxing and like to snuggle with plush stuffed animals
- Pups experiencing a new transition (a move, loss of a family dog, etc.)
- Dogs who need extra help sleeping soundly through the night
- Pups who need a toy for situational anxiety like fireworks, car rides, etc.
However, the Snuggle Puppy might not be the best fit for some dogs, including:
- Aggressive chewers and pups prone to destroying their toys (we see you, Oscar)
- Dogs with severe separation anxiety
- Pups with resource-guarding issues (if in a multi-dog household)
- Anxious dogs who need more of an active distraction (like puzzle toys, lick mats, and snuffle mats)
If trying out the Snuggle Puppy, always supervise your pup and keep an eye on the toy’s belly flap where the heating pad and plastic heart are located.
Further Reading
- The Best Dog Toys With a Heartbeat
- Do Heartbeat Toys Work on Nervous Dogs? Experts Answer
- The 11 Best Calming Dog Toys for Anxiety, According to Experts
- ThunderShirts for Dogs: Do They Really Work? Experts and Product Testers Answer
- The Best Dog Lick Mats for Boredom, Anxiety, and Dental Health
- The Best Dog Puzzle Toys for Beating Doggy Boredom
