Fur FAQs: Everything You Need To Know About The Fur We Use & Why We Use It

As well as a family of dog trainers and owners, we’re also big animal lovers here at Tug-E-Nuff.

So when customers get in touch with questions about our range made with real sheepskin and rabbit skin, we get it. 

We’re passionate about helping every owner discover the Tug-E-Nuff toy that will help them get results, and we’re always happy to talk about the sheepskin and rabbit skin we use.

So here are our answers to some of the most common questions about our real fur toys...

Why do you use real fur? 

For a dog training toy to get great results it has to be motivating and rewarding.

For lots of dogs, the most powerful, motivating and rewarding thing of all is a Tug-E-Nuff toy with the unique scent and texture of real fur. 

Where does your fur come from?

The sheepskin we use is locally-sourced in Britain, from farms near our workshop in Devon. The rabbit skin we use comes from farms in Europe. 

Both the sheepskin and rabbit skin we use is a byproduct from the meat industry. It’s important to note that we might not be accustomed to eating rabbit here in the UK, but it is commonplace in parts of Europe. 

Isn’t it cruel?

No. The fur we use would otherwise be thrown in the bin. Although many of us humans are vegetarian or vegan, our dogs are not. We think playing with a toy made with responsibly-sourced fur is no different to feeding your dog a meat-based meal (which, of course, most of us do every day!). 

What are the benefits?

At Tug-E-Nuff, we’re passionate about training using positive methods only. For that to work, a high value reward is needed. Lots of dogs find the scent and texture of a tug toy made with real fur incredibly motivating and rewarding.

Using real fur training toys simply gets brilliant results. The bite area of our real fur collections are also organic, so completely safe for play. 

It’s also worth noting that real fur is often stepping stone to encouraging play. Our real fur toys are a great way to spark play drive in dogs who aren’t typically confident and playful (especially rescues). However, once these dogs realise play is fun it is possible to switch to using a faux fur or fleece toy if preferred. 

See our complete sheepskin range here and our rabbit skin range here.

How do I choose between rabbit skin and sheepskin? 

The bite area on our sheepskin toys is denser and fluffier, and may be better suited to stronger, bigger dogs.

Our rabbit skin tuggies are particularly popular with terriers, but it’s all down to preference. 

Every dog is different and there isn’t a one size fits all rule for choosing the best toy. It’s worth trying a couple of toys to see which your dog prefers (remember, we offer a 45 Day Tug It + Love It guarantee so you can buy with confidence and return if you need to). 

Does using real fur toys encourage dogs to chase livestock?

No. Surprisingly, it has the opposite effect. We talk about this in more detail in this blog. 

What if I don’t want to use real fur? 

No worries! Every dog and every owner is different and you have to do what’s right for you. 

We’ve created an impressive range of faux fur tug toys as an exciting alternative to real fur. It includes favourites like the Faux Fur Chaser and the Bright Fauxtastic bungee. Some of our most popular toys are non fur training toys, like the Crazy Thing Bungee and The Clam. 

See our faux fur toys here and our fleece toys here.

Are there any benefits to using a faux fur Tug-E-Nuff toy? 

Lots of our faux fur toys come in choice of exciting colours, which we can’t do with our Sheepskin and Rabbit skin collections.

Also, depending on how your dog likes to play, you might find our faux options more durable. 

Got more questions? We’re always happy to help. Email us at hello@tugenuff.co.uk or DM us on Facebook or Instagram.