When a range comes in several characters sharing one specification, the honest thing to say is that the choice is purely aesthetic. The platypus is not tougher than the koala, nor better suited to a particular sort of dog. It is the same Red Dingo Durables build wearing a different face, and picking whichever one you like the look of is a perfectly good way to decide, since dogs appear to have no opinion on the matter.

What is worth caring about sits underneath all of them. Durables is Red Dingo's hard-wearing line, assembled with solid hardware rather than the light fittings that tend to fail first, and finished so it stays comfortable through repeated use. The brand covers the range with a five-year guarantee, and that is the practical difference between this and a supermarket equivalent: if it does give out, it becomes Red Dingo's problem rather than yours.

• Platypus character from the Red Dingo Durables range
• Same build and specification as the other characters in the line
• Solid hardware and hard-wearing materials
• Five-year Red Dingo guarantee
• Weighs 150g
• Shipped tracked, with our 14-day returns promise

Who it's for: Anyone choosing by character rather than specification, and owners who value a five-year guarantee more than a long list of features.