Smaller dogs get a poor deal from tough toys, which tend to be built for Labradors and land in a Cocker's mouth like a house brick. The Junior range exists for that reason, and this hippo is the lightest of the three we stock at 160g, measuring 22.9cm long, 10.2cm across and 7.6cm deep. It is a proper carrying-and-shaking size for a terrier or a spaniel rather than a scaled-down ornament.

The construction is the same as the full-size Tuffy toys, which is what you are actually paying for. Layers of material are bonded together instead of sewn as one skin, seams take several rows of stitching, and webbing is laid over those seams because seams are where a normal plush toy splits and empties itself across a rug. It floats, which makes it useful at the beach or by a river, and it is machine washable and air dried.

• Junior size: 22.9 x 10.2 x 7.6cm
• 160g, the lightest of our Tuffy stock
• Multiple bonded layers, several rows of stitching
• Protective webbing over the seams
• Floats for water retrieves
• Machine washable, air dry

On what junior means. Junior refers to the size of the toy, not to a softer build, so it is not a puppy comfort toy to chew unsupervised. Tough is not indestructible either: supervise play, and retire the hippo once the outer layer is breached rather than once it starts losing filling. A large powerful dog will get through this faster simply because there is less of it.

Who it's for: Small and medium dogs who play hard with soft toys, and anyone whose spaniel or terrier destroys an ordinary plush in an afternoon.