Zeus Nitro Weighted Buoy with Rope

A dog that loses sight of a toy in water gives up on it, and most floating toys lie flat on the surface where they are hardest to see from water level. Standing one up changes the whole game.

Zeus do that with a natural rubber counterweight at one end. It makes the buoy rise to the surface when thrown and float at an angle so part of it sticks up out of the water, and the same weight gives it range off a throw from a bank. The toy is 26CM, and Zeus describe the material as FDA-approved, buoyant, flexible and bouncy, built with the sort of technology used in professional sports gear. It is sold for outdoor water play and, in their words, for all seasons.

• 26CM long
• Natural rubber counterweight for throwing range and upright buoyancy
• Floats at an angle, so it stays visible above the waterline
• Zeus describe the material as FDA-approved
• Made for outdoor water play and, Zeus say, all seasons

On the rope. It is sold as a buoy with rope and nothing whatsoever has been supplied about the rope - no length, no material, no note on whether it can be replaced when it frays. The same gap applies to the weight: 0.45kg is what the parcel weighs, not the buoy, and "ideal weight for safe play" is a phrase rather than a figure. There is no guidance either on which size of dog a 26CM buoy suits, so judge that against your own dog's mouth. And no toy is chew-proof: a rubber toy that has started to come apart belongs in the bin rather than back in the bag.

Who it's for: owners of dogs who actually swim - rivers, lakes and the sea rather than paddling pools - and anyone whose retriever loses interest in a ball the moment it drifts.