Loofa Dog vs Lamb Chop: The Road-Trip Tug Test

The honest answer up front: there is no winner. Loofa Dog and Lamb Chop are Ella's two absolute favorites, and both of them ride along on every road trip. Ella is Asher's dog and the Sniff and Shift tester, so we put her two favorites through a playful head to head on shape, squeak, tug feel and back seat manners. If you only came for the shopping links, they are the Multipet Loofa Dog collection and the Multipet Lamb Chop collection. Everyone else, buckle up.

Meet the contenders

In the blue corner, the Multipet Loofa Dog, The Original. Multipet describes it as a terry cloth covered, plush filled toy with a plastic noisemaking squeaker inside, shaped like a hot dog, and known as Bobo from its many television, commercial and movie appearances. Multipet says it is designed for cuddle and fetch and calls it great for puppy, small and medium sized dogs. In the fluffy corner, the Multipet Lamb Chop, the classic Shari Lewis puppet character in plush form. Multipet says its super soft exterior makes it great for cuddling and its squeaker makes it fun for playtime. One is a long noodle. One is a lamb with a face. Ella loves them both without reservation.

Round one: shape

Loofa Dog is long and skinny, which Multipet cheerfully admits people also search for as the elongated dog toy. That shape means a dog can carry it like a baguette, fold it in half, or drape it over the armrest. Lamb Chop is a lamb, with a head to grab, arms to hold and a body to lie on. The Floppy Lamb Chop stretches those arms out long and loose, so a dog who likes something to swing around gets the most lamb per grab. Shape verdict: Loofa is the carry toy, Lamb Chop is the hug toy.

Round two: squeak

Both squeak. Multipet is specific about Loofa Dog: a plastic noisemaking squeaker inside a plush filled body. Lamb Chop has a squeaker in the classic and floppy versions too. If your dog is a squeak enthusiast, the tiebreaker is the Lamb Chop Squeaker Mat, a flat 9 inch lamb that Multipet loaded with nine squeakers. Nine. In a car. Plan accordingly. Squeak verdict: even, until the mat shows up.

Round three: tug feel

Here the lines split by edition rather than by character. The Floppy Lamb Chop has arms that Multipet says are good for tugging, so that one is built for a two-way pull. The Loofa Floppy is the Loofa answer to the same idea, and Multipet says pups love it because it is fun to chew and retrieve, with vibrant colors that customers like. The original 6 inch Loofa is a smaller handful and leans toward cuddle and fetch, per Multipet. Tug verdict: pick a floppy edition of either one if tug is the game, and let a plush toy be a plush toy.

Round four: back seat manners

This is the round that matters on a long drive. A plush toy is quiet when nobody is squeezing it, it does not roll under the seat, and it doubles as a pillow at mile 200. Loofa Dog is narrow enough to tuck between a dog and the door. Lamb Chop is the one Ella rests her chin on. Both come out at the pit stop and both get put back in the car without an argument. The only thing that outranks either toy at a rest area is the bag of freeze-dried dog treats in the glovebox. Manners verdict: a tie, and a well behaved one.

Which one for which mood

Fetch in a parking lot: Loofa Dog, which Multipet designed for cuddle and fetch, or the Lamb Chop Knobby Noggins with the knobby rubber ball in its head for dogs who love to fetch. Cuddle on the couch: either one, honestly, though the plain Lamb Chop with its super soft exterior is the cuddle default. Tug in the yard: a floppy edition of either. A little celebration: the Loofa Dog Rainbow, which Multipet offers as a special edition rainbow style, or a birthday hat Lamb Chop. Game day: the Tailgate Lamb Chop with the football. Sizing question: our Lamb Chop size guide covers every lamb from 4 inches to 28. And if you want the full backstory on why Ella grabs the lamb first, Ella's Lamb Chop obsession, explained has it.

Final verdict

Both ride shotgun. That is the whole finding. Loofa Dog is the carry and fetch toy, Lamb Chop is the hug and squeak toy, and a dog with room in the back seat for both is a dog with a good weekend ahead. Plush toys are for play and cuddling, not for unattended chewing. Supervise play and take the toy away if pieces come loose. And if you get one of each, do not be surprised when your dog carries both to the door the next time the bags come out.

One last thing before you shop the Multipet toys collection: these toys are sold and shipped by The Family Pet, an independent pet store in Nanuet, New York, through Shopify Collective. They are made by Multipet, not by Sniff and Shift. We just happen to have a tester who will not get in the car without one.