The Ultimate Guide To West Paw Toppl: A Must-Have Toy For Dogs?

Let’s talk about the West Paw Toppl Dog Toy – what it actually is, , what the different sizes look like, how to use / fill it and so much more. Short: Is the Toppl Dog Toy worth the hype and your money?

As this is a pretty detailed and long article, I created this content overview below for you. All the headlines are clickable, so if there’s a bit that interests you most, please feel free to click right on it and jump directly to that part of the article.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue to provide valuable content to our readers. Thank you!

What is the Toppl Dog Toy?

The West Paw Toppl is an interactive dog toy and slow feeder built for moderate chewers. It comes in three different colours orange, blue and yellow and sometimes in a special holiday edition.

The Toppl is available in three sizes small, large and now also in XL. It has been designed by West Paw to be filled with kibble or treats but is also often used as a slow feeder for wet or raw food. The Toppl looks like a pot with a wide opening on the top and a smaller whole on the side. On the bottom it has obstacles to make it even harder for the dog to get the food out. The Toppl can be used on it’s own as a slow feeder or by interlocking two different sizes (either small and large or large and XL). The interlocked Toppl create a puzzle game. In order to get the treats out the dog has to push the interlocked Toppl around gently. You can see Chalkie using the Toppl as a puzzle in the video here.

What do the 3 different sizes of the Toppl look like ‘in real life’?

In the video below you can see what the three sizes of the West Paw Toppl Dog Toy look like in real life and the actual size differences.

Below you can also find the exact measurements for each size the Toppl comes in.

Toppl Dog Toy – Measurements for Toppl Large, Small & XL

Toppl Dog Toy Large

The large Toppl is our ‘go to’ toy and measures 3.5″ x 4″ x 3.5″ / 9cm x 10cm x9cm. I often simply feed some of my dogs daily food allowance out of it – topped with some homemade toppers and some natural chews or healthy add ons. You can check out this video “Let’s fill a Toppl together”.

Toppl Dog Toy Small

The small Toppl measures 2.5″ x 3″ x 3″ / 6cm x 8cm x 8cm and we really like it for a small snack (see further down for receipts). You can also freeze the toys and we love it as a little snack after walks or as a puzzle game – in combination with the large Toppl. Especially Chalkie loves this combo! You can find a video of him playing with it on my YouTube Channel (see below for link).

Toppl Dog Toy XL

The Toppl XL measures 3.75″ x 4.75″ x 4.75″ / 10cm x 12cm x 12cm and if you have a large dog or a bully breed I think it’s the perfect size! Might be way too big for a smaller dog but for a big nosed dog or one with a rather big daily food allowance, this is amazing! It interlocks with the large Toppl too, so you can create a pretty big doggy puzzle – which is also pretty nice for strong dogs.

See how the interlocked version of the small and large Toppl looks in action here.

For which Dog is the Toppl a Good Toy?

As the Toppl Dog Toy comes in three different sizes, which makes it an amazing toy for any dog! No matter the size or the dog’s age or breed.

Due to the Toppl’s flexible nature it’s a toy that can grow with your dog. What I mean by this is that you can use it as an alternative to a Kong (with a bigger opening, which my dogs find really nice and easier to ‘lick food out of” compared to a Kong) and/or as a slow feeder. With the obstacles on the bottom you can make it easier or more challenging when you add in food that can ‘get stuck’ (more difficult) like bigger pieces of meat or kibble or easier by filling it with food that falls out easily (Kibble or treats) or that the dog can easily access like wet food or raw. This in itself can provide a challenge for your dog and help to build problem solving skills.

Interlinked Toppl as a Dog Feeder Puzzle

Once your dog nails this and has developed their problem-solving skills or to mix things up a bit and keep it interesting, you can interlock two different sized Toppl toys (see video) and create a puzzle game where your dog has to push the toy around in order for the treats or Kibble to fall out. This way, they have to use different skills and can entertain themselves. Make sure to make it easy at first and help your dog if needed to avoid frustration.

Use the Toppl to create yummy Meals

You can also use a single Toppl toy and fill it with different toppings to create variety and even freeze it (great for hot summer days and to also increase the challenge).

For more ideas on how to fill a Toppl and what to add to it, click here.

Please keep in mind that the Toppl is created for MODERATE Chewers! It’s NOT a chew toy! If you’d like to get some advice on how to prevent your dog chewing enrichment toys (indestructible toys aren’t necessarily the answer!), then click here. I wrote this article for a lick mat – but the same principle can be applied!

While the Toppl isn’t the cheapest product on the market (starts at $20.95 for the small size), you can use it in various ways and keep your dog entertained.

Due to it’s versatile – using it on it’s own or interlocked, you have a toy (if you buy 2) and / or a slow feeder that you can use for whole meals or for snacks (depending on your dog’s daily food allowance). We love our Toppls and despite having ‘similar’ slow feeder pots like the Yoggie Pots, we use it on a regular basis.

Product Comparison Toppl, Sodapup Pots, Lickimat Yoggie Pot

There are a few alternatives on the market that are pretty similar, if you are looking for an alternative to the Toppl as a slow feeder. However, these only come in ONE size! That means you can only use them as a slow feeder, not as a puzzle (by interlocking). Here’s a short comparison of West Paw Toppl, Lickimat Yoggie Pot, Sodapup Flower Pot and Honey Pot.

West Paw Toppl Dog Toy

Lickimat Yoggie Pot

Sodapup Flower Pot

Sodapup Honey Pot

Toppl Dupe

When it comes to price, there is a Toppl dupe on the market with a way lower price range. It’s cheaper but I don’t know about the quality and materials used, so please do your research before purchasing. If you’d like to learn more about risks of cheap dog toys and enrichment toys, please click here. Remember that your dog interacts with these toys on a regular level – with their mouth and you don’t want to take them in any toxins.

The West Paw Toppl also has over 8000 positive ratings on Amazon.

Sustainability | The West Paw Brand

The Toppl is non toxic and part of West Paw’s Join the Loop® recycling program. West Paw is a certified B-Corp (you can access their Impact Score and Benefit Report here) who produce their toys in a responsible way.

The Join the Loop® recycling program is an initiative to recycle old, loved toys and basically give them new life. They will be sanitised and made into new Zogoflex toys – a loop of ‘make new from old’. Zogoflex is West Paw original and means that it’s 100% recyclable. So, the more toys they get back, the more sustainable they can work and get closer to zero-waste. If you have West Paw Zogoflex toys who your dog no longer needs or wants, then please send them back and Join the Loop.

Toppl Dog Toy Ideas | How to use the Toppl Dog Toy

There are two main ways to use the Toppl Dog Toy: as a Slow Feeder or a Puzzle Dog Toy (by interlocking two different sizes and filling it with Kibble or Treats).

When you use the Toppl as a puzzle toy (interlocked) I recommend using dry food. This could be:

• Treats
• Kibble
• a mix of different sized kibble and treats
• anything that is safe, ‘dry’ and small enough to fall through the hole – this could also be dried chicken pieces or air dried meat.

When you use the Toppl on it’s own as a Slow Feeder you can get really creative (just make sure it’s safe for your dog and maybe if you don’t feed a wide variety of different foods add new ingredients over time). A mix of different textures and some fun toppings can be a great way to add variety. Here are some examples for easy fillings. For more ‘complex’ receipts, click here.

Here are some Toppl’s I have created for my dogs:

Toppl Dog Toy Recipes

You can find fun recipes directly from the Westpaw page (they also have fab ones for their other toys too: West Paw Receipt collection) and you can also find videos on my YouTube Channel on how we will them. Here’s one for you:

Toppl Dog Toy Plug (to seal the hole on the side)

If you’d like to fill the side hole of your Toppl to avoid dripping or a mess, then there are different options. You can make get creative by filling it up with something edible like the actual filling (wet food, mash etc) or a piece of pate (you can use the No-fuss-fill plunger toy to cut off a piece that fits) or anything else that works.

You can also buy a stopper (make sure to remove before feeding). If you are in the UK, you can get one from Enriching Paws. If you are in the US you can get really, really cool ones from Sniffingtons. It’s a small business and she has such amazing, super cute designs! You can even get one with a custom name of your pooch! You can find her Etsy shop here.

Update: West Paw now has their very own Toppl Stopper and Stand (2 in 1) in the cutest doggy bum version. Made from Ocean Bound Recycled Material – love it! You can get them here. Available in 3 different colours, matching the Toppl colours.

Toppl Dog Toy Stand (to make it less wobbly when filling it)

If you want a way to secure your Toppl when filling it or to keep it nice and upright in the freezer, then this Toppl stopper might be an option for you (video should start right there, otherwise jump to 03:14). We got ours from Enriching Paws (UK – you can use our affiliate code BOSCHPUPS for a discount).

Toppl Stoppers

Where to buy a West Paw Toppl?

You can find them on Amazon – links below:

Toppl Dog Toy US

You can also order directly from westpaw.com and also find them on Chewy.

Toppl Dog Toy UK

You can order them from Amazon (link to the West Paw Amazon Store), Paws in Earnest (Code BOSCHPUPS for a Discount!), No Fuss Fill or Wooof and other shops.

Conclusion: Is the Toppl worth the Hype?

A big YES!!

We use it on a regular basis – whether as a puzzle toy or simply as a slow feeder and all my dogs in our multi-dog household love it!

You can find a whole playlist about the Toppl and how we fill it on my YouTube Channel here.