Children will love the dog's cute face and perky tail. View larger.

Put on some swimming goggles and he's ready to swim in the water. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Battery-operated puppy is easy and fun for children to use The Bad: Makes very loud mechanical noise; requires some positioning to float properly in the water In a Nutshell: Battery-operated puppy can walk and swim on its own, providing opportunity for fun, imaginative play At a Glance Ages: 3 and up Requires: Three AAA batteries, small Phillips screwdriver

Once the batteries were in, we found it easy enough to make the puppy walk. Simply press the heart-shaped button until its legs start to move, then set it on the ground. The puppy wobbles along at a slow, walking over flat smooth surfaces as well as softer surfaces, such as a rug or sofa, although some bumps can sometimes make it lose its balance. It sure looked cute toddling along, but this puppy makes a very loud mechanical noise while it's moving -- a sound that we soon found rather grating while, of course, our test child remained delightedly oblivious to it.

A Natural in the Water
The puppy has two small sensors on his chest. To get it to "swim," immerse the sensors in water, and its legs will start to move. Although the toy's instructions say that the dog will start to "doggy paddle," it simply just makes the same walking movements it does when "on land." But that doesn't detract from the fun -- the puppy will float in the water, and its leg movements propel it through the water at a steady, if somewhat slow, pace. We found that certain adjustments helped keep the puppy floating upright: first make sure that the water is deep enough so that it's actually floating, rather than simply walking on the bottom of the bathtub. For best results, submerge the puppy's body until bubbles stop forming, to fill him with water and help it balance better. Otherwise it will tip too far forward. And it's best to position it with its face halfway submerged, so it does not tip back too far. If you attend to these details, the puppy will "swim" as far as you'll let it.

Of course, if your child is playing in a bathtub, the puppy won't get very far. And while the toy's instructions indicate that the puppy is not recommended for use outside, we think its swimming action would be a lot more fun in a body of water larger than your standard tub. Be sure that children have constant adult supervision when playing in or near any water, indoors or out.

The toy needs a little bit of care to make sure it continues to run properly, including making sure it's dry when playtime is finished. After our play session, the battery compartment had a bit of moisture inside, so make sure to dry your toy inside and out to prevent battery corrosion.

What's in the Box:
Swim to Me Puppy, 1 pair of swimming goggles for the puppy, 1 small towel for the puppy