DigDrum Named PIF New Product of the Year Finalist 2026

It's been quite a year for DigDrum.

What started with one simple idea is starting to gain recognition from across the pet industry.

And we're incredibly excited to share that DigDrum has been named a finalist for New Product of the Year at the 2026 Pet Industry Federation Awards. 

While we'll have to wait until the 5th of November to find out the result, being shortlisted feels like a great opportunity to look back at just how far DigDrum has come already. 

Because this isn't the first bit of exciting news we’ve had this year.

New Product of the Year finalist 

The latest milestone is being selected as a finalist for New Product of the Year at the 2026 Pet Industry Federation Awards. For a young business like DigDrum, it's a moment we're incredibly proud of.

DigDrum came to be because we spotted something missing from the dog toy market.

There are toys for dogs that chew, chase and forage, but there was nothing for dogs who love to dig. And digging was often seen as beeing a distructive habit that needed to be corrected, so DigDrum was created to give those dogs a dedicated place to enjoy a behaviour that comes naturally to them, turning digging into positive, rewarding enrichment. 

To have that idea recognised in the New Product of the Year category means a huge amount to us, and we look forward to the 5t of November when the winners will be announced.Paws crossed.

It started with the Innovation Award

This isn't the first time DigDrum has caught the attention of the Pet Industry Federation.

Back in May, DigDrum had been selected as a finalist for the Pet Industry Federation Innovation Award. As a new brand, being recognised for innovation so early in our journey was a major milestone. 

We didn't ultimately take home the Innovation Award. But getting to the final gave us recognition that our slightly different way of thinking about dog enrichment was getting noticed.

Read about our Innovation Award nomination 

Then we handed DigDrum over to the professionals

Awards are exciting, but we also wanted honest feedback from people who work with dogs every day.

So we teamed up with The Dog Trainer School (TDTS) and put DigDrum into the hands, and paws, of professional dog trainers and dog professionals.

We wanted to understand how different dogs responded, whether trainers thought DigDrum provided a useful outlet for digging, how it stood up to enthusiastic paws and, importantly, where it didn't work as well.

And the results gave us plenty to be excited about. Following the independent testing, DigDrum was awarded The Dog Trainer School Recommended Product status, which is fantastic.  

The testing also gave us a much more nuanced understanding of where DigDrum fits. Some dogs took to it immediately, while others needed encouragement using treats, toys or training. Dogs that already had a strong motivation to dig produced some of the most encouraging results, which is exactly the sort of feedback we want as DigDrum grows.

See what the dog professionals thought

We're only getting started

We're proud of what DigDrum has achieved so far, but we're still a young business with plenty we want to accomplish.

That's what makes these moments particularly exciting.

Every nomination, every piece of professional feedback and every dog owner who tells us about their experience with DigDrum reinforces the idea we started with, and helps us make DigDrum even better.

So whether you've bought a DigDrum, recommended us, tested the product, shared one of our posts or simply followed the journey so far, thank you. Your support means a lot to us.

Next stop: the Pet Industry Federation Awards on the 5th of November.

Whatever happens on the night, we're incredibly proud to have made it this far.

For dogs that dig, and the humans who love them.