Puzzle Toys
Puzzle toys are a great source of entertainment for human and dogs. They provide mental stimulation and slow down food gobblers. They can be used for full meals or snacks. For puppies and adolescents, A nice balance is to use part of the meal's kibble as training treats and put part of the meal into a toy as a reward for the end of the morning or evening training session.
People often ask which puzzle toys we use. There are five puzzle toys we mainly use and they vary in size, shape, texture, and difficulty.
The toys in the picture are arrange from least difficult on the right to hardest on the left.
The red cube has a variety of openings on multiple sides which makes it the ideal into to puzzle toys. The red Kong toy has a heavy base and will usually upright itself. It's made of a hard plastic and has endured years of use with only a few scratches. It's only of my favourites to feed a full meal 'quickly' to a dog.
The center two balls have textures for added stimulation. They require more effort to get the food out but roll and bounce. This makes them a favourite with energetic puppies who are very enthusiastic about their puzzle toy time.
The large blue cube is the most difficult toy and is mainly used for snack/lunch time. This toy is a hard plastic and it's difficulty level can be adjusted. Though it is a louder toy, it keeps the dog busy while I am washing dishes, grooming another dog, answering emails, or painting. Due to it's difficulty, it's mainly used for the dogs more experienced with puzzle toys. Younger, less experienced dogs may lose interest.
All our puzzle toys are kept in a basket out of reach when not in use. Once they are empty, they are picked up and put away. This keeps them special and not doubling as chew toys.
All our dogs and puppies enjoy puzzle toys. It adds a fun and mentally stimulating aspect to their daily routine. Small additions like this are easily incorperated into the daily routine but add some ever important mental stimulation into a Poodle's day.
PLEASE NOTE:
1) These are for indoor open space use only so we can ensure they dog/puppy is getting all food.
2) Monitor the dog puppy while they are using the toy. Some of the toys could be chewed apart or break if dropped down stairs. If the toy gets wedged somewhere, the dog will not be able to get the food and may cause damage trying to free the toy.