Keepin Up With Val: February 2017

It's a fact

It’s a fact.It’s a fact. Dogs like have jobs to do. Some of these jobs can be in the form of thinking toys. Have you tried any of these Thinking Toys for you dog? Dogs that have positive thinking toys have the benefit of fine tuning their active minds, maintaining a calm attitude, and these toy help to keep them active on the task and not thinking about destructive behavior.

Food puzzle toys:

Food puzzle toys are sturdy containers, usually made of hard rubber or plastic, that hold food or treats inside but don’t give dogs easy access to the food. They usually have holes on each end or on the sides, and dogs must work by shaking, pawing, rolling, nibbling or licking the toy to get the food to come out. Food puzzle toys require time, patience and problem-solving—all skills that are good for your dog and will help her enjoy quiet time alone. Since our dogs’ wild counterparts spend much of their time scavenging for food, food puzzle toys offer a natural solution to pet-dog boredom. Puzzle toys also encourage chewing and licking, which can have a calming effect on dogs.

Examples of food puzzle toys include KONG Classic Dog Toy
, Buster Cube
, Tricky Treat Ball
, Tug-A-Jug
, Twist 'n Treat
, Atomic Treat Ball
and the Treatstik
. You can find these toys online or at most major pet stores. Feed your dog at least one meal a day in a food puzzle toy
to give their brains and jaws a great workout. You can also stuff these toys with your dog’s favorite treats
or a little peanut butter, cottage cheese, cooked oatmeal or yogurt.

When you first introduce your dog to a food puzzle toy, make it really easy for them to empty it. Your dog is probably accustomed to getting food served in a bowl, so they have some learning to do! Choose a toy with a large dispensing hole and make sure the goodies you put inside the toy are small enough to come out easily. As your dog becomes an expert, you can make it harder and harder for them to get food out of their toys. Use bigger pieces of food to provide an extra challenge, then freeze the toys after stuffing them. You can also place the frozen toys inside a cardboard box or oatmeal tub so that your dog has to rip through the cardboard container to get to their meal. For more interesting articles on this topic. Send me your thinking game challenge.

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