This week I decided to write about puzzle games you can do with dogs. This gets their brains going to try & figure how to get the treats hidden inside. There are different levels of puzzle games & a variety of manufactures. I have some that are easier & those Hunter can do, but a little too easy for Echo. The above puzzle is rated a level 2 which is called intermediate. This was a little challenging for both my dogs.
No matter the puzzle toy you choose always supervise your dog(s) while they are using the toy. Some dogs may chew & potentially swallow pieces. They also may chew it more than necessary to get to the treats. I have one puzzle toy that has seen better days.
The simple puzzle toy above is too easy for Echo, but still challenging for Hunter. Hunter uses his paws more & Echo uses his nose more. Watching & learning what your dog uses more my help you to pick which toys might be the most fun for your dogs(s).
The above puzzle toy was a little bit of a challenge for both my dogs. This toy requires moving one piece than another to get to the treat. I knew this puzzle was a little harder, so put higher value treats in the harder hidden areas.
I use small pieces of treats about the size of 1/2 a pea. When your first introducing a new puzzle toy I suggest you use high value smelly treats. I feed beef lung treats & there are often small pieces at the bottom of the bag, so I save & use these in lick mats, & in snuffle mats.
You can find puzzle games at a variety of places such as online (Chewy, Amazon) you also may find them for sale on sites like Facebook, Offer up or similar sites that sell lightly used items. I have gotten a couple at resale stores, one was never even opened. You can also make puzzle/brain games, DYI puzzle ideas can be searched on line, here’s one below.
You can also take 3 plastic cups & put a treat under one & move them around & see if your dog can find the cup with the treat. You can do this with wash clothes as well. Be creative if your going to make something.
The last two were a little more challenging for my dogs, the bottom one has seen better days, dogs chewed some of the knobs.
Whatever puzzle games you decide to try be sure & keep it fun. I tend to do puzzle toys before I feed my dogs, at least an hour so they are hungry & more likely to really try & get all the treats.
I hope this post has given you some ideas of some fun puzzle toys to try. If you are enjoying my blog please help me to get the word out about my blog. You can easily do this by liking posts you read, subscribing to my blog (you will just get an email notice when I publish a post). Commenting on something you liked or learned. Visit often & check out my other posts. I have 159 other posts on this blog, you can find the table of contents on my home page under the ‘show’ tab. I write this blog to share my 20 years of pet fostering experience & a lifetime of living with pets. If you have any questions please email me at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com
Thank you, Debbie
