Keep Your Dog out of Trouble with a Treat-dispensing Toy

Your dog has a lot of time on their paws and your home has a lot of temptations: cushions to gnaw on, rugs to shred, trash to scatter around the living room—not to mention, homework to eat. If your buddy gets into all kinds of shenanigans when you’re not around, first make sure they’re getting plenty of exercise throughout the day. Then engage them with a treat-dispensing toy. These special puzzles are designed to challenge a dog’s brain. Just put a treat inside, give your dog the toy and if they figure out how to solve the puzzle—presto! They get a reward.

Dog, meet toy—toy, meet dog

1. Introduce the new toy before a meal, this way your dog will be “hungry” to figure out a way to get at the treat inside. Choose a quiet time and place with no distractions so your dog can focus on the challenging task.
2. Set the toy to its easiest-to-solve setting.
3. Let your pup see you putting a treat or a few pieces of dry food inside the toy.
4. Give your dog a demonstration: place the toy on the floor and roll or shake it until the treats fall out. Let your dog eat those treats.
5. Now, let your dog try the toy. They’ll probably figure out how to get the treats pretty quickly. If they seem stumped, demonstrate how it works again.
6. Let your dog win! Keep the game easy and give plenty of rewards on day one.

Level up!

1. Once your brilliant dog solves the treat-dispensing puzzle several times at the easiest level, slowly increase the difficulty.
2. If your dog gets stumped, bring the difficulty back a level. You’ll figure out where to set the challenge for your furry friend.
3. If your dog likes this game, try some different brain-teasing toys and puzzles!