Does your dog ever seem bored? Or maybe they don’t get much exercise when you’re at work. Why not look into dog puzzle toys? They are an amazing way of keeping your dog active and enthusiastic. They combine the fun of normal toys with the joy of getting a treat. There are so many kinds to choose from, including dog food puzzle toys. Here are some reasons why they’re great.
Benefits of dog puzzle toys
Everyone knows the danger of leaving a bored puppy unattended at home. You can arrive home from work and find your slippers ripped to shreds, your laptop charger with frayed wires, and the dog food container broken into. The least of your worries is cleaning everything up and buying some new shoes. Your dog might cause harm to itself by eating food that it shouldn’t have, like chocolate, or by getting an electric shock from chewing through wires. A dog puzzle toy can keep your canine buddy safe and entertained. They are proven to reduce boredom, anxiety, stress, and destructive behavior, and increase mental stimulation.
Types of dog puzzle toys
As you can probably imagine, puzzles for dogs aren’t the same as puzzles for humans. Dogs aren’t able to do sudoku, and even if they could, it wouldn’t hold their interest for long. That’s why most dog puzzle toys involve food. They can be filled with treats so that when your pet solves the puzzle, they get a piece of food. The longer they keep going, the more food they can eat. This doesn’t mean they’ll put on too much weight though. The activity of solving the puzzle can counteract the calories gained from eating. You can choose from chew toys, chase toys, toys for hide-and-seek, and toys for tugging. There really are so many options to discover. That’s why you need to figure out what kind your pet would like most.
Tips for choosing a dog puzzle toy
If your pet has never used a puzzle toy, start them off with one that is easy to solve. This way they’ll get a quick win and stay interested. If they try something too difficult, they won’t understand that a treat will appear eventually and they’ll move on to something else. You should also see what kind of standard toys your dog loves. If they enjoy slowly chewing away at bones and toys, get them one that they need to chew on. If they’re a breed that was created for hunting rats, for example, get them a puzzle that involves hide-and-seek.
