Boredom can lead to the destruction of your favorite slippers and other undesirable behavior like barking. By giving your dog a work-to-eat toy or bowl (i.e. a plaything that dispenses food when your dog interacts with it) you’re giving them the opportunity to expend mental energy and reduce the likelihood that they’ll feel bored and destroy your slippers.
A few work-to-eat bowls and toys we love include:
• Kibble balls. These are work-to-eat toys that your dog can nose around in order to get their food to fall out. They are usually best when used with dry food or dry treats. We recommend: The Twist-n-Treat and the Bob-A-Lot.
• Slow Food Bowls. These are usually plastic bowls that have little mazes or other obstacles in them designed to occupy dog tongues. We recommend: Outward Hound Slow Feeder.
• Puzzle Toys. Puzzle toys usually have little latches and drawers and pegs that must be manipulated in order to release yummy stuff, wet or dry. We recommend: the Brick Puzzle and Challenge Slider (more advanced).
• Activity Mats. Also known as “snuffle” mats, these can be used with dry food or treats. They’re kind of like rugs that your dog has permission to play with! We recommend: Sniff and Snack Interactive Snuffle Mat and Wooly Snuffle.
• Toys you can stuff ‘stuff’ into. At Petcademy, we call these “Kong style” toys. Wet food or spreadable treats like soft cheese, peanut butter, or baby food, are easy to pair with a fun toy. In order to increase the time it takes your dog to get the good “stuff” out of the toy, you can try freezing the toy for a few hours once it’s been stuffed. In terms of toys, we recommend: the Kong and Toppl.