Stimulate Your Dog With Food Puzzles

Dogs love to be involved in interactive games. Not only does this type of activity keep them physically fit but mentally stimulated too and as every dog owner knows, having a happy, content and exhausted pet on their hands means the quality time they have with their pooches has been well spent. Dogs, if left to their own devices soon become bored and that's when problems can start!

A bored, lonely dog will run the risk of becoming destructive - not to mention all the behavioural problems that might ensue.  A sedentary canine life often means dogs become obese which in turn can seriously affect their health. This then often leads to all sorts of issues which can shorten their lives considerably. Creating fun food puzzles to keep a dog busy, is a great way of solving many of these problems because a dog that has to use its brain will be a happy and content pooch - especially if there's a reward in the form of a healthy snack in store for them!

The Many Types of Food Puzzles

There are loads of food puzzles you can use and they come in lots of shapes and sizes to suit all budgets. If you prefer, you can even make your own special puzzles and because you know exactly what your dog likes, it can be easier to get them involved and using their brains to work things out. The best thing about food puzzles is they can be as easy as anything to solve or something that's really quite hard for your pooch to work out.

Making Your Own Pooch Puzzles

If you are into making your own dog food puzzles, the simplest and most fun thing is to simply scatter your pet's favourite dried food around in the garden – preferably on the lawn and when the weather is fine. When you let your dog out they will very quickly pick up the scent of their favourite dried food and all you'll see is their noses to the ground and their tails in the air as they scoot round trying to find it all!

Toys You Can Fill With Healthy Treats

These days there are some brilliant dog toys on the market that you can fill up with your pets favourite treats. One of the most popular is called the "Kong" which dogs love. The toy is a really affordable option that will keep your pet happy for hours. They are extremely durable which is a must for any dog toy let alone one that you can fill up with healthy treats.

Many people like to stuff their dog's toys with rawhide treats with a little bit hanging out to tempt the dogs to figure out how to get to the rest, and then add some mixed dry food with a little wet food which will keep a pooch happy for hours on end. The great thing about a Kong toy is that you can fill it with almost anything which includes healthier treats for dogs that need to be on a diet to keep their weight under control.

More Complex Toys for the Dog Genius

However, you may need to be a bit sneaky with your pet, especially if they happen to be ultra intelligent and super quick at figuring things out. This is where more complex interactive toys can be a really big hit with your pooch because it gives them something to stimulate their minds in a very positive way. Some very popular choices are in the Nina Ottosson range of interactive toys which sees a whole lot of canine puzzles that are not only interesting but fun too! Dogs have to move bricks and blocks to get to something they would like eat, Some of the games even see dogs having to spin a disc and work their way through different layers much like an intrepid "raider of a lost ark"!

Which Food Puzzle is the Best Choice for You?

It would be very unfair to give your dog a really complicated food puzzle to play with because they will lose interest in it straight away which defeats the whole purpose of the game! With this said, if a toy keeps a dog busy without them becoming stressed and annoyed at not being able to figure a puzzle out, it can be great fun to watch. If you have to work to a budget, making your own food puzzles for a pet is a great idea and as their owner, you are the best person to decide just how to keep your dog mentally amused!

Check Out Some Food Puzzles Online

If you go on the Internet, you'll find loads of choice when it comes to doggy food puzzles and they come in all shapes and sizes to suit all budgets. If you pop down to your pet store, you may also find they have quite a few ideas on their shelves. It might be a bit of trial and error to find the best one to suit your pet, but the one thing you can be sure of, is that watching them figure it all out will be very entertaining indeed!