[Brownie_mom]

Hi All,
What do you think about interactive dog toys? Are they a good activity for a poodles? Just looking for something to keep him busy at list for several minutes. He is very good with his toys. It is actually amazing to watch how a yang poppy plays with the toys. Also what level is appropriate for a poodle puppy? I got him a chicken house: FRISCO Hide and Seek Plush Chicken Coop Puzzle Dog Toy - Chewy.com and he figured it out in a couple minutes. Then he puts his had inside and was running around like a mad. Had to catch him and release - never happened again, I guess he learned his lesson.He still likes to play with it and I stuff all different small toys in it. But looking for something more advanced to keep his mind occupied.
Any recommendations on the particular toy?

Also Dunbar is talking a lot about stuffed Kong. Is there a particular method on how to stuff it? I just put some treats in it, but Ruger gets them out in a minute and no more interest.... I tried to use the peanut butter, but he does not like it at all. He in general is not a food driven boy. Turns his nose away from MANY treats I got. I have a full collection that I would donate, but they are opened and not acceptable for donation

 

[Dianaleez]

I had to google 'frozen kong' to learn how to do it. Now I just stuff a little poached chicken and peanut butter in a Kong 'tire' and freeze that. Normie approves.

Have you looked at the Outward Hound Nina Ottosson puzzles? or the generics based on those?
I keep those for the afternoons that I want to cook and Normie craves attention.

 

[fjm]

I have several Ottosson puzzle toys, plus some chipmunks-in-a-log etc and Ottosson spinnies. Rainy day games involve the dogs waiting in the hall while I set up a playground of toys in the sitting room, then releasing them to find the treats. Definitely useful to have.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

Interactive toys are big hits in our house. I have Ottoson toys, but the Kong Wobbler and Ottoson ball are popular too, and easier for the human to set up

For stuffing Kongs, I soak and freeze kibble in then. An easier version is to just fill with dry kibble, run water through under the sink, then freeze. Our dogs will turn their nose up at food in a dish, but cheerfully spend 15 min working on a long with the same thing in it!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy was never too enthusiastic about the original Kong shape, but she still thinks the puppy tire is great!

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-puppy-tires-for-dogs-small-2508772

 

[Brownie_mom]

Peggy was never too enthusiastic about the origibal Kong shape, but she still thinks the puppy tire is great!

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-puppy-tires-for-dogs-small-2508772

I have one of the tires in his size and he loves to play Fetch with it.

 

[Brownie_mom]

I had to google 'frozen kong' to learn how to do it. Now I just stuff a little poached chicken and peanut butter in a Kong 'tire' and freeze that. Normie approves.

Have you looked at the Outward Hound Nina Ottosson puzzles? or the generics based on those?
I keep those for the afternoons that I want to cook and Normie craves attention.

View attachment 473772

Thank you for including this picture. I was looking at the Ottosson toys but was not sure which one to pick.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I have one of the tires in his size and he loves to play Fetch with it.

Have you tried stuffing it for him?

 

[Brownie_mom]

Anyone used the iFetch toy IFETCH iDig Stay Dog Toy, Blue - Chewy.com It is on the expencive side, not sure if it actually is interesting for a poodle?

 

[Brownie_mom]

Have you tried stuffing it for him?

I honestly did not realize it can be stuffed. I will try.

 

[Ava.]

I always thought they where a waste of money. Stuffed toys are great, but I never cared for puzzles, Once my dog figured it out, it took him but 2 mins to figure it out every other time I gave it to him.

I make my own interactive toys, I stuff water bottles with treats, roll treats into towels, Snuffle mats are good they are never the same every time, I also like those balls that you shove around and treats come out, they wont be the same every time either. I also play a game where I put deacon in his covered kennel, hide treats, release him with the command "find it"..

 

[Phaz23]

I received a sweet potato flavor in my kong box that I haven't seen before and that the dogs go crazy for, wanted to share it:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-stuff-n-sweet-potato-spread-5-oz-1484443?cm_mmc=PSH-_-GGL-_-SPP-_-PME-_-PET-_-AQU-_-0-_-PM_GGL_FY20_SBU04_SH10_Home%26Away_DogToys_PLA-SMRT-_-0-_-0&gclid=CjwKCAiAmrOBBhA0EiwArn3mfFLZkbD3QZaFqPrAjqIE3NTmbW5jib7lGmn1lYUqYla3M5OVF9cfAhoCcR4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Also I really like the kong boxes. The quality of the toys are a lot higher than other subscription boxes I've tried.

 

[PowersPup]

Topper loves the Nina Ottenson puzzle toys. He also loves the squirrels-in-a-log toy, but he plays with it in a strange way. He pulls the squirrels out, then sticks his head inside and runs around with the log on the floor, pushing it around. I should spray it with End-dust so he can help tidy up at the same time. We sometimes put treats or kibble in the log, then stuff the squirrels in, and let him figure out how to get the treats.

We have a small snuffle mat that Topper really likes. We take it to training classes for him to play with during breaks instead of trying to get the other dogs to play with him. Another favorite is a large snuffle mat that has a variety of places to hide treats - pockets, envelopes, tubes, etc. It rolls up and ties with a string when you're not playing with it.

We also do a nose-work class, and set up at-home search areas with boxes to search in. We put pieces of hot dog in the source box - the size of an iPhone box - and place the search box in one of the other boxes tipped up on their sides, either on the floor or on top of another box. Topper loves nose work and it really tires out that poodle brain.

 

[Dianaleez]

Thank you for including this picture. I was looking at the Ottosson toys but was not sure which one to pick.

That’s level 1. It was his first.

 

[PecheythePoo]

Whoops I misread your post- ignore this!

 

[94Magna_Tom]

Welcome to the group! It's so nice to find a toy that they really love! And if it lasts a long time, a great bonus! Do the gaps in the teeth clean up easily? So far Elroy is not an aggressive chewer, but a good toy is a good toy! I'll put it on my maybe list for now. Thanks for the link!

 

[Newport]

Violet, a mini, likes the Bobs-A-Lot and I’ve heard good things about the Kong Wobbler. They are so similar having just one of them works.

She also loves the Dog Brick puzzle, so I bring it out from time to time. I’ve tried other puzzles with less positive results, but we keep trying them.

One of the best things I ever did for her to self entertain was to take a very large cardboard box (3x4x2?) and cut a door/entrance into it leaving a lip. Then I would toss her annoyingly loud barnyard noise ball in there and she would go crazy bopping it around, but couldn’t lose it under the sofa. I would also put treat balls and the Bob’sA Lot in there. Sometimes I would fill it with the long stiff packing paper that comes in an Amazon shipment so she could tunnel around after her toys. Very hilarious to watch because she would be in the box making intense play sounds, then she would jump out to look at me like “I am having an awesome time! Want to come wrestle this toy with me? No? You’re boring.”

The cardboard box fun ended when she began chewing it, but we had about 2 months of very good times. I’ll try it again someday.

 

[Brownie_mom]

Violet, a mini, likes the Bobs-A-Lot and I’ve heard good things about the Kong Wobbler. They are so similar having just one of them works.

She also loves the Dog Brick puzzle, so I bring it out from time to time. I’ve tried other puzzles with less positive results, but we keep trying them.

One of the best things I ever did for her to self entertain was to take a very large cardboard box (3x4x2?) and cut a door/entrance into it leaving a lip. Then I would toss her annoyingly loud barnyard noise ball in there and she would go crazy bopping it around, but couldn’t lose it under the sofa. I would also put treat balls and the Bob’sA Lot in there. Sometimes I would fill it with the long stiff packing paper that comes in an Amazon shipment so she could tunnel around after her toys. Very hilarious to watch because she would be in the box making intense play sounds, then she would jump out to look at me like “I am having an awesome time! Want to come wrestle this toy with me? No? You’re boring.”

The cardboard box fun ended when she began chewing it, but we had about 2 months of very good times. I’ll try it again someday.

I love the cardboard box idea! I have tons of them from Chewy, not sure if they are big enoug for Ruger. He is pretty large boy for a mini, already 17" tall at 7 month. So he is more a size of a small standard, I think.