You’ve walked your dog. You’ve played ball in the yard. But, when you sit down in the evening, your dog still has excess energy to burn. You just need a few minutes to yourself. What do you do with your dog?

Time for a food stuffed toy!

Last week we discussed how to replace your dog’s food bowl with a food-stuffed toy and how it stretched out meal time from a 2-minute inhalation of food to a mentally engaging game for your dog.

This week, we’re going to make it more challenging for your dog! And, we’re changing toys. We’re using a West Paw Toppl.

Toppl comes in 2 sizes and is designed to hold treats and withstand a LOT of chewing. It has inner fingers to trap treats and tips and topples over to challenge your dog.

Remember, when your dog first starts using food-stuffed toys, you have to make it easy so your dog can win! If the food is packed too tightly and doesn’t come out quickly, an inexperienced dog may lose interest. Loose dog food kernels and a little-wet food are great for beginners.

Once your dog gains confidence with food-stuffed toys, you can make it more challenging, so it lasts longer. Freeze wet food in the toy! Or place kibble in the toy then add the wet food before freezing.

If your dog still needs more mental stimulation, if you have both sizes, you can interlock them to make things even more challenging!

Our goal is to mentally and physically challenge your dog – not to frustrate them. So, don’t make is super difficult. Even an experienced dog may stop using these toys if they cannot get the goodies out.

Happy training!

Sharon of Personable Pets