Keep 'em busy

Some days, I just don't have the time/daylight/weather to make sure the dogs get the exercise they need to be satisfied. If I have a little bit of time, I hold longer or more frequent training sessions in the house. However, there are times where I come home with just enough time to go to bed so I can get up and be productive at the work in the morning.

Those are the days I pull out the interactive toys. Eating kibble from a bowl is not very exciting so I use use the interactive toys to make the dogs to work for their dinner. It takes longer for them to eat and it requires them to use their brains.

One of my favorite toys is the Squirrel Dude from Premier. The large sized toy can hold a whole cup of kibble, the medium holds slightly under half a cup. Here is a video of Tanner and Shine working on their Squirrel Dudes.



The other toy from Premier that I like to use is the Tug - A -Jug. We haven't had these toys as long but Tanner is quite adept and getting his treats out of it.



When using one of these toys for the first time, I used a small sized kibble and put in some bits of beef jerky to provide extra motivation for Tanner. Once he learned how to manipulate each toy to get the treats out, I moved to a normal sized kibble and using less jerky. I wouldn't have to use any jerky now but I like to spoil him.

Shine often gets a portion of her dinner in one of these toys regardless of the amount of exercise she has received. I like the fact that it takes her longer to eat this way.

There are many other types of interactive toys out there, these are just two of our favorites. I would love to hear if any of you have favorites that we should try as well!