Put Mealtime To Work For You When You Need Some Downtime.
It's universally understood in dog training circles that enrichment activities are a great quality of life increase for dogs. Scrap the food bowl, feed them out of toys. Meals that took them 30 seconds and left them looking for their next activity are turned into a brain game. A puzzle if you will. 20-30 minutes of activity using something they've gotta do anyway - eat.
But I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: It's not just about the dog. These toys are a gift from the heavens to you. Feeder toys = down time for stressed out puppy people. Relaxation, ahhh relaxation. Calgon, take me away...
Let's face it, dogs are hard work. They have a lot of needs and when those needs aren't met by us, they find ways to meet them themselves. As the species with the bigger brain, let's do our part and give them legal activities. When they're busy doing legal stuff it leaves little time to be doing illegal things.
So here's my message to you, dear puppy people: Engage in self care. Invest in enrichment. When you're exhausted, but your puppy is just getting started, these toys are your solution.
And if your dog is a quitter (and some are), here are some tips:
- Make it super easy to start. Add some primo treats to your mix.
- If you're using something like wet food mixed with kibble in a stuffed toy, don't freeze it just yet. That'll come later.
- If a Kong is too hard, try a Toppl.
Get them addicted! Then, and only then, make it harder.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Don't Shake the Baby Toys!!
| For more ideas, head over to the Enrichment & Feeder Toys section here.