Any time I need a few minutes of alone time or any time Cassie is having a restless moment, I pull it out and fill it up (usually just with dog kibble, but sometimes with treats or cheese) and set her loose on it. It doesn't take her very long to finish it now that she's figured it out, but it is still fun and rewarding for her. She still has to think about how to figure out each level. The games tire her brain out for awhile and give her a nice incentive to use her nose as well! Sniffing dogs are tired dogs, which means happy dogs!Each game (there are several) comes with a training dvd and instructions, but Cassie pretty much figured it out right away and the Tornado is on the hardest level of difficulty. My friend Tracey bought another Nina game for her dogs and the Jack Russell figured it out right away, while the Whippet puppy is still working on it!
They are a little pricey (around $40), but are very durable (Cassie has only put some tooth marks in it). They can be purchased through Amazon
, Nina's website or I'm told even in store at Petco under the Company of Animals heading. I'll put up more reviews of individual games as they come along! Hope you like them as much as we do! 
Awesome! I bet Riley would love this!
ReplyDeleteElyse and Riley
I've always wanted to try puzzles with Miss M, but I'm not sure if she'd "learn it" and get bored with it later.
ReplyDeleteI worried about that with Cassie too...it's a lot of money to shell out when you think that your dog might tire of it in a few days. With Cassie, I've found two things 1) as long as I vary the type of food in the toy once and awhile she always seems interested 2) I don't just leave the toy out for her to play with, but make bringing it out and setting it up a big deal! She's now always excited to see the game when I pull it out and sits staring intently while I fill it up on the counter where she can't reach. I also vary the position of the insertable covers which makes the game a little different each time!
ReplyDeleteI know this isn't the case with Miss M (I've seen the knuckle bone videos!), but I don't think I would use this with a food aggressive dog like my mother's Tobey...he can become possessive of the game and that makes for a whole world of trouble!