Fox-On-A-Stick: I Just Found Out You Can Buy It On Amazon!

   One of Cassie's favorite games is "fox/duck on a stick."  I picked this one up from Victoria Stilwell and it was a great way to allow Cassie to chase something crazily and burn off a lot of steam quickly.   It also happens to be great fun!

   I (like Victoria) simply made my own version by tying a stuffing-free fuzzy fox toy to the end of an old lunge whip I had around from my horseback riding days.  This worked great if you had access to a tack shop, but otherwise a bit of an ask to tell people to go out and hunt down a lunge whip....happily someone decided to make a purchasable version specifically designed for dogs that is actually cheaper than going out and buying the lunge whip/fox combo.

The Kyjen Tail Teaser Dog Toy is just what I described before
(a little shorter and more manageable than my makeshift version), but it is cheaper ($16) and comes with refill animal toys.  I can't vouch for it's durability (I'm going to stick with my old version since I already have it), but it looks almost exactly like what I made myself.   When the snow is gone I'll have Chris tape Cassie and I with the fox-on-a-stick outside; it's a game best left for the out-of-doors.

Nina Ottosson's Interactive Tornado!

  I found out about Nina Ottosson like I often find good products: watching TV.  Victoria Stilwell of It's Me or the Dog fame had a young couple with a bored puppy on and introduced them to one of Nina's toys!  I got on Google pretty fast and started reading about Nina and her philosophy on dog toys and really liked it.  Cassie got the Tornado for Christmas, which is a spinning three-tiered bone with compartments for food/treats and three insertable covers that make the game harder.

  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!