TRIXIE Flip Board Canine Puzzle Toy, Intermediate (Degree 2) Technique Recreation, Canine Exercise Deal with Toy for Canine

Great feeding toy and studies show feeding toys lower stress
As a veterinarian, I am always interested in simple ways to improve health and decrease pet stress. Feeding toys such as this are based on studies done on farm animals and in zoos which show that mental stimulation leads to decreased stress. It’s a simple concept– think of the depression that often results when a human is chronically unemployed.I like toys like this for a few reasons. First, a lot of our pets simply bolt all of their food. This kind of toy can help slow them down and put them on a more “mindful” track of eating. Second, pet boredom is pretty big problem considering the indoor lifestyle that most of our pets currently live. I see stress related behavioral problems in both dogs and cats on a regular basis. A multi modal approach to giving our furry kids a good life is important in helping to prevent stress and behavioral problems.Although I feed my cat a primarily wet food based diet, I actually bought this toy and a cat specific Trixie toy which allows me to add bits of wet food to the wells for my senior cat. He can do both and he gets very excited when they come out. I do not, however, actually add treats to this toy or the cat specific toy as suggested. I add either small amounts of very low-calorie dry food, flakes of dried bonito fish, cat grass leaves, or, in the summer, fresh cat nip leaves to the various compartments.It doesn’t really matter what I put in here, he loves the challenge regardless. In fact, I would recommend things like little frozen dollops of canned food and a different brand of kibble vs. several high calorie treats. Even if your pet is lazy most of them will enjoy engaging in this, particularly if you put it out at meal time Instead of the giant bowl of empty mindless calories known as the food bowl.The round stand up shapes take my cat a while to bat out of place as they were designed for a dog’s mouth, but it doesn’t deter him from trying, and succeeding, with this game. He Did manage to hide the red stand up cone under the sofa for a few weeks but I finally found it the other day and our game is up and fully functional once again!Five stars from this vet!!!!

Fun
Dogs are catching on quickly if you follow suggestions. Seems durable and they love hunting for treats.

Can also be used as a rat toy!
I’m sure this would be great for dogs, but I got it for my pet rats. It’s just the right size for the rats to use. And rats enjoy learning and taking on new challenges, so this was a fun toy to get for them.The toy consists of three challenges: knocking over plastic knobs (easy), learning how to slide the plastic pieces back and forth (medium difficulty), and using a lever to open a small door (most difficult).My two boys had a really fun time figuring this out. The first time I used it, I put some small pieces of walnut in it. They quickly learned to knock over the plastic things in the middle, and they eventually figured out the part with the sliding pieces, but it took them a long time to figure out how to use the levers. I initially put the toy in their cage and left it for a couple hours, checking to see their progress. It did take them about two hours to finally get every piece of food out.Now, though, I put their normal food in the toy sometimes when I feed them, and they can find all the food within minutes. Even though they’ve figured it out, I think they still enjoy the physical and mental challenge of all the moving pieces. I’ve noticed them bruxing each time I put the toy in front of them!As far as cleaning, it’s very easy. They pee on it sometimes, but I just soak it in some hot soapy water, and brush out all the little pieces, rinse, and it’s as good as new.Also, my rats are over three years old– they’re little senior citizens. They have no problem using the toy, even though they are old and somewhat weak. It’d be fun to see younger rats/babies try to figure out the toy!

My border terrier puppy loves this! She cracked it by 10/11 weeks old so we may have to get a harder one now, but it’s great for keeping them entertained

This is a great little puzzle that sits on a base that keeps it in place. It is a fun way to challenge your pets. My kitten and all of my dogs (toy Rat Terrier, Decker (giant) Rat Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier) have had fun with this puzzle and succeeded in getting to the treats. It is surprisingly durable and provides a creative distraction from the ordinary. It is colourful, easy to use and something I bring out a couple of times each week to liven things up.