I-Qube

A few weeks ago, the dog store in our neighborhood, Completely Canine had a Yappy Hour. Abby and I decided to go over and meet some new people and dogs, besides a Happy Hour on a Monday is a great idea! While there, I was checking out the toys. Abby really doesn't need any more toys; she has two baskets full of them. She only has about 10 minutes of "play time" a day, where she runs around like a maniac tossing a toy about the apartment. Her playtime is very much an "on/off" thing. She is ON for 10 minutes, usually around 7 pm. Just as quickly as she starts playing, she stops. OFF. Completely OFF. Given that her interest in traditional dog toys is very fleeting, I am looking for something that will work her brain.

I have read good things about the Nina Ottosson interactive dog toys. These toys are made of wood and/or plastic and designed for the human to hide treats inside of them. The dog then has to use its problem solving skills to move the parts around and find the treats. Toys like this are nice when you are not able to give your dog as much physical exercise as you would like. Making your dog work his/her brain can be as tiring as going on a long walk. I know when we used to go to "dog school" (obedience or rally class), Abby would come home exhausted and immediately went to bed.

The Nina Ottosson toys are on my wish list for when I have a few extra dollars. In the meantime, I have started making Abby earn her evening meal with the tricks we are learning (the retrieve, spins).  At Completely Canine, I saw an I-Qube, and bought it. It was more reasonably priced than the Ottosson toys and would introduce Abby to the concept of "finding treats".

The I-Qube is a felt square with holes in it to hold four soft squeaky balls. There are openings on all six sides of the cube. Abby isn't so interested in the balls, squeaky or not, but she does like food. I have been using the I-Qube for her breakfast. I make sure all four balls are in there and then add in her morning kibble. She doesn't have to work hard at all to get her kibble; the holes on the I-Qube are large, her kibble is small. She does, however, have to move the Qube around with her paws or muzzle to get the kibble to fall out. Anything that encourages her to problem solve, even if it is a small problem, is a good thing.

She seems to be enjoying this type of "foraging for food". I have also started to stuff the Qube with other items (some of her other toys) to "plug" up some of the holes and make her have to remove the balls in order to liberate her kibble.  This also works for me in that in the morning my brain is not yet fully functional and it isn't that much different pouring kibble into felt toy compared to Abby's food bowl. It is also gives Abby a chance to work on her sit (or down)-stay while I get the kibble and fill the Qube.