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New Blog Post July 23, 2025
Playing with your food!
I am a huge fan, HUGE fan, of food toys for dogs. We are so fortunate to live when we do, because there are always new ones coming out, and with technology, always some crazy option available! I could absolutely spend our time talking about the expensive electronic food toys out there, and I will in a future post! But for this post, I wanted to review the everyday sort of options. While electronic toys are incredible, I tend to save those for weekends, because as with all tech, there can be glitches. If I am feeding them when I am not at home, I do not want my babies to go hungry, even for the day!!
I am a real sucker too, any time I see a new type of toy, or a new toy gimmick, I just must try it. I am one of those “ALL IN” people. If I am into something, I am ALL IN….and unfortunately for my pocketbook, my first dog Mathilda ruined me. And I am all in for the food toys. When I am talking about an everyday toy, I am referring to the fact that my dogs RARELY get a meal in a bowl. We are either training, or they are getting a meal in a toy of some kind. Every morning when I am walking out the door to head to work, they get a food toy loaded with their breakfasts to eat while I am leaving the house. And as such, they barely even notice that I have gone! Until I return of course.
Wild dogs would spend much of their time working out how to get food. When we just dump some kibble in a bowl and walk away, we miss out on a valuable tool to make them use some of their energy to work for that food. And with that extra energy, they might be using it for tasks we would rather they NOT undertake, like chewing your shoes or digging a giant hole in the back yard…but I digress.
One of my favorites is the simple ball (a). It has a middle insert where you can adjust how fast or slowly the food pours out. You open the ball by just unscrewing the top, remove the insert and add your food. Then just reassemble. It is very easy to use, very easy for the dogs to figure out, and very easy for them to work and get their meal. Now, I have four dogs in my house right now. Three of them are evil little corgis, and one is my corgi/border mix named Oliver. Two of the evils corgis, and do not ask me how because I have no idea, can open this toy. I can barely do it some days and I have opposable thumbs!! No. Idea. How. But they open this up. And then chew up the middle insert, there by ruining the toy for all others!
a b c d e
a) IQ ball
b) uneven
c) Starmark Bob
d) Kong Wobbler
e) Starmark Puzzle Ball cube
This next one (b) is a more recent addition and has been working very well with the two evil corgis that can open the simple ball above. This one is oddly shaped but opens at one end (b). You add your food and reattach. What is really nice about this toy is there are multiple areas that you can set, up on the top portion and on the lower/bigger portion of the toy, making more food spill out with less effort or the opposite of that, they have to work pretty hard to get all of the food to come out. No one has been able to open this one up…. yet (always have to hedge my bets).
Next, we have the Starmark Bob-a-lot (c). You can get this in multiple sizes so if you have a bigger pup, you can add more food or use a larger bob. These are well made and will last forever. They are moderately priced ($15-20). They are a little more challenging to add the food into, and depending on the size of the meal, you might have to shake it into the lower compartment and then reduce the aperture to fill the top. But it is a really good toy and is worth the effort.
The Kong Wobbler (d) is also a terrific choice, although you are going to pay a bit more for the high quality and the Kong name ($20 for the larger one). This is also very well made and will last for generations of dogs. It is really easy to load the food into the toy and is very upright heavy, so it does take the dog some effort to wobble the toy and have the food come out.
Finally, for this review anyway, we have the Starmark Puzzle cube (e). I love this cube. It is indestructible, and so easy to load once you figure out how to get the darned thing open the first time (I suggest finding a good YouTube video). It is not obvious is all I am saying, or at least it was not obvious to ME how to get it open. I have two of these babies and are used every day for breakfast for someone. Once you open it, there are four chambers available for food. Chamber 1 is right by the distributing opening, Chamber 2, you must roll the cube around to get the food from Chamber 2 into chamber 1 before exiting, chamber 3 to chamber 2 to chamber 1, etc…you get the idea. So again, you have differing levels of complexity for the tenacious dog! Now I will confess, I have recently broken one after years of daily use, because I dropped it on the floor just right, and the plastic clasp on the inside of the toy broke so it will no longer stay closed. But this thing seriously had years of daily use and abuse, and likely me dropping it dozens of times before I broke it!
While one of these toys is a bit more challenging to load, they are all winners for the dog. I am mostly using these with some sort of dry kibble and some treats maybe to sweeten it up for the doggies. They will all work with varying amounts and sizes of kibble and treats. The IQ ball is the easiest one to clean, with the uneven one next in line. All of the others are not quite as easy to keep clean, but what I tend to do is to make a big bucket (like paint bucket) of soapy water and just soak them all over night. The next day rinse and let them dry. I find this the most effective way to clean them, which I should probably do more often than I do!
I think that will do it for this time! Next time, how about a frozen treat or dinner?
Remember, I want to hear from you, so please do let me know what you think, and make suggestions for topics you would like me to talk about! We can make this up together!
Email me at k9lookingglass@gmail.com
May 2025 (initial post)
Well, 2025 has certainly gotten off to an interesting beginning. We started off the year with snow and ice everywhere immediately followed by “what am I going to do with the dogs now?” followed by our recent tornado outbreak! I try to walk them regularly but as I have gotten older, I have become less willing to brave the various weather! What else can I do to tire them out? As it turns out there are plenty of activities you can do at home in the comfort of your kitchen or living room! Many of these can drain your dog’s energy even more effectively than a walk. I still enjoy walking them, when possible, as it provides an environment filled with new smells. With our typical St. Louis summer on its way, having alternatives when it is truly stifling outside will be nice!
Training is one option, but if you are low on energy or motivation yourself, it is nice to have options! I highly recommend a snuffle or activity mat. I can also use this on competition days, as usually only 1 or 2 dogs have gone to an event, and they and I are tired! I can use a mat to bring down the others while resting myself and the competitors!
These mats have raised pieces of fleece or fabric that visually block the food, so your dogs cannot see where the food is. There are many types available, and I have favorites. I have even made my own using a dish strainer and fabric strips. The key factor is whether I can wash it. I feed a variety of high-quality foods and treats, but eventually, the mats start to smell. It is convenient to just toss them in the washer to refresh them! And trust me, you will know when it is time…There are a few washable ones on sale for about $11 right now on Amazon. I just ordered, because I really like the idea of presetting with food, and being able to then sinch them closed until ready to feed/use. My favorite ones are about $25, they are 17” x 21” and have an edge. Just search snuffle mat for dogs, or something similar, and you will have more choices than you know what to do with! I love all the activity mats too.
For the snuffle mat, regardless of how you secure one, just scatter their kibble or treats across the surface and then work it into the mat with your fingers to hide it well. The dogs use their noses and sense of smell to find the food and gobble it up. Sniffing enriches their lives, as it is what they are designed to do! Additionally, it is a very soothing activity. You get a two-for-one benefit! When they use their noses, they engage their brains too, which helps lower their energy levels and settle them in for a nice quiet evening!
I have had dogs for quite a while now. I love training them and watching them learn. I find it truly fascinating. They constantly amaze me even if they can be irritating at times! Some nights I get home from work, and I just really do not have the energy to deal with anything. On those nights, I am especially grateful for the snuffle mats or the other food toys or puzzles I have around! I can take care of them and still give myself a break!
This initial post is just the beginning. I envision this blog as a space for us to share about dogs, but more importantly, I want it to be for you and your dogs. If you have ideas or topics you would like to explore, please let me know, and I can add them to the list!
Some upcoming topics I plan to blog about include reviews of some puzzle toys I mentioned, with a closer look at the pros and cons for each. Other ideas? What tricks are you interested in training? Do you want to earn titles? You can do that you know! What dog sports would you like to learn more about? Dog Agility? FASTCAT? Scent work? I am open to all suggestions! I want this to be our blog, so I sincerely want to hear from you on topics you would like to learn about!
I think that will just about do it for this first post! Happy summer 2025 to you and your dogs! Until next time, see you around the park!
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