The Best Puzzle Dog Toys for Your Puppy

You're thinking, "Ole Roy only had a holey tennis shoe, a tennis ball and a rawhide chew and he was fine. No way does my puppy need a puzzle dog toy!" Well, maybe you're right. Your puppy doesn't NEED a puzzle toy. However, he or she will most likely get a lot of fun out of it and might not get into quite as much trouble as if the only thing to play with was a toy that squeaked or jingled once in a while. My little Caleb (34.5 pounds at his vet visit the other day, so not so little any more!) doesn't need puzzle toys either. He makes up his own complicated hide and seek puzzle games involving the bag of newspapers and a bone or ball. Believe me, after I cleaned up shredded paper bits for the 4th time, I went shopping for a few puzzle toys!

 The first dog puzzle toy we bought was a hard giggle ball that had a hole in one side that dispensed treats. It was popular with the dogs, just like that annoying loud robot toy is popular with the kids. As soon as we sat down to relax with a book or talk on the phone..."Giggle, giggle, arf, arf." I finally banished the ball to the darkest corner of the dogs' toy basket and only got it out when I was not trying for some peace and quiet.

Seriously, though, dogs seem to like the combination of treats and a squeaky giggling noise. There are a few different giggle balls on the market right now and they all look pretty nice.

The newest puzzle toy I bought for Caleb is a rubber bone that holds treats. I actually bought two of them because the one is a bit more challenging than the other. Kong has a great reputation and the Kong treat bone definitely lives up to its reputation. It was really easy for Caleb to figure out, though, because you just stick the little treats in the slots on the ends and let the dog eat them.

The other toy, which I bought from Target, is a little more challenging. I had to follow the manufacturer suggestion to trim the flanges to make it easier for the treats to fall out. It isn't as dense a rubber, but Caleb doesn't seem to mind. The Premier Pet Waggle Dog Toy is a keeper.

I think these bones are a great way to entertain your puppy, but they also seem to be a great way to see if he or she has the drive to become a search and rescue or drug sniffing dog.

I haven't gotten any of the more advanced interactive puzzle toys for Caleb yet, but I do have my eye on a couple of promising toys. I think that I'll be shopping for puzzle dog toys that are a little more challenging as he reaches six months and his puppy brain matures a little. I love the hide and seek type plush toys and, with his DIY hide and seek games, I think Caleb will, too. I also like the linkables toys that require some real problem solving to get to the treats.