Outward Hound by Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Treat Puzzle Enrichment Toy, Level 2 Intermediate Game, Blue

This is one of our very favorite and most useful toys. The ball is very well made of durable rubber (or whatever it is that feels like good rubber these days and the rubber extends a little bit over the edge of the treat wells so that the dog can't chew the plastic wells out. The squirrels are, of course, fabric and we know what happens with that. That said, they too are well made. with "painted" on faces, no bulging eyes to chew out of them. I ordered 6 additional squirrels shortly after getting the toy for two reasons: 1) I'm lazy (and old) and didn't want to have to go squirrel searching all the time and 2) I wanted to be sure I had extras in case they became unavailable in the future. I have something similar to a toy hammock or net bag hanging on a wall where I deposit the squirrels as I come upon them. She only gets to play with them in conjunction with the ball (or if she finds a missing one before I do).Initially it did not look to me as though this toy would hold enough food to actually feed her from. It does. It holds about a cup and a half, maybe a little more, if you only put the squirrel head half way in each well. My Archie is about 40 pounds and is not what is considered an aggressive chewer though she has chewed a number of toys to their death. This one still looks like new as do all the squirrels (which I toss in the wash, not sure if that is recommended.) This would work as a slow feeder but that's not why I got it. My girl isn't always hungry when we feed the little dogs and cats. She's more of a grazer. I would free-feed her if I didn't have the others. This toy gives me a way to have food out for her when she wants it, the little dogs know it's not theirs and the cats aren't interested in working at it. (One cat figured out the gum ball machine toy before any of the dogs did and by the time they did the cat was puking. That toy went into storage)First Use: Archie did not intuitively know how to get the squirrels out at first and lost interest before she succeeded. Maybe she would have been smarter if I waited until she was starving but I don't like doing that. What I did was fill the wells about half way and stuck the squirrel heads in just far enough that they wouldn't fall out as I put it down. When I put it down and gave it a little roll, with her paying attention, a squirrel did come out and let the kibble out too which she ate up immediately and started to catch on. I put the squirrels barely in for a few days until she really got the hang of it, which she did. Interesting note: my girl does know the command for tug or pull but she could not relate it to this ball and squirrel thing so we had to go the other route.This is a toy I don't think you'll regret buying. I'm tempted to order a back-up one and keep it in our RV.

Great puzzle for my 11 week old puppy. She figured it out after 2-3 times but it still keeps her entertained and mentally stimulated. I love Outward Hound, they make great dog products! Good price!

I recently bought this for my playful German Shepard, who loves stimulating toys and treats, lol! We use this occasionally for a few rewarded treats, or for a fun dinner. He really enjoys playing with it, and sometimes he scratches it and it rips off. It's durable, but I would like it even more if it didn't fly off when he used it, haha. And sometimes he has a bit of a hard time using it to get the treats, but you just have to help him out a little and then he gets it. It's pretty noisy when he scratches at it, but that's super understandable. It really helps with his activity level, I feel like I paid the right price for this. The only problem I have is parts of it coming off and losing it. Overall, a win for your active pup! Not too easy, but not too challenging.

My Alaskan Malamute loves this puzzle! He figured out how to open all the compartments and rotate the center dial on his first try, but that hasn’t stopped him from enjoying it every time, especially when I hide a bit of cheese in some of the sections.The build quality is excellent. It’s sturdy enough to withstand his enthusiastic biting and pulling, which says a lot given his size and strength. If it can survive a Malamute, it’s definitely well made!Nina Ottosson continues to impress, her puzzles are by far the best I’ve found for keeping smart, high-energy dogs mentally stimulated. Highly recommended!

We got a new puppy and needed it away to keep him interested as he gets bored pretty quickly with other types of toys. This was a great idea! Not only are there lots of places to hide the food. The pieces come off and those become true toys as well. As you can see our puppy figured it out and still enjoys playing with it weeks later. It’s a good way for us to feed him, as well as a good toy to keep him entertained. On average, he would finish his food in about five minutes. With this, it takes him at least 20×30 to find all the food. But he’s a puppy, so he gets distracted easily And that affects the timing as well. That still doesn’t change my ranking for this I still think this is an amazing product and would absolutely order it again.