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FOOD PUZZLES

While dogs, like people, will take food that is offered to them, that’s not what they prefer. In fact, decades of research on contrafreeloading indicates that animals prefer to work for their food rather than having it provided for free. Well, most animals. It seems that maybe cats actually do like having staff, although puzzles are still good for them. So instead of putting your dog’s food in a bowl each day, have him work for some or all of it by putting it into food puzzles.

Food puzzles and exploration of the natural world are both good for the brain and your puppy’s overall welfare. As researchers on the “eureka” effect wrote, “opportunities to solve problems, make decisions, and exercise cognitive skills are important to an animal’s emotional experiences and ultimately, its welfare.”

Food puzzles come in many shapes and sizes and you can even make your own. For example, I made puzzles out of empty vegan ice cream containers for Peanut and Sagan:

You can get your puppy interested in tennis balls, acclimated to the sound of metal, and entertain her, all at the same time, by making this easy food puzzle. Video is by Debbie Oliver CPDT-KSA of Miss Daisy’s Dog Camp:

Get creative! There are lots of great commercial food puzzles out there, but using some creativity will also help you check off your Rule of Twelve checklist at the same time. For example, letting your puppy knock around a plastic milk jug with kibble in it will help him with sound sensitivity. In that case, your dog is the one that makes the sound happen. We are usually less afraid of events that we can control.

Jolein van Weperen is a great dog trainer and author in the Netherlands who specializes in impulse control and environmental enrichment. I was very impressed with her wide variety of puzzles and toys for dog “brainwork.” Her book, “Happy Handling!” is available in English (click here) or in Dutch (click here).

Here’s Emily Larlham’s video of Jolein’s puzzles:

Here’s some more. The “Treat Trapper” is an exercise that is meant to be done in a relaxed and thoughtful way, not just throwing it around. Watch how Jolein teaches this, in two parts. It’s pretty clear, even if you don’t speak Dutch:

Here’s another video by Jolein with one more puzzle idea:

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