Interactive toys are currently one of the best tools we have to educate and develop our dogs. They can also be used for other animals such as cats and ferrets.
They are hollow toys with holes that allow food to be inserted inside so that the dog, by "interacting" with them, can get the food out; this is gradually dosed and with this, we obtain many benefits, such as, for example, keeping the dog entertained to avoid destructive chewing or excessive barking; In general, we manage to distract him in a healthy way, when he is left alone, instead of having him perform other more unpleasant distractions for us.
The main difference with other toys is that the dog can entertain itself, without the need for us to be present. Even so, we should not settle down and forget that our dog needs to play with us to strengthen the bonds of union.
Materials of toys
Another quality of these Interactive Dog Toys is that they are made with resistant and elastic materials that stimulate chewing and thus we can let them bite them without the risk of being destroyed when food stops coming out.
What are the precautions?
For it to work effectively, two precautions should be taken into account. The first is not to choose a toy that is too small for our dog., since he could swallow it, and the second is that if we leave him playing with the toy in a place where he can hide under something, such as an armchair, it will turn against us because he will not stop until he gets it back. To avoid these problems, we can use a rope and tie it somewhere appropriate or cover the areas where it can sneak. There is another interactive ball-shaped toy that can also be used to entertain our dogs. The drawback is that some dogs can't fit in their mouths and have to discover that to get the food out you have to roll the ball. It may take us a little longer to create an interest in these types of toys.
There is another type of ball that has more grooves, this one gives us more possibilities when introducing food and helps keep his gums clean (by inserting your teeth into the grooves to get food). The way to fill them is simple. First, an irresistible food is introduced for our dog, which cannot be removed (inaccessible) but which draws his attention a lot, so that he knows that the toy always has food; then we will place his usual food and optionally we can accompany it with something that makes it more attractive and difficult to remove. In the end, we will put easily accessible prizes so that you can get them quickly and continue playing without getting discouraged.
How to get the dog to love them
In the beginning, the content that we prepare must be easily accessible to our dog, so we will achieve interest in the toy, to gradually complicate it with different food mixtures that prolong the game time and enhance its ingenuity. With our puppies, we can use it from a young age to give them their feed ration and get them "hooked" on this type of toy early on. There are many recipes to fill them, but the most convenient thing is to adapt them by introducing foods that our dog likes and of course that do not harm his health. The base of the stuffing should be his usual food (usually dry feed) and some special prize to get his interest. With these kinds of toys, new possibilities are opening up to stimulate puppies and develop them properly so that they later have a greater predisposition for learning.
Some other toys to try are Dog Tug Toys which are made to strengthen the dogs muscle and make a pulling or tugging game.
