Dogs love treat puzzles. They are fun and rewarding. And you don’t have to break the bank buying one at the pet store. There are actually a few different ways to make a treat puzzle right at home!
Entertain and reward your dog while stimulating their mental health with these easy to make puzzles.
- Tennis ball puzzle
For a fun and easy treat toy, all you need is some treats and an old tennis ball. Cut an X into the ball along the seam. This will make a little flap and you can stuff treats into. Make sure that it is large enough for the treats to fall out of fairly easily after being knocked around. Then just monitor the tennis ball that it doesn’t get chewed up too much or eaten.
- Muffin Tin
This is actually the easy one of all. Take a muffin tin (or a mini muffin tin for tiny dogs) and flip it upside down. Sprinkle a few treats around and in between the bumps. They will have to nudge the food around at different angles in order to eat it. You can also step it up a notch and make it a more interactive game put keeping the tin upright. Divide treats up between the cups and make it tricky by covering the sections with balls or other toys.
- Tupperware or plastic puzzle
This one is also extremely easy to make. Grab an old Tupperware with a lid, an old milk jug or even a water bottle. Cut random holes in it of different sizes. Make a few too small for treats, but then plenty for a few treats to fall out. You don’t want them to get discouraged if the treats don’t fall out easily. If the plastic is hard, then you may need to sand or tape the rough edges. Then just tape the lid on it and watch your dog have fun pawing it around and getting treats.
- Cereal or cardboard box
A bit messier than the other treat toys, but just as much fun is making one out of an old box. Take an empty cereal box and tape up treats inside and let them shred it to pieces as they try and find the treats. If they tear it up too quickly, try nesting the smaller boxes inside of the bigger box to make layers. It’ll prolong the fun. Just make sure you have a broom handy and watch them as they play so they don’t ingest the cardboard box.
Just remember to always supervise your dog while they are playing with these treat puzzles. Because food is involved they may try and eat the cardboard or plastic.
Does your dog love treat puzzles? We’d love to see your dog playing with your homemade treat puzzles! Tell us all about them in the comments below or post pictures of them on our social media!