Just Dogs

Dog Solitaire Strategy Game

Dog Activity Games are designed for interaction between dog and owner and to encourage the dog's mentally ability. Collaborative play can strengthen the bond between dog and owner.

The Solitaire game consists of a wooden board with seven plastic cones. These cones have a little hole at the top so that the treats can be sniffed out. The cones can only be lifted and not knocked over making it a challenge for your dog to get their rewards! Leave the treat under the cone or bury up inside. Mix it up for even more of a challenge! The board is 29cm in diameter. Don;t forget these are interactive toys and not designed to be left with your dog unsupervised (we have tried to provide some handy information below regarding the benefits of activity games for dogs - please take the time to read this to understand how they work, what their benefits are and if they are right for you and your dog).

Dog Activity Games are designed for interaction between dog and owner and to encourage the dog's mentally ability. Collaborative play can strengthen the bond between dog and owner. As a result it is important to remember that these are not just toys you toss to your dog to play with on their own. They are games that you need to get involved with too, encouraging and rewarding your dog when they interact with the game in a positive way. Treats are used as rewards with the toys to encourage dogs to carry out a variety of tasks such as lifting or pulling different object with their mouths and moving buttons.

Boredom is a contributing factor to many pet behaviour problems and providing stimulating and interesting toys for your dog can be a useful aid in relieving this boredom (although these should not be seen as a replacement for regular exercise and training).

Activity games can be a good option for playing with dogs that tend to get hyperactivity or stressed if over-stimulated. Instead of throwing a ball or playing tug which can sometimes make hyper dogs too excited, sitting quietly with your dog and working through an activity game can still give your dog stimulation but without getting them too hyped up.

An exercise book with each game recommends a programme to introduce the toy and to advance though the training making it gradually more difficult. Each Trixie activity toy has non-slip rubber feet and is suitable for dogs of all ages.

Running for a ball challenges a dog physically, whilst these toys are designed to challenge them mentally.

Using the activity games has a number of other benefits including the following:

• Dogs that eat too fast can be feed their dinner in the activity game, slowing their eating and reducing the change of bloat
• Fussy eaters are often more likely to be inclined to eat food that has been dispensed through work
• Using activity games can help with clicker training (you can click every time the dog offers a correct behaviour in relation to figuring out a step in the activity game)
• These games can be great for older, less active dogs or dogs that have been injured and that can't do such long walks anymore but still need to keep their mind active.
• They are also great for the inquisitive, sponge like minds of puppies!

Other Activity Games Tips to help you decide if this is a good toy for your dog

Don't forget that dogs have different levels of intelligence just like us humans. - some dogs are happy with games that are simple and easy, while others need increasingly difficult ones. Most games can be made more difficult by reducing the number of treats available but if you have an especially clever dog they may need to move onto a more advanced game quicker than others.

It's important that the games are not too difficult in the beginning, you have to give the dog some time to understand how the games work. Most dogs quickly understand that they have to work to get to the treats and that it pays to listen to directions from the owner.

These type of games are not designed to leave your dog with when you are out!

Activity games and toys that contain treats shall always be used together with the dog or under supervision. The first times the games are used, we would recommend to hide many small & high value treats, encourage and praise the dog a lot when it does the right thing, and carefully try to redirect it if it tries to bite the game or is too rough, by putting a hand over the game or lifting it up, wait until the dog has calmed down and then try again.

If your dog is not motivated by food treats at all then this type of toy is probably not for your dog and you may be better to try something different to keep them entertained.