Dog Smart Puzzle – Level 1: Easy – Nina Ottosson

Description

Dog Smart Puzzle – Level 1: Easy

by Nina Ottosson

Fill this puzzle with a meal or some treats and allow your dog to work her brain while she problem-solves.

From the box:

“Dogs are smarter than you think. Sometimes we just need to teach them! Leave some compartments uncovered for your dog to gain interest. In the beginning, make sure the tall end of the bones are facing out so it is easier for your dog to remove. Use really tasty treats that your dog can smell – cheese, soft training treats, or peanut butter work well! To get the most of your Nina Ottosson Games, extra tips and tricks are included in the box.”

Food puzzles are about more than just putting them down and having your dog figure them out. There’s so much more to them than that!

If your dog naturally uses his paw to move the puzzle, then teach him to use his nose to move it – and vice versa. Put each on cue, and you can then tell him which way to access the next treat.  HINT: Put the puzzle on a chair to encourage him to use his nose.

Puzzles can be a training tool! Fill the puzzle with food and put it down near you and your dog.  Cue her for a behaviour (Attention, Sit, Wave – anything that you’re working on) and, when she does it, her reward is that she can access the puzzle for a treat…and return to you for another turn. Move the puzzle farther away, take it outside…You can increase the difficulty level as you go.

What about Scent Discrimination?  Teach your dog a cue for two different foods and send him to get the one you indicate from the puzzle.

Make it fun! Make it interesting! Play with her while you do it!  This is about enrichment – enhancing daily life, increasing engagement with you, freeing her to be creative…so you need to unleash your creativity, too! 🙂

We have many types and levels of puzzle in stock to get your dog started or to challenge that savvy problem-solver.