tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post3695786904510262383..comments2024-03-04T06:54:50.622-06:00Comments on Reactive Champion: Management 101: Mental Stimulation, or, The Joy of Food ToysCrystal (Thompson) Barrerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01738188430244886019noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-69622570908242730932011-01-12T12:19:11.011-06:002011-01-12T12:19:11.011-06:00Great list of options. Lilly recently ate the knot...Great list of options. Lilly recently ate the knot off of the rope in her tug-a-jug. I need to replace it because w/o the rope ... it's WAY too easy.Roxanne @ Champion of My Hearthttp://www.championofmyheart.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-21715684116516558882010-06-03T02:07:47.328-05:002010-06-03T02:07:47.328-05:00Ira has a bunch of toys that he doesn't get an...Ira has a bunch of toys that he doesn't get anymore since he's on raw. On the plus side, I can still freeze his meat meal in a breakfast, and it takes him almost an HOUR to get it all out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-56697539952734313512010-06-01T21:41:57.077-05:002010-06-01T21:41:57.077-05:00Thanks for posting these. I have been looking at t...Thanks for posting these. I have been looking at the Tug a Jug, but wasnt entirely clear on how it worked. This helps! We do Kongs, but unless I take the time to plan ahead and freeze them they clear them out really fast. Even frozen they are pretty quick to finish them (like well under 10 min). We also have the flying saucer, but they just crush it between their jaws and it all comes right out (and my dogs are both 15lbs!). <br /><br />Unfortunately we have multiple dogs which means we need multiple toys... expensive, but probably worth it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-75560823290618734582010-05-31T19:45:17.691-05:002010-05-31T19:45:17.691-05:00Maisy is the same way- if it's too hard, she w...Maisy is the same way- if it's too hard, she won't bother with the Kong. These days, I put Primal pre-made raw in her Kong- the 1 ounce portions fit perfectly in a medium. I also cook, puree and then freeze veggies in an ice cube tray- they also fit in a medium Kong well. She's motivated enough to go after those things.Crystal (Thompson) Barrerahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01738188430244886019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-7902406476033198322010-05-31T18:01:31.641-05:002010-05-31T18:01:31.641-05:00I should get a Tug-a-Jug for Steve. I don't us...I should get a Tug-a-Jug for Steve. I don't use a lot of food-dispensing toys because all three of my dogs eat crated. I do use stuffed Kongs for them sometimes, though maybe not as frequently as I should. <br /><br />I pack the pit bulls' Kongs with large pieces that take some manipulating to get out- apple slices, milkbones, etc. They will take the time to work on it. Steve will not. If it's at all challenging, he just eats the easy stuff and lets the rest of it in the Kong. And of course he's the one who needs the stimulation.elegyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09221427243067054351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-17201404592714387642010-05-31T06:52:54.091-05:002010-05-31T06:52:54.091-05:00ANOTHER great post! I will probably have to refer ...ANOTHER great post! I will probably have to refer other people to this, it's really well done. <br /><br />I'm very big on "all dogs should have meals fed through food dispensing toys or training" (and luckily 98% of my students feed kibble...'cause raw just doesn't work so well in the tug a jug!) and providing other types of enrichment.<br /><br />The kibble nibble and tug a jug (and kibble-mush-frozen-stuffed-kongs) are big here. The dogs have mastered those kibble toys so we'll put other items in there (crumpled paper, balls, etc) to make it harder for the food to come out. Our training group friends passed on that idea and it's brilliant.<br /><br />Laura: I've "taught" dogs to use the tugajug by removing the rope (not possible when it's an actual rope, but the plastic rope ones allow for it). And after many sessions with that, we'll put the rope back in.<br /><br />We also have several of the "linkables" from premier. They're way easier (I had to buy special kibbles too...the regular ones were too small...it has HUGE holes) but for whatever reason the dogs completely love this one by far. It's somehow really really exciting.<br /><br />In the future I will probably introduce dogs to the manners minder before kibble toys... my board and train puppies REALLY tried hard to push and knock around the MM!Kristenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13500652686807039501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-38432082489150562592010-05-31T00:50:08.090-05:002010-05-31T00:50:08.090-05:00Patches hasn't eaten food in a bowl since he w...Patches hasn't eaten food in a bowl since he was 7 mo. old! We have a kong, a tug-a-jug, a buster cube, and a tricky treat ball. We also have two sizes of round hollow balls that can be stuffed. The treats must be squeezed out--lots of good jaw exercise. We also tried a sort of flying saucer shaped one that didn't work very well at all. I would buy more food dispensing toys if I could find any more locally--I may have to order off the Internet. I haven't had any problems removing or adjusting the core of the buster cube. One thing I don't like about the tricky treat ball is that it takes a long time to dry after washing. The tug-a-jug can be used with multi-grain cheerios--if you're in to feeding your dog those--and with Charley Bear Treats. Although Patches regular kibble works in it too. His approach to the tug-a-jug is a little different because he can get his jaws around the end--he picks it up and shakes it. I would also like to order some of Ottosson's puzzle toys, but will have to wait until I can afford one! I also like to play "Find It" with food. Patches does a sit stay while I hide food around the house. We started with one piece at a time--now I can hide many pieces and he knows to keep searching until I say "All Done". Another good way to keep a high drive dog happy on foul weather days! When I occasionally had to be away all day, I would prepare several food dispensing toys, hide them throughout the house before I left. Sometimes when I came home, they would all be on my bed (empty of course) and sometimes they'd be near where I had hidden them. I think they're fantastic!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13362077822300440601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-30075144999689361392010-05-30T22:12:53.725-05:002010-05-30T22:12:53.725-05:00MT- That's part of the reason I still feed kib...MT- That's part of the reason I still feed kibble. I do feed some raw, but I just can't give up the food toys!<br /><br />Laura- what are you putting in the tug-a-jug? I actually buy a special kibble to go in it. Her usual kibble is Wellnes CORE, but it clogs up the tug-a-jug, so I put Taste of the Wild in on it on tug-a-jug days... it's flatter than the CORE is.Crystal (Thompson) Barrerahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01738188430244886019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-37591229978534289942010-05-30T22:02:52.894-05:002010-05-30T22:02:52.894-05:00I have a tricky treat ball and the tug a jug. The...I have a tricky treat ball and the tug a jug. The tug a jug is somewhat new and maybe I just didn't give my dogs enough time, but I got frustrated watching them try. It was extremely hard to get our kibble out of it, even I had the hardest time and could only do it when held upside down and gave it a really hard tug. So I stopped giving it to the dogs. Maybe we just had an oddly shaped kibble that made it harder? Or maybe I should just give them time and let them figure it out? I did actually use shaping to get them to tug on the rope whic they picked up quickly, but food never came out.Laura and The Corgi, Toller, & Duckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06437492165453445126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-45677571199719831602010-05-30T20:35:21.586-05:002010-05-30T20:35:21.586-05:00The tricky treat ball and tug-a-jug is Dante's...The tricky treat ball and tug-a-jug is Dante's absolutely favourite treat dispensing toys! He would have played with them for hours and hours on end, of course with continuous refills from me ;) I say "would have" in the past tense because ever since switching to raw i can't really feed Dante his meals from the toys anymore ... kind of hard to stuff raw food into those toys ...M.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06634283082362532336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-68454536524897860592010-05-30T20:30:06.049-05:002010-05-30T20:30:06.049-05:00I think we have the "small" for dogs 10-...I think we have the "small" for dogs 10-40 pounds. It's a nice size. It's probably about ten inches tall (not including the rope) and about 4 inches in diameter. I've never tested it, but I imagine it would hold up to about 2 cups of kibble, though I'm not sure how well it would work if it was that full. <br /><br />If you can find it in the large size, that's probably what I'd recommend for a dog any bigger than Maisy (17 lbs). Hers is pretty much the perfect size for her, and I prefer the toys on the larger side anyway. <br /><br />They're available at Target and PetSmart, so you might want to go check out the size and see what makes the most sense to you.Crystal (Thompson) Barrerahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01738188430244886019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-34204515006631379712010-05-30T20:15:40.890-05:002010-05-30T20:15:40.890-05:00thanks so much for this post -- I have a few treat...thanks so much for this post -- I have a few treat-dispensing toys but I think I'm going to add a few to my arsenal.<br /><br />What size tug-a-jug do you have? It says Large is for dogs 40 pounds and up.. well, Marge IS 40 pounds, and is likely going to be afraid of it.. so maybe smaller is better?Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com