Reddit reviews Starmark Treat Dispensing Bob-a-Lot Dog Toy

I play the hiding game with my dog. I hide treats all over the house, and then I let him loose to find them. Keeps him busy for 15 minutes. Gives him a chance to sniff around and find things, and he gets to be a "hunter" for a little while. My family read about the game in a newspaper article a long time ago, and we've been playing the game with all the dogs in the family since then.

Also look for treat toys. This one (http://amzn.com/B003YHB8EI) from Amazon has been keeping my dog busy for the past couple years. He never grows tired of it.

This is GREAT and keeps him busy for a bit:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YHB8EI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are great for training:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TGIFUYI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I feed mine 1 cup x2 per day of this food. There are pretty clear directions on how much to feed based on weight / goal weight. Mine is on the bigger side but still in excellent shape at 50lbs.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089A66N8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah, most of those would get destroyed in minutes in our house.

Firstly, as I'm sure you know, plan to take her on a decent walk first. It's not always possible, but it helps with the process. Then there's a little wind-down time when we get back to the house.

Anyway, as for toys, your real question, I suggest one of these two:

http://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Bob---Lot-Interactive-Small/dp/B003YHB8EI/

http://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Inches-Colors/dp/B003ARUKTG/

We get some tiny little treats to pop in there and it has good success. Noodle still tries to play with it at my feet, but at least it keeps him occupied. But, as Aussies are velcro pups, he only plays with it in the same room that we're in.

The other thing that could help (if what you want to get done is in the same general area) is to keep treats in your pocket and continuing to reward for staying on her bed. So as you're working, toss a treat back. Maybe every 30 seconds at first and then lengthen the time. Our "Go to your bed" command is pretty rock solid at this point...but the staying part is certainly something that can be continuously worked on.

Good luck! And seriously, that Weazeball will die a horrible death in minutes. Don't waste your money.

outward hound puzzle puzzle starmark puzzle 2

I've been using this one with my chihuahua, and it works great!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YHB8EI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GQh2xbQ8KR4TT
You can choose the size of the opening, which is great for small kibble and my chi just has a blast pouncing on it and batting it around.

I would try a food puzzle instead if the slow bowls were too easy. IMO, I would be worried about bloat too. Inhaling their food to the point they choke doesn't sound healthy. Others can comment, but my pup's eating behaviours haven't changed when he got older. He was a picky puppy and he's still picky. We leave his food out all day and he never eats it all.

Have you tried these? Heavy bottom wobbler, Round dispenser.

Those slowly dispense food, the holes are only so big so he'll have to slow down no matter what.

We bought a puzzle feeding bowl and never looked back, they are cheap on amazon, under $10. If your dog is high energy (mine is) then it’s perfectly fine to feed all meals in devices that make your dog work for the food (this advice came from our trainer). It helps tire them out and they eat slower. It’s very common for us to feed our dog from this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001F0RRUA/ref=mp_s_a_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1524460063&sr=8-27&keywords=dog+treat+ball . I know the reviews are not amazing but the small one works great for our dog. I do not recommend the large, it comes unscrewed to easy. A lot of people like the kong wobbler but our dog doesn’t get it. Frozen Kong’s only work for us if it’s a mix of wet food and dry. We have this one too which works well but is a bit of a pain to fill an entire meal in. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003YHB8EI/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1524460313&sr=8-15&keywords=dog+treat+dispenser

Jumping in to recommend the Bob-A-Lot that I got my dog a few months ago. It seems to be a little more work for her than the Kong Wobbler since you can adjust the hole that the food comes out of. If I don't feed her out of that, I use this dog bowl. Another good way for me to wear her brain out is to take the meal with us on our walks and train a little as we go.

Just recently my friend got me this toy and she loves it. She'll pull all the toys out and play with them for a while, then wait while I stuff them back in again.

Good luck!! I really hope you get to keep your pupper!

I’d focus on all around confidence building at home - obedience group class is probably overwhelming for a shy dog, so set your expectations low for slow progress in a class environment.

First of all, I’d implement a Nothing in Life is Free regime at home for now. It sounds harsh but for a fearful dog, knowing what your expectations are can reduce her anxiety and earning affection/privileges successfully by doing what you want her to will help her build confidence and trust in you - which should translate to her looking to you for leadership in all situations.

Work on reinforcing/teaching basic commands at home with really high value treats, lots of short training sessions (90 seconds to 5 minutes each session multiple times a day if possible) and way more reps than you think necessary. Once she has a command down, you can work on transitioning it to the world outside your home.

Puzzle toys are also an effective way to help build confidence. With shy/fearful dogs, we typically feed all meals in puzzle toys - solving them helps boost their morale. The Starmark Bob-a-lot is my favorite for meals, but Kongs are a good option too and the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Snoop Dog Toy is another great one.

Nina Ottosson makes great puzzle toys for treat puzzles (too small to feed full meals), with varying levels of difficulty. There are also tons of DIY puzzle toys on the internet. Anything that works her brain and requires her to think through to solve will help her become a more focused, confident dog.

Hopefully all of the above will translate into increased focus and confidence in class too, but if not, you might want to consider doing some in home training if you can (obviously with the caveat that in home training is expensive af, especially compared to group classes, so I totally understand if this isn’t an option). If group classes are your best option, don’t worry too much about her performance IN class, just focus on doing the homework and building up her responsiveness at home and then slowly transition to the outside world.

With regards to men, it’s probably not something you can completely “solve,” but if she’s food motivated and you have male friends she doesn’t know, ask them to come over and hand feed her. This is one of the most effective ways to build a bond. When men are around, have them give her high value treats and ignore her as best you can, so all good things come from men. But let her take it on her own terms and don’t push her either. Contractors can be scary - generally they’re wearing work boots, carrying big/loud/heavy objects, etc., so that may be a situation you just want to manage instead of trying to train her to be more comfortable - just keep her crated or confined to an area where your contractor won’t be, maybe put on a noise machine or the radio and give her a frozen Kong or bully stick to keep her calm when they’re around.

Not all of this will be helpful or apply to you and your dog, I’m sure, but these are some of the things I find the most successful with my fearful fosters! Best of luck to you and your pupper! You sound like a very dedicated owner 💕

I put treats and even dry food in a puzzle toy for my yorkie, he loves it, it slows down how fast he eats and it keeps him occupied for a while. This is the one I have https://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Bob-Lot-Interactive-Small/dp/B003YHB8EI/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1521658287&sr=8-13&keywords=dog+treat+puzzle

He knocks it all over the kitchen getting his food out and it wears him out a bit which is great this time of year when it's too cold or snowy to walk every day.

My wiggle loves this and this
Also, frozen Kong’s are great.

There are many different kinds of toys and puzzles that will keep him occupied when you aren't at home. Just choose something centered around your dog's motivation, whether it be treats, toys, or something else and don't forget to play with him yourself!

On a different note, I used to have a dog who started chewing when he was a puppy. I made it absolutely clear to him that I was VERY unhappy when he chewed through my headphone cord, then gave him a length of denim from the scrap box and said, "This is for you." Ever since then, he'll only chew things you give to him explicitly.

SO and I keep our pup in an open area and just keep tabs on him, which inevitably results in a lot of us saying "stop chewing on the chair, stop chewing on the plant." So I feel you there.

If we need time where we can't watch him constantly (folding laundry, for example) we'll put him in his enclosed space, usually with something to chew on. Sometimes he barks at us or lays on top of the couch and stares at us like, "uh, guys? You forgot to let me out..." It's definitely not his favorite but sometimes it's necessary. If we really need him to be occupied we give him a bully stick; we might as well not exist when he has one of those.

As for toys, my dog loves his frizbee, his Chuck-it! ball (we can't give him regular tennis balls because he eats the fuzz off, but the Chuck it balls are pretty sturdy), and rope toys, which he can only have if we're around. Currently we have a Flossy rope toy and the Kong Tugga Wubba. He also has a few rubber chewy bones, which have held up to his chewing so far. Amazon seems to have better prices for toys than anywhere else I've found. The Flossy rope toy is huge and it cost me like $3, I think?

Another thing that keeps him occupied is a wobbling food dispenser, which another poster suggested and I also highly recommend. It makes dinner time a little more interesting for him and lets you do your own thing for a bit. We have one of these. You can adjust how difficult it is by adjusting the two openings in the toy.

Do you rotate toys out? If I introduce a new toy I always put one away and don't bring it out again for a few weeks; he goes nuts for ones he hasn't had in awhile.

If he's decently food motivated, there are toys where the dog has to work to get the food out. Some examples-

IQ Ball

Starmark Bob a Lot

Magic Mushroom

Nina Ottosson has a line of puzzle toys. (These are more on the expensive side though, but there's a range of difficulty)

These are just a few off the top of my head... If you do a search for puzzle toys, there should be other posts with more suggestions.

If you leave the rawhides out all the time, he might just be bored or just used to them, so they're no longer a treat. If he has access to them at any time, there's nothing really special about them anymore which maybe why he ignores them.

We have this for ours https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YHB8EI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GxLsDbFHADN2S

She loves it and gets pouty when her food is in a normal bowl instead

My 10 lb dog loves the IQ ball and we've got the larger size (4"). We've also got a Wobbler that she enjoys, but I think I should have gotten the Bob-a-lot instead. I borrowed a Bob-a-lot from a friend, and it seemed like it was more challenging and I liked that the hole size is adjustable (I taped over most of the Wobbler's hole to make it smaller). The Busy Buddy Twist & Treat is pretty good too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YHB8EI

Hi. I'm late, and my stuff is similar to yours but I'll show you anyway.

Our piglet LOVES this thing, we put cheerio halves inside: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YHB8EI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

I made this rooting box last wknd during the snow storm and he now uses it once a day. I went the cheap route w the pans until I knew he'd actually use it. That's regular hay sprayed down with water and we add raw cut up veggies.
http://imgur.com/YM4DK4r

Also, this bed is the best. He roots in it 24/7 and tires himself out. I also have a hot water bottle in there that is kind of heavy, he likes digging under it and rooting into it too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GQV68U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Good luck!

> Your weekend ignore training regime, was that again in an x pen? Where you frequently went in/out of the room but not pen?
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My puppy is a 16 week old Indian pariah mix that we've had since she was 12 weeks (though separated from her mother at <6 weeks, since that's the age the fosters found her at as a lost stray). The breed is known for its social playing, intelligence, but is also not big on cuddling.

I don't have an X-pen, but we do have a puppy gate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089HDZYY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that has been a lifesaver.
Cords have been moved behind big furniture, like the couch, where she can't reach them.

My dog has a lot of food-toys and chews.

Food ball: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ARUKU0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bob-a-lot: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YHB8EI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

"Wood" stick we use to lure her away from tempting wooden furniture legs:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0754P3NSC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Solo-playing works best with toys that make a noise or move on their own (at least for my puppy). We've found a hard golf ball that noisily rolls across the floor (debatable whether this is a good idea; right now our puppy is too small to fit it fully in her mouth, let alone choke on it, but it's definitely hard enough that I worry she might break a tooth. But no signs of aggressive chewing yet), but she also likes other balls and stuffed toys (which she just takes in her mouth and shakes about wildly).

IMO, the food-dispensing toys are a must-have.

We also leave her dog bed and crate available in this space, and a blanket on the floor, that she likes to sit on while she chews.

Weekend training regime is the same as anything else. Dog in the living room, living room closed off with puppy gate so she can't follow us out, and is in a relatively puppy-proofed space, and toys and chews left strewn about.

She mostly sleeps through the day, now, knowing we won't engage with her playing. If she's being too noisy or needy, I'll leave her alone in the puppy-gated living room and work in another room.

I hope this helps!

Just to chime in: I have a Corgi pup, and we bought her this. It’s been clutch.

You can dispense treats with it, but we often put her food in it to occupy her while we eat.

My Springer spaniel girl loves puzzle toys! I got her a Bobalot and Kong 'flying saucer' plus a puzzle bowl, all of which she loves!

How about a treat dispensing toy?

IQ Ball

Omega Tricky Treat Ball

Planet Dog Mazee

Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom

Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble

Busy Buddy Tug a Jug

Kong Wobbler

Bob-a-Lot

I feed my dog breakfast every day in this: https://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Bob-Lot-Interactive-Small/dp/B003YHB8EI.

I like it because it involves both physical and mental exercise and it takes my dog about 30 mins to complete.

We've been using this one for the past few months and it's been great. It takes my dog about 7-10 minutes to get all the food out. Plus it's super entertaining to watch her play with it.