koalathebear Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) I read on one of the other threads about Nina Ottoson toys that are supposed to stimulate a dog's mind. They're very expensive so someone had posted a less exxy alternative, being a :DI got a muffin tin, put little treats at the bottom of each tin and then a ball on top. At the first instance, Elbie was clearly very baffled. He sat there and stared at me in a very puzzled fashion - almost as if he was waiting for me to feed him. After I said: "OK" - his normal signal allowing him to eat after waiting, he ambled forward and sniffed at the muffin tin. After a while, he started pawing at it. Video .Eventually, he learned how to - the funny thing was that even though he's the most food crazy dog in the world, he picked up the tennis ball and ran off with it to gnaw on the fluff and left the treat behind at the first instance. He was back pretty quickly for the treat but it was kind of funny. The problem is that the tennis balls have that awful fluff on them. We have one kong ball which is great but kong products are so expensive and we have already spent way tooo much money spoiling our puppy with dog toys. Does anyone know any cheaper ball alternatives that aren't as expensive as kong but aren't as fluffy and bad for puppy tummies as tennis balls? Secondly, does anyone have any other good, easy to make mind games for dogs? Nothing that involves sewing or carpentry please because those are very much beyond my poor abilities ... Edited August 14, 2010 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelleva Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I"ve had success here with a plastic drink bottle, I've got an iced coffee one cleaned out, then I cut a whole in the lid, threw in some treats and Georgia fiddles with it for hours trying to get the last pesky treat out of there. Its a free toy, and kept her very smart brain occupied. I need to think of some other things to try too, so I'll come back to see if anyone has any other suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I play Search with Charlie. I hide his bikkies around the house, and say 'Search' and he is off. He will sniff and search the whole area till he finds everything... (when he is done, i say 'finish' and he stops). It's his favorite game and sometimes the only way to get him to eat his dry dog biscuits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 Hi Michelleva - good to 'speak' with you We've also had some success with the water bottle - Elbie plays with his empty and bats it around. We also bought a decent quality basketball that he can't puncture or destroy and he bats that around as well. He hasn't quite learned how to play with it though - still thinks he's supposed to bite it instead of bat it around with his nose and paws. Although the price made me cringe a LOT, I've just placed an order for the home alone hanging ball - we're hoping that it is one of the things that will keep him entertained when we eventually start leaving him in the backyard when we're at work. Apparently the toy is very good and someone on the other thread (I think a rottie owner) says they're great and if they can withstand a rottie, then it should be fine for us The Nina Ottosson website has a lot of toys but they're all very expensive. I keep thinking that there must be other ways to achieve the same object Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelleva Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Hey Koala, This is another website which was recommended to me by someone else with a sheltie. She told me her pup has the hide-a-squirrel which her dog absolutely loves. I'm thinking about ordering one of them or the bee one. http://www.positivepawsdt.com.au/shop/cate...p?id_category=7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbaudry Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Hey Koala I've found Wagsalot to have the most reasonable prices for both the Kyjen and Nina Ottoson toys: http://www.wagsalot.com.au/index.php?targe...;category_id=34 we now have quite a collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelleva Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Hey fbaudry is that the hide-a-squirrel in the pic with your gorgeous dog? What size is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hetzer Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 I play Search with Charlie. I hide his bikkies around the house, and say 'Search' and he is off. He will sniff and search the whole area till he finds everything... (when he is done, i say 'finish' and he stops). It's his favorite game and sometimes the only way to get him to eat his dry dog biscuits. COOL! I'm doing precisely the same thing with my Kimmi. First I put her in a room inside and say "wait". Then I go and hide her favorite treat either inside or outside somewhere. Then I come back and say "Search!" just like you do! She is off like greased lightning and to observe her in action is really something else! Lately I've been upping the ante by hiding the treats *ON* trees, under carpets, high up on fences... I've dragged the scent of the treat around to deliberately make things harder too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 fbaudry: thanks heaps for that link. You're right - the prices there are the best that I've seen so far! I adore that photo you've posted - your darling is beautiful ... although I'm not sure how long that toy would last with Elbie. He's in massive chew phase right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I have been known to shave tennis balls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 I have been known to shave tennis balls Hahaha! I haven't done that yet - although I know I look ridiculous for the amount of time I sit there stitching up his plushy badger, beaver and dog - they've had so many operations I can't believe they're still 'alive' * In other news - our Aussie Dog Home Alone Hanging Ball came today. We ordered it from Pet Wares Plus because it was the most reasonably priced one (including postage). Some of the sites were ridiculous in terms of price. It was a lot larger than we expected - we selected 'medium' for Elbie because he's a kelpie x. He was a bit wary of it at first but seems to love it now. See . We just have to find a suitable place to hang it in the new house! I suspect it will be able to keep him entertained for a bit because it rattles and you can put treats inside it that only fall out if it's pulled/hit at a certain angle. It also looks surprisingly durable but we'll see We call Elbie the kraken and will say: "you've woken the kraken!" and of course: "Release the kraken!" :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldee Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 (edited) I found the RSPCA shop online to be really good - espically in terms of price compared to the same items in shops! http://www.worldforpets.com.au They have hundreds, a few of those hide away bee's/squirrels - not sure if there are any 'mind' or 'thinking' game toys on there. One good thing with them is that it seems that shipping is one standard price. I had 1 item in my cart and shipping wa $10 (its from QLD i think) and in the end i had about 6 items and still only $10! they have these rubber balls for 7.95 - http://www.worldforpets.com.au/products/pr...ail.asp?ID=1551 or sponge balls from 4.95 http://www.worldforpets.com.au/products/pr...ail.asp?ID=2017 I ordered something from another shop and the shipping was more than the actual item!! Edited June 5, 2010 by goldee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Kyjen is good but NOT if you have a chewer!! Milk bottles are a favourite here, but the sneaky brat chews the lid OFF then just tips all the treats out.. I think i'll try the muffin tray thing :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbaudry Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 (edited) fbaudry: thanks heaps for that link. You're right - the prices there are the best that I've seen so far!I adore that photo you've posted - your darling is beautiful ... although I'm not sure how long that toy would last with Elbie. He's in massive chew phase right now Thank you! If Elbie is going through a chew phase, I think you should save your money for now! :D Archie (and Olaf as well for that matter) has never been a chewer so we now have way to many toys This picture was taken when he was 8 months, and I reckon now we would have double the amount of toys ;) Michelleva, yes it is the hide-a-squirrel. I think it's the "medium" size. The 'nest' would be about 20cm tall... love your sheltie BTW... I have been lurking in the sheltie thread because I think they're great little dogs! The only thing that is holding me back is the potential issue with barking Maybe one day... Milk bottles are great! I do squish and crunch them to make it a bit harder to get all the kibble out Edited June 8, 2010 by fbaudry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelleva Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 fbaudry, I think your boy is totally neglected. :D Georgia is definitely going through a chewing phase, nothing is safe ATM. So I'll hold off the squirril thing for now. And yes I understand the hesitation with the shelties. We ummed and ahhed for a long time over the breed for the same reason. I'm finding she really only barks out of excitement and I'm quickly learning how to stop it. I can now pick the signs of her building up, and if she starts getting like that I need to remove her from the situation, whether its in the backyard or the kids running around playing with balloons. I think the secret is to keep them well excercised, then some training and lots of toys to play with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 Bundy's Mum: The muffin tray is excellent although with tennis balls, it's getting too easy for Elbie! Take a look at . Although in the beginning he kind of just nudged things around with his nose and paw, he quickly learned to lift the balls with his mouth and eat the kibble beneath each ball He doesn't seem to be able to lift out a kong ball though when it's in the muffin tin - perhaps not enough grip or perhaps it's too small it's a lot of fun though - he seems to enjoy it hopefully your doggy loves it, too. fbaudry: that is an AWESOME array of toys. Now I don't feel so bad for all the toys we keep buying for Elbie that being said, I was really extravagant the other day and even though Elbie already has a perfectly good ID tag, I ordered one of these beautiful dog tags for him This one to be exact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colliepaws Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Just had to pop in and say Elbie is such a cutie! I love all your little videos of him they're soo cute! I bought a couple of the nina ottosson toys from wagsalot online store and my 18 month old collie looooooooves them! I bought the 'brick' and the 'tornado'. They are really well made and if you can afford it I think they would be perfect for Elbie...supervised play only though of course otherwise he'll probably just chew them up and they're not that tough! But I think they are really great...I bought them for Luka cos he's been recovering from a knee op and I needed to keep him contained and quiet for the past 5 weeks and these puzzle toys have just been fantastic for keeping his mind busy but his body relatively still. Here's a little pic of Luka playing with the brick puzzle toy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 (edited) Just had to pop in and say Elbie is such a cutie! I love all your little videos of him they're soo cute!I bought a couple of the nina ottosson toys from wagsalot online store and my 18 month old collie looooooooves them! I bought the 'brick' and the 'tornado'. They are really well made and if you can afford it I think they would be perfect for Elbie...supervised play only though of course otherwise he'll probably just chew them up and they're not that tough! But I think they are really great...I bought them for Luka cos he's been recovering from a knee op and I needed to keep him contained and quiet for the past 5 weeks and these puzzle toys have just been fantastic for keeping his mind busy but his body relatively still. Hi collipaws - I love the name Thank so much for the compliment about Elbie. We adore him although he has soooooooooooooooooooo much energy that he's really very exhausting sometimes but he is a clever little thing. Did you see the Elbie thread I made for him? It has photos and videos and some of them are quite funny. I LOVE that photo of Luka with the toy - he looks so beautiful and filled with concentration. Those Nina Ottoson toys really do look great and I think I'll definitely get a few once I start working again - we have spent a lot of money on our puppy and I know I'm the one most guilty of being extravagant :p We supervise Elbie for most of his toys - only the kongs and cloth rope thingy are toys we leave with him to play with alone but all of his other toys are scrutinised because he has a habit of dEsTrUcTiOn ;) Would love to see more photos of Luka and his toys. Did you see the fabulous photo posted by fbaudry? The funny thing is Archie looks so sombre given hos many awesome toys he has :D Edited June 8, 2010 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colliepaws Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I hadn't seen the Elbie thread, thanks for posting the link. I particularly love the commando crawl one...he'd be a good candidate for agility I reckon! I love how many photos and videos you have of him. Not an easy task I'm sure since he looks like he is just always on the go! I'm surprised your photos aren't just of a black and white blur in front of the camera! They grow up so fast you'll be looking back in a few months wondering if he was ever really that small. I bet he is exhausting too - I always say that I think puppies are proportionally cute to how much trouble they cause! So Elbie must be a terror! Glad you liked the photo of Luka...he is a big beautiful boy now. Sometimes I wonder where my little baby fuzzball puppy went! He used to look like this I'll try and take some more pics of Luka and his other toys...like most dogs whose owners are on DOL he has waaaaay too many! Maybe not quite as many as fbaudry's lucky doggies though! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelleva Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Awww Colliepaws, Luca is just gorgeous. I'd love to have a collie one day, imagine the looks I'd get walking a collie and a sheltie together. First I have see if we can get Georgia properly trained, before I even think about anymore pets. But I do LOVE the collies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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