Is it worth the money?
Right before my move from Pennsylvania to Minnesota
this past summer I had the privilege to acquire an 8 week old Newfoundland
The test
of packing up one’s home of twenty years within a month then taking the 18 hour
journey across the states in one day proved to be bittersweet. We were embarking on a new adventure but also
leaving good friends and family behind.
Then came the unpacking and putting away our old junk into the new home and it was a task I did not really have time
to think long about. The majority of our boxes went from the moving truck into
the garage to make unpacking the truck
move a bit faster. After all, we had plenty of time to unpack
those boxes right? Wrong! With the Minnesota
Cold weather also means Brody
who is now six months old, but still very much a puppy, cannot stay outside all
day as he would like too, to check out, dig up, and eat every clay filled
frozen piece of dirt with a little grass mixed in. That grass root vegetable
source is very important to him!
So with much to do myself I
did have to figure out how to keep him occupied at times. Tearing up boxes only
lasts so long before you get tired of picking up pieces of cardboard strewn in
every room.
I have to admit, I love to give my dogs something
that stimulates the mind especially when normal training can’t be done several
times a day on a daily basis. I like the idea that someone came along to invent
a product for a dog because this tells me they do realize that the family dog
is not just for the outside dog house anymore! There are things one can do to
keep busy a fussy needy pup that can stimulate its mind at the same time. When
the mind is stimulated the dog gets a bit more tired and we know that a tired
dog is a good dog!
.
In moving, I lost my hometown
doggie support group but I was lucky
enough to move into a home that had a puppy the same age as mine living right
next door! This works well for late
afternoons and the weekends, but the neighbor does have to work. Far be it from me to tell her to take a day
off so the pups can play, though I am sure she would agree to do so if there
weren’t a pesky mortgage to pay!
Enter a trip to Petco where
we, Peter and I, found the Yin Yang Yum dog puzzle. I have to admit it seemed
like a good purchase at the time. There were hidden compartments to put the
dog’s treats or food in and the dog had to open these compartments in order to
get the reward.
When I first gave Brody this puzzle I used a
high value reward so the smell would come through very clearly. Upon first examination of this contraption
Brody was interested because of the food inside however he did give up a few times, walking
away from the puzzle to see if mom or dad had that same treat in their pocket. We did, but refused to give it to him and
redirected him back to the puzzle to watch him struggle with it a little while
longer. Finally he was able to get the
puzzle apart and retrieve his reward. The first go around lasted a little
while, the second and third rounds went fairly quickly and by the fourth time
he had the puzzle opened and emptied in about 2 minutes 30 seconds. That was that. From that point on he knew exactly how to get
his treats out.
As I stated above, I like my
dogs to use their minds but if I am busy I would like their entertainment to
last a little longer than 2 minutes. I find
that my homemade Gatorade bottle does the same as far as mind stimulation but
also keeps the dog engaged a lot longer.
So if I compare this puzzle
for mind stimulation it would rate fairly high but rating it as to keeping the
dog active for any period of time it rates fairly low.
Yin Yang Yum
The product:
Plastic, large and small chambers. Two round removable parts for the dog to
take out to get to the first two chambers. Sides that slide open to get to the remaining chambers.
Price: $14.99
at PetCo
Pros: Your
dog has to use its mind to get to the chambers holding the food. It is
entertaining and mind stimulating.
Cons:
1) Once the
dog figures out how to use the Yin Yang puzzle the dog can virtually get in and
eat everything in a short time.
2) There are two loose pieces
which can get lost or chewed on. If the pieces are lost or destroyed then the
first chamber is open leaving the dog to only have to paw at the side to get to
the inside chambers.
Time: It
does not last long once the dog has figured it out so you have to constantly
refill it.
The inside chambers: You are limited to what you can put inside them. The chambers are
small so don’t hold larger biscuits, even small biscuits have to be broken in
half.
The Yin Yang Yum ~VS ~ the Large Gatorade Bottle
I stated to feed Brody his
meals in a large Gatorade bottle when I needed him out of my hair for a bit.
This worked out well which is why I invested in the Yin Yang puzzle to begin
with.
Large Gatorade Bottle
Pros:
1) The price!
Buy a large 2 liter bottle of Gatorade, drink it, and use the bottle for a
puzzle toy.
2) You can put a lot more food and treats inside the
bottle so playing with it can last from 20
minutes to a half hour or more. A dog’s full meal can be placed inside.
3) The dog has to use its mind to get the food out but
also the mind is used to figure out how to grasp the bottle and remove it from
tight places such as underneath a table or couch.
Cons:
It does make a mess until the dog eats the food.
It can get stuck under furniture which may require you
help the dog.
The dog will continue to eye every Gatorade bottle you
ever hold in your hand until it is empty!
Your home becomes a plastic recycle bin!
The DOWNSIDE OF EACH product:
Either of them can become a hazard if the dog
is not supervised as eating non food items such as plastic can cause a blockage
of the intestines. Sharp pieces can
actually pierce a hole in the intestinal tract causing serious illness.
As always never leave any
item with a dog unsupervised.
Brody started eating his meal
out of the Gatorade bottle a couple of months ago when I started back to work at
my computer in the basement. He has
gotten to the point where while in the basement he will only eat his kibble
from the bottle, however upstairs in the kitchen he will eat out of a dog bowl.
I sometimes wonder what I am creating here! All I can say is he is happy to
toss the bottle all around the basement floor, and doing this uses his mind, fills his belly and tires his
body which makes it a good thing! To
make it a bit harder to get the food out so it lasts even longer rather than
break up every biscuit I put one or two full ones in there which blocks the
entrance of the bottle neck which makes
it harder to get the food out. The other night Brody worked on the bottle for a
long time and in the end with the one long biscuit remaining he brought the
bottle to me to take the biscuit out for him! How could I refuse?
To me the Gatorade bottle is similar to the box of the very large expensive toy you just bought your kids. They'd rather play in the box!
To see video of the Yin Yang
Yum in use click here
To see video of the Gatorade
Bottle Addiction click here
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