Is your pet getting into mischief when you are away from the house? Maybe it is getting in the trash, destroying furniture or other household items, or making a lot of noise. There could be a variety of reasons behind your animal’s behavior, but one possibility is boredom. Just like you probably prefer to be busy or “entertained” during the day, your pet could benefit from some mental stimulation while you are away.

There are many ways to keep your pet active and entertained while you are out, but one of the easiest is to use food-release toys. Food-release toys are exactly what they sound like – toys that release food as the animal interacts and plays with them. Most animals are food-motivated and will gladly work for food. Using these toys to keep your pet busy has several benefits:

• Your pet is engaged in an appropriate, positive activity.
• Your pet can’t get in the trash or destroy the furniture when it is playing with the toy.
• Your pet stays active while playing with the toy which helps to release excess energy.
• The mental stimulation of puzzling through the toy helps tire your pet.

Hopefully, your pet will be sufficiently tired from working on the toy that it will take a nap instead of moving on to inappropriate behaviors.

Below are some examples of quality food-release or puzzle toys you might try with your pets. As with any new toy, you should always supervise your animal with the toy the first few times you use it. Once you are sure they know how to play safely with the toy and will not destroy it to get to the food, you can begin leaving it with them while you are away from the house. If you leave often or for long periods of time, you might consider getting a variety of toys that you can rotate. Or you can give your pet several of the toys at one time to keep it busy all day.

Please remember to account for all of the calories you are feeding your animal throughout the day. If you are leaving several food-release toys with them while you are away, consider reducing the amount of food you feed for their regular meals. Better yet, do away with the regular meals, and feed all of their meals through food release-toys. If you do this, be sure to use a high quality, balanced food in the toys rather than just “treats” and other “junk-food”.

Dogs

Good food-release toys for dogs include: Kongs®, Buster Cubes®, Nylabone® Crazy Balls, Molecuballs®, SPOT Roll-a-Treat® balls, the Busy Buddy Twist-n-Treat®, and Canine Genius Leo® toys. To get your dog interested in the toy, fill it with their dry kibble, and roll it around with them until they figure out that the food will fall out. Kongs® are particularly versatile as a food-release toy. As your dog gets really good at getting the dry kibble from the Kong®, you can make it more challenging. Begin by soaking their kibble in water so it is somewhat mushy, stuff the Kong®, and then let them play with it. If your dog gets really good at getting the softer food out, place the stuffed Kong® in the freezer overnight before giving it to your dog. You can make the Kong® even more enticing by topping it off with a little bit of peanut butter or by sticking a dog biscuit out the end of it like a popsicle stick.

Cats

There are currently no food-release toys designed specifically for cats, but several of the dog toys work well for cats. Use the smallest size of the toys designed for dogs. Good ones to try include the Busy Buddy Twist-n-Treat ®, Molecuballs®, and SPOT Roll-a-Treat® balls.

Birds

There are a variety of puzzle toys designed for birds, and many of these toys can be found at any reputable pet store that carries bird supplies. The puzzle toys can be filled with food or you can try stuffing them with old newspapers for your bird to shred. Bird Kongs® can be stuffed with a mixture of seed and peanut butter; however, please be aware that some larger birds can destroy these Kongs® if they choose to.

Ferrets

The Kong Company makes Kongs® designed specifically for ferrets, and these too can be stuffed with food. Ferrets also enjoy running through tunnels and shredding newspaper. Your ferret may enjoy exploring toys or objects that make crunching or crackle noises, and some toys that crackle that were designed for human babies may be appropriate. As with any new toy, please be sure to supervise your pet and ensure your pet’s safety.

All Pets

Use your imagination in creating fun, interactive, puzzle toys for your pets. Just be sure any materials you use are safe and non-toxic. Always supervise your pet the first several times you give them a toy until you are positive the toy will be safe if left alone with your pet. Many of toys on the market are designed specifically as human-interactive toys, and should not be left with your pet unsupervised.