Interactive Toy

King Kong

Not King Kong. A wild Teton in his natural habitat.

A family of Kongs:

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And Teton’s very own Kong complete with Kong Stuff’N Sweet Potato Spread:

The Kong Classic Dog Toy is one that we bought Teton when we first adopted him. Needless to say, that one is pretty worn out so when Chewy.com asked if they could send us a new one, we enthusiastically said YES!

One thing Teton had never tried, though, was the Kong Stuff’N Sweet Potato Spread.

Here’s the deal. I don’t love the ingredient list for this stuff, but as an every-once-in-a-while treat it’s not the worst thing out there.

The Kong Stuff’N Sweet Potato Spread is in a toothpaste-like tube and must be refrigerated after opening.

It’s a little tricky to get perfectly inside the Kong, itself, but maybe that’s because I’m a weird perfectionist with things like that and tried to swirl it around the edges like ice cream.

Eh. Good enough.

Unfortunately, eh is what Teton expressed when I gave him the Kong.

He didn’t even lick the inside. Not once.

So, ok. That’s fine. We know Teton is picky. For him, the Kong Stuff’N Sweet Potato Spread isn’t a great choice. Maybe we should have tried the peanut butter variety.

One for two isn’t bad. We looooove our Kong Classic Dog Toy. Here are some of the different ways we use it:

Spread peanut butter inside
Spread very light peanut butter inside and fill with dry kibble (as a meal); the peanut butter should be just enough so that the kibble sticks to the sides
Put a small piece of bread in the top to “seal” it and fill with peanut butter, small treats, etc.
Do any of the above and freeze it so it’s extra tough for your dog to get the treat(s) out

If you don’t have a Kong Classic Dog Toy for your pooch, snag one now at Chewy.com because every darn size is under $11!

For puppies, senior dogs, or extreme chewers, Kong offers other options:

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Keep your doggo busy this summer by snagging a Kong, filling it up, and freezing it! It’ll be a perfect treat – a Kongsicle! 😀

Happy tails…

DISCLAIMER: HER DOG BLOG WAS SENT THIS PRODUCT IN EXCHANGE FOR OUR HONEST REVIEW AND NO COMPENSATION OTHER THAN THE PRODUCT WAS RECEIVED.

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Starmark Bob-A-Lot

If you haven’t gotten an interactive toy for your dog yet, well then, I feel sorry for your dog. Interactive toys, whether they involve treats or not, are a fantastic way to provide mental and physical stimulation to your dog. They keep things interesting, which is something we can all appreciate.

Last month, Teton got a new interactive treat toy from Chewy.com. We’ve tried a handful and I think this is probably the most well-made and one of the best executions we’ve seen.

Dog Moms and Dog Dads, I present to you, the Starmark Treat Dispensing Bob-a-Lot.

The Bob-a-Lot comes in either small or large. Small is recommended for dogs that are 20 lbs and less, while large is best for dogs over 20 lbs and can hold as much as three cups. Woof.

Teton can be a finicky eater when it comes to his breakfast and dinner, so I prefer to fill interactive toys with treats so he’s more motivated to play with them, but if you have a dog who inhales their dinner or is generally super excited to eat, you could definitely put their normal kibble into the Bob-a-Lot and make them work for it!

The Bob-a-Lot lid screws on and off and the top of the toy is where you dump in the treats.

Teton’s latest favorite treat I purchased at a boujie pet store in Seattle, but as luck would have it, Chewy.com carries them!

These are Sojos Good Dog treats in the Blueberry Cobbler flavor. They are tiny little crunchy bones that are easily broken, which is what I did before putting a few into the Bob-a-Lot. They’re small enough that you wouldn’t need to break them, but I like to because, well, it makes Teton work harder and longer.

While you’re loading the Bob-a-Lot, you might get a creeper.

Once it’s locked and loaded and the top is screwed back on, you can adjust the hole that the treats come out of.

Obviously, the more narrow the hole the harder it will be for your dog to get the treats out. I made it just slightly more narrow for Teton the first time he tried it, and I think that was a good difficulty level for him.

A few things to note.

I think Teton could have used the small size Bob-a-Lot, but the large is perfectly fine, too.

This sucker is on sale for under $20 (large) or under $14 (small) on Chewy.com right now and it’s worth it. Take mine (and Teton’s) word.

That’s all for now.

Happy tails…

DISCLAIMER: HER DOG BLOG WAS SENT THIS PRODUCT IN EXCHANGE FOR OUR HONEST REVIEW AND NO COMPENSATION OTHER THAN THE PRODUCT WAS RECEIVED.

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Zippy Paws Interactive Dog Toy

Hi. It’s me, Henley Pretzel. Your favorite chihuazer.

You might not know, but stuffed dog toys are MY JAM. Even when my parents got me from the rescue, they were told that I like stuffed animals the best. I could care less about a tennis ball, but give me a stuffed raccoon and I am yours forever.

My mom made a recent trip to Mud Bay, our local pet store, to purchase me some freeze dried chicken. Chicken is also my jam. My mom buys this chicken. In any event, while she was buying the chicken, she also made the best impulse purchase ever and hooked me up with Zippy Paws Burrow Squeaky Hide and Seek Plush Dog Toy, Elephant Cave version. You can find it on Chewy.com here!

The elephant cave is a small, fuzzy, and plush little dome-shaped toy with two holes in it. Inside the holes are three small stuffed elephants. Your parent shoves the stuffed elephants in the holes and then you have to try to get them out.

My mom made me dinner and then set to work taking the tags off the elephant cave, so I could play with it after dinner. I was so excited to play with it, though, that I sat and ignored my dinner until she prepared the elephant cave for me.

You guys. The elephant cave is THE BEST. I grabbed it right away and threw it across the room, chased it down, and shook it. Then my mom showed me the elephants inside and I grabbed those and played with them, too. She showed me how to get the elephants out of the cave and I can do it if she starts to pull the elephant out of the hole, but I’m still working on doing it all by myself. Also, if you shake the elephant cave REALLY hard, sometimes the elephants fly out. I had so much fun with the elephant cave that I brought it to bed with me that night.

The elephants are pretty small and seem slightly less durable than the cave itself. I might chew some of the elephant ears and trunk, but I see that you can buy replacement elephants online, so no worries there. I could also put some of my other toys in there if I run out of elephants.

Turns out Zippy Paws makes a TON of these kinds of toys, including a stuffed block of cheese with mice inside! My mom ordered that one for me, too. If your dog loves stuffed toys and could benefit from the challenge of a puzzle, Zippy Paws might be for you.

BTW, Zippy Paws and Mud Bay have no idea who we are. My mom spent her own hard-earned money on this dog toy. AND IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Happy tails…

Planet Dog’s Link Toy

We love interactive dog toys. Teton especially loves them when they involve food (which most do).

(Fall in the Pacific Northwest means that almost all walks end with a wet pupper.)

I’ve been lucky enough to try a handful of different interactive treat toys since I started Her Dog Blog back in 2010. Some were toys I bought myself, and some have been toys graciously given to us in exchange for reviews. Planet Dog’s Holiday Link is the latter and it may be mine (and Teton’s) favorite!

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Here she is. Completely identical to the regular Link but with red and green accents instead of blue and orange, the Holiday Link is made in the USA of both non-toxic and recyclable materials. Like all Planet Dog products, the Link toys are 100% guaranteed whether they are chewed to the point of destruction or whether your dog simply doesn’t care for it.

Each colored section of the Link can be pulled apart and put together in a variety of shapes, making it more or less difficult for your pup.

There is a hole in each section for treats and you can load it up with as many or as few as you’d like. We use the Link as a treat toy only, but for those of you with dogs that inhale their food, this is a great option to get them to slow down and may help with digestion as a result.

Check out Planet Dog’s Link video…

…and some of the ways you can arrange your Link.

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Small treats work best, but you can certainly break larger treats into smaller pieces in order to make them fit. If you don’t have small treats, use bits of string cheese, blueberries, carrot chunks, or even a handful of your dog’s dry food.

The Link is our new favorite interactive toy for a few reasons. First, it’s back with a 100% guarantee. Second, it’s made in the USA (and it’s made from recyclable materials). Third, it can be morphed into a variety of shapes, making it like multiple toys in one. And lastly, it’s easy for Teton to understand and use but not so easy that he loses interest or has the treats out in mere seconds.

All of this for the cool price of $20.95 and I think this will make a great stocking stuffer (or early Thanksgiving present) for your pup.

Happy tails…

DISCLAIMER: HER DOG BLOG WAS SENT THIS PRODUCT IN EXCHANGE FOR OUR HONEST REVIEW AND NO COMPENSATION OTHER THAN THE PRODUCT WAS RECEIVED.

Ziwi Peak Good-Dog Treats

Happy Summer!

I am loving the warm weather here in Washington State but Teton is pretty darn hot. He wears his Kool Collar every day and that helps a lot, but I’m sure he prefer it if the weather never got above 75 degrees. 🙂

If you are in need of a new treat for your dog this summer, snag a bag of Ziwi Peak’s Good-Dog Treats from Chewy.com.

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Our friends at Chewy.com were kind enough to send us a bag of the lamb recipe to test a few weeks ago. Teton loves these treats because they are extra soft and extra smelly!

Here he is on his new bed waiting for one…

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Ziwi Peak’s Good-Dog Treats in the lamb recipe have just a few ingredients including lamb meat and parsley and they’re grain-free with no preservatives or extra fillers.

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These little nibblers come in small strips that are easily broken to make training treats. I like to hide them in interactive toys like the Outward Hound Doggy Blocks because they smell great to Teton which makes them a motivating reward.

Ziwi Peak’s Good-Dog line of treats come in lamb, venison, and beef flavors and they’re all on sale at Chewy.com now!

Teton 2

Happy tails…

Disclaimer: Her Dog Blog was sent this product in exchange for our honest review and no compensation other than the product was received.

Outward Hound Doggy Blocks

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you are spending quality time with the ones you love, doing what you love and remembering the reason for this holiday. I did a hero WOD at our gym this morning, picked up some groceries for a BBQ tonight, and after I hit publish on this post, Teton and I will be walking around the ‘hood a few miles. Pretty much a perfect day as far as I’m concerned!

This, my friends, is Outward Hound’s Doggy Blocks interactive dog toy, sent to us from our pals over at Chewy.com.

Teton has tested about four different interactive toys, but this one is the most advanced that he’s had.

This toy, much like others we’ve tested, spins to reveal treat compartments. But, in this version, there’s an extra challenge because the treat compartments are covered by the yellow blocks that sit atop the first layer of the toy itself.

As shown in the photo above, there are treat compartments that are the exact size of the yellow blocks that sit above them, but there are also circular shaped compartments next to square shaped ones that are revealed when your dog spins the treat with his or her paws nose.

Using Outward Hound’s Doggy Blocks is very simple. After removing the yellow blocks and twisting the top layer of the toy to reveal each of the treat compartments, fill said compartments with any type of treat (or kibble!) that will motivate your dog.

When you’re done, leave the top layer as it is, or spin it back to it’s starting position in which the circular shaped treat compartments are not revealed. (This way your dog will have to spin the toy as well as remove the blocks in order to reveal all the treats.)

I like to let Teton watch me put the toy together so that he understands there are treats inside. You can also see that each yellow block, as well as the spinner itself, has strategically placed holes that allow your dog to smell the treats inside.

Once you’ve put the Doggy Blocks back together, let your dog have at it!

The Outward Hound Doggy Blocks is hands down my favorite interactive toy yet. It incorporates the excitement of the spinner (which allows for more treat hiding) and the challenge of the blocks which means it takes longer for your dog to trouble shoot and work toward his or her reward.

Teton loves it, too!

Outward Hound’s Doggy Blocks is ON SALE now at Chewy.com for just $11.24. Snag it and a few bags of fun new treats for your pup!

Happy tails…

Disclaimer: Her Dog Blog was sent this product in exchange for our honest review and no compensation other than the product was received.