Puppy Training Hack: Interactive Toys (The World's Best Puppy Sitter)

Puppies are a magical time. But if we're being honest, raising a puppy to be a well mannered adult is also a lot of work. There's a lot of time and attention you need to put into potty training, house training, crate training, socialization, and obedience training, and more.

I get it - it can feel overwhelming and at times frustrating - especially when you feel your internal temperature rise the moment you walk into a remains of a well destuffed couch pillow strewn all over your living room floor.

So why not help yourself to make your life a little bit easier?

Enter the interactive toys.

These food dispensing puzzle toys are, in my humblest opinion, the world's best puppy sitters. Your puppy needs to problem solve through batting, rolling, or chewing the toy to get it to release some food.

Here's why I love this concept:

1. It teaches your puppy what to chew on. Puppies are keen to explore the world with their mouths. Telling them not to chew is much like telling us not to breathe. It's so much a part of them that it's easier to work with who they are rather than against it. So why not give them something productive to chew on that will help them to fulfill this need?

2. It keeps motivation high for chewing. Because it dispenses food, and most puppies love to eat, it keeps your puppy highly motivated to continue to work at the food puzzle until it's completely out of food. For days I don't have time for training, I use these toys to feed my dog's entire daily meal out of them. Why? Because if your dog's already full from eating out of a bowl (something that's easily accessible), why on earth would he go through the effort for getting a treat out of a ball?

3. It keeps them safely occupied and entertained. Need to cook dinner? Take a shower? Go grocery shopping, or work for a few hours? These are the times I give my dogs one of these babies until I'm ready to supervise them again. It's also a fantastic way to teach your dog what you want him or her to do when you need to be away.

Interested in learning more about interactive toys for your pup? Check out our quick video tutorial below!