The Buster Cube... Advice.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I have heard so many good things about the buster cube. This seems like a really good option for us because Darwin tends to gulp his food, so this would slow him down. I put the can in his dog food bowl to slow him down currently, but I think it would be nice if he could eat and be entertained.

My concern, he is not especially dedicated when it comes to getting things out of toys such as Kongs, Everlasting Fun Ball, etc. He will get the majority of the treats out but then leave the last few if they are too difficult. Do you think he would be motivated enough to get out the entire amount of kibble? For those of you who have them, does your dog stay entertained by them for long?

[Bronwen Watts]

I don't have the buster cube, but have a similar toy. It's kind of difficult to get all the treats/food out, but he doesn't get bored of it, and he usually only ends up with one or two kibbles left. If Tyson really wants those last couple pieces and has been going at it for a while he usually brings the ball over to me and throws it for me to get them out. But he has never had any problems getting the majority of the food out, and he spends a good 10-20 minutes having fun trying to get at it! I hope that helps.

[Azure & Muppet]

What's the name of that similar toy you have?
I'm always keeping my eyes and ears open.

[Bronwen Watts]

I believe it's called the Tricky Treats ball. Tyson loves it; he gets so excited when I take it out. It's pretty great for getting Tyson to slow down his eating, or for us to keep him occupied for a little while, but it has one downside--it is not durable enough for Tyson. He has finally gotten good about not chewing on it, but I wouldn't leave it alone with him because if he decided to chew on it, he could easily destroy it. But I think it could be a great toy for some dogs, mine just has a tendency to chomp on all his toys, and only the most industrial, durable toys can hold up to him. So there are plenty of toys that work for him while we are around and can make sure he doesn't shred them, but there are very few that I feel comfortable leaving out for him when he's alone.

[Azure & Muppet]

We bought the Buster Cube many months ago for Muppet because I wanted something to occupy his time and stimulate his mind, especially when we are gone and need to leave him home alone. I worried about too much boredom which can sometimes lead to destructive behavior. Luckily we haven't had that problem, just trying to prevent it from occurring. I spent a lot of time trying to teach Muppet how to play with it to get the treats/kibble out. He would push it around with his nose, but it would just slide along on the floor instead of rolling, so the treats would never come out for him. After months of trying, I finally decided he would do better with a Buster Cube Mini (same thing, just smaller). Since it's smaller in size, it rolls easier and he can pick it up in his mouth to carry it or drop it. The regular size is large and holds ALOT of kibble, but the mini is perfect and holds just the right amount of food. It's a great way to feed a meal. It makes them eat slow and work a little. Now he LOVES this one. Sometimes I even have to take it away to get him to stop to do something else because he'll just keep going and going and going . . .

[Camilla and Darwin]

Thats really good to know. I think Darwin would probably do better with the mini as well, because I can't see him getting the rolling action down as well. I think we will get one and see how it goes. We do have an "Everlasting Fun Ball" and it works great. It's a green squishy ball you stuff treats into. He likes to fetch with it, and when you put the treats in it takes him a lot longer than it does with his Kong.

[Azure & Muppet]

We have something similar from Pet Stages called the ORKA Ball. Here's a picture:

This toy has been indestructible. It's a textured rubber ball with 2 holes to put treats inside for the dog to push/roll it around with his nose and get treats out. It was a good toy for in the beginning when he was just learning, but now it's too easy and we needed something that was a little more difficult.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

If the dog is not motivated by kibble, maybe something like semi-moist Zuke's Mini-Naturals in either chicken or salmon would be more interesting. :-) These treats have no wheat, soy or corn, so they are generally good for dogs with allergies.