Back to School: Interactive Toys for Dogs
by Christy Caplan
|
September 1, 2024 We all play games.
Puppies chase leaves and engage in stalking behaviors. You’ll often see dog siblings playing to build relationships, which are all deeply instinctive behaviors.
Our dogs Herschel and Walter have worked out the nuances of their relationships because they grew up together in the same household. Walter is a senior, and playing with old Walter is a little different than how Herschel may play with my husband and me.
Enter…puzzle toys. We save our interactive toys for both dogs, but they approach these puzzles differently. It’s our responsibility to provide each dog, despite their 10-year age difference, with various interactive toys to keep their minds active. Having puzzle toys is also essential for dogs with children who have returned to school!
Labor Day Is Monday: Introduce New Games This Fall
The back-to-school season can impact your pets, particularly when kids leave for college. Due to this environmental change, dogs may exhibit signs of separation anxiety, excessive barking, and destructive behavior.
Having enrichment games and interactive toys available will help.
Why do we love puzzle toys? These are a wonderful form of enrichment and can be used inside or outside.
Luckily, it’s easy to use puzzle toys and interactive toys to burn energy. We never leave these toys around but pick them up, so they’re somewhat novel for both dogs. We also rotate these toys, so we save one for the morning and the other for the afternoon. The bag of groceries shown has toys that squeak and can easily be removed from their soft sak. The Zombie toy has organs that can be removed, and you need to unzip the stomach region so your dog can discover them. They’re hilarious.
Backyard animals are toys I put out one at a time. They’re soft, flat, and squeak. Herschel loves to carry them around the house and play tug. These are great distractions on walks, too.
Nicciola Toys provided Herschel and Walter with the following toys that you see in this post.
- Fruit & Veggie Pals
- Open Backyard toys, including cow, donkey, squirrel, fox, and giraffe
- AND Zombie!
The zombie interactive toy is Herschel’s favorite. Here is a discount code: NOCCIOLAMZ10. Enjoy 10 percent off!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Nocciola. While we receive compensation for promoting this product/service, all opinions expressed are our own and based on our genuine experience with the brand.
