Are you looking to keep your dog mentally stimulated at home?
If you’ve got a smart dog on your hands, you may be running out of ways to engage your dog in mental activities.
You can get creative and make some do-it-yourself mental games with your canine companion to get their brains working in a constructive manner.
However, there’s no shortage of puzzle dog toys that have been purposefully designed to test out a dog’s IQ.
If you’ve got an anxious dog or a reactive dog, you may find that puzzle toys will help to drain some of their pent up energy.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the best puzzle dog toys in the UK at the moment.
With the introduction over, let’s start by looking at what makes a good puzzle dog toy before examining some of the best puzzle dog toys on the market right now.
Why Pet Owners Should Consider Puzzle Dog Toys
K9 Connectables Pro Bundle (Photo: lifewithkleekai / Instagram)
If you’ve got an anxious, hyperactive or reactive dog, you may find an interactive puzzle dog toy could help relax or tire your canine companion.
These puzzle dog toys are designed to keep your four-legged friend engaged for a substantial amount of time whether you’re at home or you’ve got to pop out.
They’re designed to offer dog owners an alternative method of exercise because some anxious or reactive dogs will do better if they’re getting mental exercise in a safe place.
My female Alaskan Klee Kai is often on high alert during her daily walks but I find a mentally-stimulating toy can reduce her anxiety levels before we go outside.
Alternatively, my male Mini Husky likes to gobble down his food but I like to use puzzle dog toys to slow down his eating.
While these are two reasons you may want to give a puzzle dog toy a try, there are plenty of other potential reasons to purchase an interactive dog toy.
Things To Consider When Getting Puzzle Dog Toy
Corgi plays with snuffle mat (Photo: Adobe Stock)
If you’ve decided to make the plunge and purchase a puzzle dog toy for your pet, there are some factors you’ll need to consider.
Of course, there will be some trial and error as you search for the correct interactive dog toy to meet your four-legged friend’s specific needs.
For instance, dog owners with a large breed with a reputation for being a destructive chewer will need an extremely durable puzzle dog toy to withstand their bite.
Border Collies, Poodles, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers are highly-intelligent dogs so they’ll probably be able to tackle advanced-level puzzle dog toys.
However, other breeds may benefit from an entry-level puzzle dog toy and you can gauge their ability to problem solve and upgrade their interactive dog toy accordingly.
It’s worth noting that some dogs may give up if they find the toy too difficult to crack so it’s a fine balance between too easy and too hard.
Best Puzzle Dog Toys UK
Now that we’ve taken a look at why puzzle dog toys could help your pet and things to consider when purchasing a puzzle dog toy, let’s take a look at the best puzzle dog toys available in the UK right now.
1) Hide A Squirrel
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
The Hide A Squirrel was a massive hit with my Alaskan Klee Kai seeing as it kept them entertained for the best part of an hour. It’s part of the award-winning Outward Hound range. You can fill the trunk with six squirrels to keep boredom at bay. My mini huskies preferred using it for tug-of-war or hiding treats amongst the squirrels in the trunk, but it can be used as a toy for fetch too. There’s plenty to keep your dog mentally-stimulated, and at the time of writing, all but one of the squirrels remains intact. For dogs with a high prey drive, this puzzle could satisfy that instinct too. It comes in four sizes (XL, S, M & L). The Hide A Squirrel gets an incredible 4.5 stars based upon over 48,000 reviews.
2) Trixie Dog Activity Flip Board
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
This is another toy that kept my dogs engaged for a good amount of time. The Trixie Activity Flip Board is a strategy game with a number of difficulty levels. Your dogs have to open the flaps and sliders or move the cones using different techniques to get to the treats. Trixie add that the board is made of durable plastic that is dishwasher safe with rubber feet to keep it in place. The Trixie Dog Activity Flip board is an Amazon’s Choice product with an impressive 4.4 rating based upon over 38,000 reviews on the platform.
3) Outward Hound Dog Tornado Toy
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
Developed by the award-winning Nina Ottosson, the Dog Tornado has been designed to exercise your dog’s mind, reducing boredom and destructive behaviour and strengthening the bond with your dog. There are 12 hidden compartments and three dog bone covers to give pet parents the chance to vary the difficulty level. Seeing as dog toys can get sticky and smell, it’s great that the Dog Tornado can be washed with mild soap and warm water. There are four levels – beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert. The Dog Tornado has an incredible 96,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.2 stars.
You can check out the Outward Hound’s full range of puzzle toys here.
4) KONG Ballistic Hide ‘N Treat
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
KONG are one of the most-respected dog toy brands in the pet industry – so you know you’re usually getting a quality product. The KONG Ballistic Hide ‘N Treat toy can be used to store treats in the relevant pouches before using the velcro to close it up. It can be used to play fetch before your dog has to use their IQ to figure out how to open up the toy. KONG explain online that this toy is reinforced to withstand tough play. It has an average rating of 4.1 stars based on over 350 reviews.
5) K9 Connectables The Puzzle Pack
Where To Buy: k9connectables.com
K9 Connectables Puzzle Pack (Photo: hellobark.com)
K9 Connectables are an Irish company who are provide dog owners with clever ways to keep their pets mentally stimulated. They’ve got a brilliant range of engaging toys but for this feature, we’re highlighting their Puzzle Pack. It contains two bouncy toys for dogs to figure out. Named the Original and the Dentist, they can be used separately or together. You can also add them to other toys within the K9 Connectables range. I loved that the Dentist had grooves to help promote dental health, something which I really liked given my Klee Kai are prone to bad breath. There are four levels of difficulty so you can make it tougher to unlock as your canine companion gets more adept at solving the puzzle.
6) YEAKOO Dog Snuffle Mat
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
One of my Klee Kai’s favourite puzzle toys are snuffle mats. You can hide treats in the snuffle mat and let your dogs use their incredible sense of smell to find the tasty snacks. My male Alaksan Klee Kai loves scent work so the snuffle mat provides hours of fun every day. The snuffle mat can satisfy his foraging instincts. YEAKOO dog snuffle mat is made of high quality fabric that is machine washable as well as being highly portable so it’s perfect if you’re staying at a dog-friendly hotel or dog-friendly Air BnB. It has an average rating of 4.1 stars based upon over 1,000 reviews on Amazon.
7) KONG Gyro Interactive Treat Dispensing Toy
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
We’ve got another KONG offering up next. The Gyro is an example of an entry-level dog toy as it doesn’t take a lot of time to figure out. However, the treats inside should still keep your dog entertained. If you’ve got a smaller breed, the KONG Gyro could be a good starter puzzle toy. While it gets a respectable 4.1 based upon 1,000 reviews on Amazon, there are quite a few reviews that suggest this toy isn’t the most durable and unsuitable for big chewers. So that’s something to keep in mind!
8) AWOOF Large Pet Snuffle Mat
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
We’ve highlighted a simple snuffle mat in the paragraph above but the AWOOF Large Pet Snuffle Mat is a more advanced puzzle toy. It’s perfect for dogs of all sizes. There a lots of different areas on the mat to hide treats, with two snuffing dog bowls, as well as lots of flaps and small bowls to put treats in. The AWOOF snuffle mat has bells, squeals and ringing paper to further increase their interest. This large pet snuff mat has an encouraging 4.5 stars based upon 140 reviews on Amazon UK.
9) KONG Ultra Durable Interactive
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
The KONG ultra durable interactive dog toy that is effectively a ball that dispenses treats. It can be bounced or rolled along the floor while simultaneously releasing some tasty treats. KONG explain that the ball is made of durable material that won’t make as much noise as hard plastic. This allows for some quiet play, which is important if you’ve got a napping child upstairs, like is often the case with my home. The Kong Ultra Durable Interactive Dog Toy has an average rating of 4.5 stars based upon 1,200 reviews.
10) Lesfit Pet Food Dispenser
Where To Buy: www.amazon.co.uk
The Lesfit pet food dispenser is built in such a way that your dog has to use their IQ to overcome some obstacles to get to the treats. There are open holes in the upper part of the dog toy that release the food. It’s tumbler shape allows for the toy to move around and keep your four-legged friend engaged. It’s suitable for all breeds plus small and medium dog sizes. The Lesfit toy gets an average rating of 4.3 stars based upon over 1,300 reviews.
Wrapping Up – Our Final Thoughts
Jack Russell with puzzle toy (Photo: Adobe Stock)
We’ve reached the end of our feature on the best puzzle dog toys UK.
There are a lot of great options available to pet owners in the UK to keep their dogs mentally and physically stimulated.
We would recommend going with The Outward Hound (the award-winning and best-selling range on Amazon), a KONG toy or a snuffle mat based upon my experience with my Alaskan Klee Kai.
But you won’t go wrong with any of the options in this article if you’re looking for a puzzle toy to keep your four-legged friend engaged and stimulated.
