Hey! Back in April I wrote a blog post on the Current Boredom Breakers that I use with Diego to keep him entertained while I am at work. I have really seen an improvement in Diego's separation anxiety since I have started to incorporate toys and treats into our morning routine. Usually he is more excited for me to leave so he is allowed the toy than actually caring about me leaving! I didn't have many different toy options though so worried that the novelty would soon wear out. Thankfully the amazing Animates sent us a package with a bunch of their toys and treats to keep Diego entertained during the day. This was a few months back and has really given both Diego and I enough time to play with the toys and really get a grasp for their pro's and con's.
The Kong Wobbler was the toy that I was initially the most drawn to as it meant I could fill it with Diego's food. I usually like to put Diego's morning kibble into a toy to make the mealtime last longer, but also saves over-feeding him on treats. The Wobbler is perfect for this purpose as it is designed to challenge the dog to get their kibble out. The Wobbler has a weighted bottom piece, with a screwable top where you can fill it with your dogs kibble. Diego doesn't have the largest portion sizes, but this toy can hold even the biggest dogs meal. Then the dog has to push and pull this toy around to get the kibble to fall out of a hole that is on the side. This is made difficult as the weighted section makes the Wobbler stand upright at any chance it gets.
To be entirely honest with you, this isn't Diego's first time using a Kong Wobbler. We had got him one as a puppy to keep him entertained, and it lasted two days maximum. As a crazy puppy he missed the concept of pushing the toy over to get the kibble and instead tried to chew his way through. What ended up happening is that he chewed all around where the top screws on and it no longer screwed on properly. Diego was a very destructive puppy and ripped apart/chewed everything he could get his mouth on.
This time round though it has been a different story. The first time getting this Wobbler out of the package he instantly grasped the concept of pushing the toy over for food. He was entranced immediately and within minutes the Wobbler was empty. He kept crazily pawing and digging at it even long after all the kibble had come out of it. Currently Diego is eating Black Hawk dog food which is a tiny kibble compared to anything I have ever seen before. This means that it isn't too hard for the kibble to come out of the hole which is made for bigger kibble. However with that being said this toy will generally last Diego 3 - 5 minutes to clear. Which is amazing considering he usually can eat that same portion in less than 10 seconds given the chance.
I also tried this out with Chico and Ollie who are currently eating a different type of dog food which has a much larger kibble. The kibble can still fit through the hole, but it doesn't come out as easily giving more of a challenge. This kibble size would probably be better for Diego's advanced use of this toy. Chico being the Greyhound he is, much preferred me personally giving him food than having to work for it. He just lay down/ignored it until I would tip the Wobbler and a treat would come out. After a lot of this he finally grasped the idea himself and gave it a few half-hearted pushes before retreating to bed. Safe to say Chico was not a fan. But then again, Chico is never a fan of any toy.
Ollie on the other hand is a very energetic dog who generally goes crazy for his meal. To slow Ollie down he does have a Go-Slo bowl and recently my sister has been putting his kibble in an old plastic milk bottle that has holes in it so it slowly dispenses. This toy seemed right up their alley then and when I went up to Whanganui I made them try it. Ollie at first was very confused and my sister had to show him the general idea by giving it a few pushes where treats would roll out. That didn't take Ollie long and soon he was racing around the yard with it in his mouth and kibble flying off in all directions. He successfully managed to clear the Wobbler of any kibble (even with the larger kibble size) as well as make it completely covered in mud. I would say it was a hit for him, too!
All in all I think this toy is amazing and we have been using it nearly every day since we got the package in early July! I find it the perfect way to dispense Diego's breakfast and quite often feed his dinner in it as well even though I am around. Diego has put a few teeth marks in it by trying to carry it onto the bed, as well as a lot of claw marks but these don't effect the function of the toy at all. I think if you have a very destructive puppy, or a bigger dog that is quite a chewer you might want to steer clear of this toy as I mentioned above, it can be ruined if they get along the twist line. Otherwise I think this is an amazing invention, and is well worth it's price. It not only makes your dog use their brain to figure it out, it also gives some exercise as they push it all over the house and yard!
Buy yours today!
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To be entirely honest with you, this isn't Diego's first time using a Kong Wobbler. We had got him one as a puppy to keep him entertained, and it lasted two days maximum. As a crazy puppy he missed the concept of pushing the toy over to get the kibble and instead tried to chew his way through. What ended up happening is that he chewed all around where the top screws on and it no longer screwed on properly. Diego was a very destructive puppy and ripped apart/chewed everything he could get his mouth on.
I also tried this out with Chico and Ollie who are currently eating a different type of dog food which has a much larger kibble. The kibble can still fit through the hole, but it doesn't come out as easily giving more of a challenge. This kibble size would probably be better for Diego's advanced use of this toy. Chico being the Greyhound he is, much preferred me personally giving him food than having to work for it. He just lay down/ignored it until I would tip the Wobbler and a treat would come out. After a lot of this he finally grasped the idea himself and gave it a few half-hearted pushes before retreating to bed. Safe to say Chico was not a fan. But then again, Chico is never a fan of any toy.
Ollie on the other hand is a very energetic dog who generally goes crazy for his meal. To slow Ollie down he does have a Go-Slo bowl and recently my sister has been putting his kibble in an old plastic milk bottle that has holes in it so it slowly dispenses. This toy seemed right up their alley then and when I went up to Whanganui I made them try it. Ollie at first was very confused and my sister had to show him the general idea by giving it a few pushes where treats would roll out. That didn't take Ollie long and soon he was racing around the yard with it in his mouth and kibble flying off in all directions. He successfully managed to clear the Wobbler of any kibble (even with the larger kibble size) as well as make it completely covered in mud. I would say it was a hit for him, too!
All in all I think this toy is amazing and we have been using it nearly every day since we got the package in early July! I find it the perfect way to dispense Diego's breakfast and quite often feed his dinner in it as well even though I am around. Diego has put a few teeth marks in it by trying to carry it onto the bed, as well as a lot of claw marks but these don't effect the function of the toy at all. I think if you have a very destructive puppy, or a bigger dog that is quite a chewer you might want to steer clear of this toy as I mentioned above, it can be ruined if they get along the twist line. Otherwise I think this is an amazing invention, and is well worth it's price. It not only makes your dog use their brain to figure it out, it also gives some exercise as they push it all over the house and yard!
Buy yours today!
