Reddit mentions of OurPets IQ Treat Ball Interactive Food Dispensing Dog Toy , Assorted Colors

LOL sounds about right.

This one might keep them out of trouble for a teeny bit longer:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ARUKU0/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_t1_U7taBb1M3C5R8

There’s a middle layer that prevents all the treats from falling straight out the top hole at least!

it depends on the dog and their energy level, but in general (and I'm talking about excessive barking here) if the dog is mentally stimulated through enough training & taken for a 30 minute walk every day, and has some toys to play with, they should be fine.

one thing you can do if you have several toys for your dog is rotate them on a weekly basis. for them it's sort of like getting a new toy each week.

you can also put peanut butter in kongs and freeze those. I also have this ball that I use to feed my dog. it keeps him busy for maybe 20 minutes.

One option you might try is the "IQ ball" or the kong wobbler. They're both toys that you put kibble in and the dog has to knock them around in order for the kibble to slowly release. Helps with dogs who eat too fast, and it also makes meal time interactive and last much longer so you get a bit of peace!

Edit: additionally, if you can afford it, I'd highly recommend changing foods. If your dog is doing really well on purina one that's fine (nice firm poops that aren't massive) but most dogs will do better on different foods. Even purina pro plan is a good food that's very affordable, but a bit better nutritionally for the dog, and at least on Chewy.com, is just a few more bucks per bag.

Other options that are highly recommended (some are rather pricey) are Taste of the Wild, Fromm, The Costco brand, Acana, Orijen, and many others.

Please know that he's not trying to get into trouble. Dogs are observant, but -thankfully- incapable of premeditation. He's just bored and making his own fun. He doesn't know he's been bad. Dog's are much simpler than that. They experience moments. He just has a history of moments where you come home through the door and the garbage can is side ways, then you get angry or loud and he feels scared. So, in his pup brain, it's more like key in lock + garbage on floor = sinking feeling out of nowhere.

On to solutions!

I second an exercise pen or crate to keep his options limited. With the right preparation 8 hours of den-time can be pretty neutral for him. Even a locked room will focus in your puppy proofing efforts. Do treat it like a crate and work up to long absences though. However, the best thing you can do is come at it from the other side as well: lets wear this boy out. A comprehensive recipe for a perfect tired boy follows

• No more free food, not cause Good Boy doesn't deserve it, just because he'll actually be happier if it's hard to get. He'll feel accomplished and less bored. Options include: a puzzle matt or feeder ball for dry food, frozen Kongs for wet food (get black for a serious chewer, and get 2), hiding his food around the house (skip the kitchen and near trashcans), doing a command for each pinch of kibble, scattering the kibble in your grass if he'll go for it... whatever works for you and your wife to put some challenge into breakfast/dinner time.
  
• One mile of walking for each hour Good Boy is going to be alone. His breed needs a lot of stimulation and activity like you say, and this is the best way to get out that destructive wiggle juice pumping through his adolescent veins. "But that's 8 miles a day? Who has time for that?" you may say. Totally fair. Hopefully you do, but let's see if we can make things more time efficient anyway. We'll say 2 miles of running counts as 3 miles of walking, so a 5ish mile jog gets you there much faster. But that's still over an hour. So we'll add a doggy backpack with 5% of his body weight (don't go over 12% until he's full grown, add on slowly) to take off one more mile since it doubles as mental stimulation. Ok we're down to 4 miles, still a fair bit if you aren't much of jogger to start. 10 minutes of tug counts as 30 minutes of walking, so we'll call that 1 mile of jogging (Example rules for good tugging!). So, we're at a 10 minutes of tug followed by a 3 mile weighted jog, to be dived between you and your wife however makes the most sense. Call it 45 minutes. And as a bonus, you get to eat more human treats. Additional Options and Equipment: ball chucker, flirt pole, doggy playground items like ramps and tubes, a pulling rig ones he's old enough.
  
• Prevent separation anxiety. Home with no humans for 8 hours is tough for a social animal, but you can make it easier. Making sure he's wore out will go a long way, but the biggest thing is to make your departure a good thing. And only Good Boy gets to decide if that's true. If you throw him a steak each morning, but he doesn't touch it until you come home then you leaving isn't a good thing yet. So I would leave his breakfast for absolute last if he has already pooped and can hold it that long. Either way, grab some high value treats and/or toys (the stuff he goes completely ape for which may or may not be cheap) and toss them in the room/pen/kennel the second before each of you leave.
  
  So a sample perfect morning might go something like this: You wake up and take Good Boy out for a leak and some quality tug time. Maybe you're wife doesn't wan't to deal with most doggie-teen things, but it was her 2018 resolution to run more anyway. So you put on his back pack, tuck a .5 L water bottle into each side, and hand him off for his 5k. While she's gone you fill up yesterdays empty kong with canned food, and pop it in the freezer. Today's kong is frozen solid and ready to go. You grab giant ball to put in his play pen and a puzzle toy with those nasty fish puffs he loves. It's been a couple weeks so you put a puff of pheromone spray on his bed so that it smells like Good Mom. You make your coffee, scroll your reddit, eat your toast and generally get ready for the day. Good Boy is back, flopped on the floor and it's time to go. You do everything you need before you walk out the door, tie shoes, kiss wife, eveerything, and then your grab and jingle your keys. Good Boy comes running. "Caaarrot tiiime" you announce reaching in to the fridge. He paces until he sees you've got the goods then runs to his pen, where you make it rain baby carrot bits before booking it to your car before he can find them all. Wife will also throw a carrot party when she departs plus a stuffed toy and a rubber chewy. You come home to an upside down dog bed and the giant ball bit the dust and deflated, but the dog is happy and the house is fine.
  
  
  
  Now, this may seem totally unrealistic, because in a way it is. Shit gets busy, runs get cut short, tug toys get lost, and humans do human stuff. Don't think of this as the bare minimum for a good day. Just think of it as what would happen in a perfect world where you had the time and brain power to do everything possible for Good Boy before heading off for work. If you can integrate any of this stuff, even slowly it will help you guys get through this teen phase with your house in tact.
  
  
  
  
  
• 0. Miscellaneous!
     
  • • Pheromone spray should work well since he's a pup, thunder shirts, and supplements could be good too. I like the ThunderShirt brand since they make lots of anti-stress products and have a long term reputation to protect.
      
  • • Bitter Apple or No Chew spray for anything he's previously gotten his boredom out on (eg. baseboards).
      
  • • If you're handy you could always build you own doggie treadmill!
      
  • • Look for toys with a replacement garuntee like West Paw's Jive Balls or Hurley. My crazy chewer has been trying to shred his ball from them every for the last two months and it doesn't have a scratch.
      
  • • Consider learning a dog sport! Agility, Nose Work, and Flyball are fun competitions that emphasize teamwork. Your local AKC or affiliates will likely have intro classes.
      
  • • Don't under estimate fresh produce as a treat. Banana, carrots, and blueberries are a few fido-faves.
      
  • • Pride Bites squeaky toys aren't indestructible, but the foam inside them is digestible and non-toxic. So, they're on the safer side to chew unsupervised.
      
  • • Also hiring a walker a few times a week is a great idea and helps take the pressure off when you can't even get close to a perfect day.
      
  • • Take pictures of your darling Good Boy and post them to reddit, remind yourself how jealous the world is of your smart, beautiful, energetic dog.

Aw man! That stinks! A great way to tire out your dog is mentally as well, with puzzle toys. So kongs are great, also this toy: https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Treal-Colors/dp/B003ARUKU0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486501019&sr=8-3&keywords=puppy+puzzle+toys and also practicing tricks and training with them can make them wiped.

As for the biting, I suggest setting up a play pen in an area with no toys or anything inside it. It's puppy jail! And the second they bite you, they go in puppy jail, and you don't acknowledge them for 15 seconds. Then take them back out. Bite you? Back in puppy jail. It's exhausting, but they will soon understand that biting = puppy jail time and no play time.

Good luck!!

Starmark Bob-a-lot is the best, completely adjustable.

With Busy Buddy, our favourites are the Kibble Nibble & Magic Mushroom.

He also loves his Buster Cube and IQ Ball (be careful it's smaller than you think).

I think I should note though that I don't care about the amount of noise that toys make on the floor. I've seen complain about some of these for that reason so if that's something you need to be aware of probably only the Bob a lot.

I hear JRs need tons of exercise, but if you're taking him out in the backyard to play and walking him everyday, that should suffice. This sounds like more of a training issue to me. If there's a space where you can do agility training in your area, that might be a good way of exhausting some of that energy while working on following commands at the same time. If you have to leave him alone in the house, make sure he has ample toys or even a tv or radio. Something like this might be a good idea too.

It is really heavy, I'm mostly worried about damage. The noise doesn't really bother me since it is less annoying than this ball.

Does your puzzle ball adjust to make it easier/harder to get the food out? We have an IQ ball. When we first used it, we fully opened it and made it really easy for our dog to get the kibble out. Now we close it way down, and it takes her ~15 minutes to get through it. Not terribly long but she has to work a little for her dinner at least.

I have to strongly advise against any Nina Ottosson-brand puzzle toys. Our dog, who isn't a heavy chewer, basically destroyed a Nina Ottosson toy the very first time we gave it to her (and they aren't cheap!!). We were so disappointed.

why was your vet glad it wasn't a pure malinois?? they're amazingly smart, loyal, and generally great dogs. what an odd comment.

they're very smart dogs. you can take her to a reputable training school (probably not petsmart), and make sure they do POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT training. I'm new to the sub so i'm not sure what the general consensus is, but having a belgian breed dog as well, they do not respond well to the dominance stuff. they're eager to please, they just need to know how.

puzzle toys will be your best friend, too. my favorite has been this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Our-Pets-Smarter-Interactive-Inches/dp/B003ARUKU0

2 years later, it's still in 1 piece... unlike anything else we bought in 2013... lol.

if you need any other specific advice, feel free to PM me.

http://www.amazon.com/Our-Pets-Smarter-Interactive-Inches/dp/B003ARUKU0
My irish setter uses the 5 inch one

We like this one because it has multiple levels for bones to fall through: Our Pets IQ Treat Ball Interactive... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ARUKU0?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

And this one too: JW Hol-ee Roller Size:Small... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BWF0AR4?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

She loves her interactive little piggies and their hiding holes (the squirrels were all I could find on amazon): ZippyPaws - Woodland Friends Burrow, Interactive Squeaky Hide and Seek Plush Dog Toy - Chipmunks ‘n Log https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PFB3HG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sE8LBb51HF9D1

I've posted this before, and it's a great list! Originally posted by u/manatee1010 and I have tried several:

I keep this list of brain toy links handy to send to friends who get dogs. It's getting pretty long...

Toys that get stuffed with food and frozen:

• Kong Classic (15-20 minutes) (it sounds like Watson is lukewarm toward this… have you tried mixing a spoonful of canned food in with some kibble and freezing it?
  
  
• Zogoflex Toppl Interactive Treat Dispensing Dog Toy (this can be a stand-alone toy, or if you get a big one and little one they can fit together and dispense kibble) (15-20 minutes)
  
  
• Starmark Pickle Pocket (my big dog really likes this one… we put cheese in it) (20-25 minutes)
  
  Kibble dispensing toys, hard material (good for carpeted areas)
  
  
• Bob-A-Lot (~10 minutes… this one can be adjusted to make it harder)
  
  
• Tug-A-Jug (10-30 minutes, depending on the dog)
  
  
• Magic Mushroom (10-30 minutes, depending on the dog)
  
  
• Kong Wobbler (~5-10 minutes)
  
  
• IQ Treat Ball (~10-15 minutes)
  
  
• Pet Zone IQ Ball (this is the ONLY toy my dogs can’t get all the kibble out of. They’ll usually persist for half an hour or so before they give up)
  
  
• Buster Cube (I think this has several difficulty settings… my guys now don’t have one of these, but my dog when I was growing up had one. I’d guess this is probably a 20-30 minute toy depending on difficulty and what you load into it)
  
  
• Treatstik – I have NO idea how long this one takes to load, but it’s on my to-purchase list because it seems like it’s one of the longer lasting toys on the market. If anyone has/gets one, I’m super interested to hear about it!
  
  Kibble dispensing toys, soft material (good for hardwood/tile/laminate)
  
  
• Barnacle (this can be stuffed like a Kong as well… I lost this one when I moved but I think in terms of kibble dispensing it was shorter lasting, maybe 5-10 minutes)
  
  
• Tricky Treater (I REALLY like this one; super easy to load and clean, lasts 10-15 minutes)
  
  
• Tricky Treat Ball (another super easy one… <5 minutes)
  
  
• Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Snoop Treat Dispensing Dog Toy – this one just arrived yesterday so I don’t have a solid rating of its durability yet, but so far it seems great… easy to load, takes the dogs awhile to empty, and super duper quiet.
  
  
• JW Pet Company Treat Puzzler Dog Toy (this one is super easy for them to empty… I’d say 3-5 minutes)
  
  
• PetSafe Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Meal Dispensing Dog Toy (this one is okay, not my favorite… I didn’t like that I had to make a decision about cutting it immediately after opening. It takes ~5-10 minutes to unload)
  
  
• Starmark Treat Dispensing Puzzle Ball - this one is new! I almost bought it the other day but haven't yet; I think it's most similar to a Buster Cube in terms of adjustable difficulty, it's just a softer material.
  
  Time-release kibble dispensing toys (good for work days)
  
  
• the Foobler is great because it works on a timer that rotates to the next of six, ¼ cup food hoppers at set intervals of time (you pick, the options are 15-30-60-90 minutes), which makes it last way longer than most of these toys. This is hard plastic.
  
  
• CleverPet – this has a December release date. I’m way pumped about it and have been in touch with the company… hopefully I’ll be getting one of the first models off the line!
  
  Lastly, there are also these two that I haven’t tried yet, so I’m not positive how to classify…
  
  
• Starmark Crunching Barbell
  
  
• Starmark Treat Crunching Multiball
  
  
  ETA: If you have any others you like (or don't like) that I've left off this list, please chime in!

• I have this Crate and this seems like it would be a good size. Don't get it any bigger than you have to or the dog is more likely to pee/poop in one corner and sleep in the other.
  
  
• If she's smelly and seems scared of a bath, some pet wipes will hold you over until she seems more chill
  
  Toys:
  
  
• Get a Kong, fill with cooked sweet potato, peanut butter, plain yogurt with a little kibble mixed in, etc, then freeze till solid, and give to your dog for a treat that stimulates them mentally, keeps them busy, and helps with separation anxiety.
  
  
• Hide-a-Squirrel. An interactive toy- you stuff the log with squirrels and any other toys you have and let your dog have a blast tearing them out
  
  
• Treat dispensing toy you can use to actually feed your dog her meals if she eats too fast. I like this one because you can change the difficulty by making the hole openings smaller or larger
  
  
• Lastly if you have no idea what kind of toys she likes and are striking out (and have a little extra dough lying around and want to treat yo-self), you might want to try ordering BarkBox (you can almost always get a free month when signing up so google coupon codes before ordering). I did it for about a year and a half and was always blown away by the quality and the amazing way they curate each box to fit a theme. The toys were always adorable!
  
  I didn't know about the 2 Week Shutdown when I got my dog and while things turned out okay in the end, I definitely think it would have been VERY beneficial to do it. So best of luck and please update us with pics when she gets home!

You could try non-chew activity toys. My pup particularly likes the plastic food-dispensing balls. http://amzn.com/B003ARUKU0

> Your weekend ignore training regime, was that again in an x pen? Where you frequently went in/out of the room but not pen?
>
>

My puppy is a 16 week old Indian pariah mix that we've had since she was 12 weeks (though separated from her mother at <6 weeks, since that's the age the fosters found her at as a lost stray). The breed is known for its social playing, intelligence, but is also not big on cuddling.

I don't have an X-pen, but we do have a puppy gate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089HDZYY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that has been a lifesaver.
Cords have been moved behind big furniture, like the couch, where she can't reach them.

My dog has a lot of food-toys and chews.

Food ball: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ARUKU0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bob-a-lot: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YHB8EI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

"Wood" stick we use to lure her away from tempting wooden furniture legs:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0754P3NSC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Solo-playing works best with toys that make a noise or move on their own (at least for my puppy). We've found a hard golf ball that noisily rolls across the floor (debatable whether this is a good idea; right now our puppy is too small to fit it fully in her mouth, let alone choke on it, but it's definitely hard enough that I worry she might break a tooth. But no signs of aggressive chewing yet), but she also likes other balls and stuffed toys (which she just takes in her mouth and shakes about wildly).

IMO, the food-dispensing toys are a must-have.

We also leave her dog bed and crate available in this space, and a blanket on the floor, that she likes to sit on while she chews.

Weekend training regime is the same as anything else. Dog in the living room, living room closed off with puppy gate so she can't follow us out, and is in a relatively puppy-proofed space, and toys and chews left strewn about.

She mostly sleeps through the day, now, knowing we won't engage with her playing. If she's being too noisy or needy, I'll leave her alone in the puppy-gated living room and work in another room.

I hope this helps!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ARUKU0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Great toy. Fill it with your dog's favorite treat or kibble. Your dog will have to try and roll the ball and figure out a way to get the kibble out. Toy lasted a good couple of months. Could keep your boy's mind active while trying to get that tasty treat/kibble as a reward.

We've always used puzzle feeders for our dog, even as a puppy. We did some hand-feeding early on per our trainer's suggestion to make sure our dog didn't become resource aggressive, then moved to a bowl in which we would slowly drop the kibble, and then a bowl where we would add treats as he was eating.

When we started feeding kibble without any kind of interruptions, we immediately started with puzzles.

First we used the star, then went to the iq puzzle ball when our pups' snout got to big, and now use this one.

If the little one is food motivated-
https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Treal-Colors/dp/B003ARUKU0

Works best on a hard surface! When they try to pin it down it shoots away from them.

Bake him some dog biscuits! Or give him your left over ribs ;) Or he would love these!

Toy 1

Toy 2

He is cute as hell!! Also, he is a terror-terrier, you got a double whammy there with him being a chihuahua AND a min pin! They are pretty smart and usually know when they are being bad. Have you tried belly bands? You can get washable/reusable packs or disposables if that's better. Basically you put them on covering his penis when he is in the house after his walk, then remove it after you get outside for his next walk. Though what he is doing sounds like submission peeing which could be a whole different issue. ...

I do know that frustration you are feeling. I felt it with my male when he was that age and now with my female. Try working on new tricks or things to build a stronger bond, and maybe get him some busy toys? The IQ ball is awesome now for my troublesome female- it keeps her busy and rewards her for playing rather than being destructive.

It will pass, hang in there and force yourself to snuggle and love him as much as you can!! :)

Lol I keep seeing your posts! I saw "Riley" and I thought, hey I know that name.

Just wanted to drop a comment and say Kiba is about 17 lbs now. He got weighed at his lime disease shot a week ago so he's probably another pound by now.

He also eats about 2 cups a day, but I find that he'll graze and come back to his bowl when he's hungry again. He'll often eat the whole thing in one sitting, but not always. A few days ago I haphazardly spilled the bag into the bowl and didn't know it wasn't enough until he started pawing at the food bag. I gave him the rest of his lunch (sorry Kiba!) and he ate it and left the food bag alone.

Shibas tend to be good about eating their fill and leaving what's left. If you want to give him a little extra and see if he eats it, I can't see a problem with that.

Overfeeding dogs as puppies is a little like overfeeding kids. A bit of extra weight isn't that big of a problem, as long as they are growing into their weight and not staying plump as they become an adolescent. A good rule of thumb is paying attention to their waistline from top-down. So standing over him, does he have a defined waist? His body should curve in and then out again when you reach his hips. Fatter puppies are sort of hot dog shaped, and underfed dogs either have visible ribs or, in flyffy dogs, ribs you can feel individually when you run your hand over them.

Since he's a puppy, giving him a little bit more food, I think, is okay. As long as he's getting his walks and playtime, He'll grow into his weight as he reaches a year.

Also, want to feed him, stimulate him, and get him some playtime all at the same time? Kiba gets one of his meals in this every day (mostly at night when im too busy to play with him): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ARUKU0/ref=twister_B06XCNJCMG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

The 3-incher is about the size of a tennis ball. Kiba can pick it up in his mouth and throw it at me when it's empty and needs more :)

Do you mean something like this?

How much physical and mental exercise is he getting daily right now (in hours)?

It sounds like he's food motivated! An easy way to introduce some mental stimulation is to get some treat dispensing puzzles and feed him his meals in those! If he's never done them before I would get a few and start him off on an easy one first. This one is a great one to get started with and this one has a piece in the middle you can take out or put in for more difficulty. Other than that, just two 5-10 minute sessions of trick or obedience training daily can make a big difference. There's lots of great guides on youtube for that. Taking a fun training or sports class together is also a great way to tire out his brain and body and a wonderful way to bond and become closer.

As far as off leash back yard play time, I always like to recommend a flirt pole. They are super easy to make yourself or you can order off Amazon. I've got a BC/Cattle Dog mix and we like to alternate flirt pole, fetch, tug/keep away/chase, and blowing bubbles!

But honestly if he's getting a lot of exercise and fairly chill, not destructive or having other behavior issues he might just be fine. Not all dogs like to snuggle or be right up in your face all the time.

This is under $10 and for my puppy who loves drama llama :)

It will get better soon! Trust me! I felt the same way you did 3 months ago. My pug puppy is 5 months old now and she is so much easier to handle than before!

I found that feeding my girl out of a treat ball was a great way for her to get physical exercise and also mental exercise. This is the one I got for her in the 3 inch option. There's a middle white portion that makes it harder to get kibble/treats out but I removed that until she got the hang of using it. It's so much fun to watch her bat the ball around the house and get her food out.

Keep up the training and be consistent. They say pugs are hard to potty train but if you keep up a routine it will really help! My girl lets me know when she needs to go now because she knows she will get a yummy high value treat when she potties outside.

I can't tell you how many times I almost gave up and regretted getting her. Now I feel so guilty for thinking that way because she truly makes me happy every single day. Good luck!

Oh I love the idea of making him work for every bit of kibble! I am going to try to use this!

To piggyback off of this comment, my pup LOVES this toy: http://www.amazon.com/Our-PetsSmarter-Treat-Inches-Colors/dp/B003ARUKU0

The nice thing about it is that you can increase the difficulty of the treat release. My puppy blasted through the levels, but the hardest level is still pretty challenging and he loves running around the house with it :)