The Doggie Diaries - Brain Teasing Toy Calms Pippi

May 27th 2010

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009, and the first dog Ben's ever had.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the challenges of caring for a high-energy dog. One of our readers suggested that if we want to keep Pippi relaxed, we need to do more than run her around all day. "If the most quality time you spend with her is in exercise, then she will require more and more exercise until she exhausts both of you," the reader said, adding that Pippi appeared to be in good physical condition and probably could use more mental stimulation.

Anna and I took this advice to heart, and at the recommendation of Pippi's new obedience-class instructor, we bought her something called a Tug-a-Jug food dispenser. It's basically a plastic purple jug with a knotted rope coming out of its spout, designed to challenge dogs and make them work for their food. Owners add kibble to the Tug-a-Jug by unscrewing its bottom. Once it's full, the contraption is given to the hungry dog, who must manipulate its rope to yank out the food through a small hole in the top. (Here's a video of the Tug-a-Jug in action.)

The Tug-a-Jug reminds me of one of those brain-melting puzzles where you're supposed to try to get the ring off of a twisted metal wire. They're difficult puzzles. So is the Tug-a-Jug. In fact, the first couple of times she tried it, Pippi was completely stymied, and we resorted to feeding her the normal way.