A busy dog is a good dog.
One of the best ways to keep a dog engaged and out of mischief, is by investing in some fun dog toys. Remember though, that expensive dog toys do not necessarily mean that they are good, safe, or fun.
Before getting a toy for my dog, I always do some research to make sure it is safe and durable.
Always supervise a dog when he gets a new toy.
Consult with a vet if there are any safety concerns.
The best dog toys are the ones that will capture our dog’s interest, and exercise his mind.
My dogs love playing most with their interactive food toys.
Food is a prime motivator for my dogs. It not only encourages them to play with the toy for a longer period of time, but also put in the extra effort to figure out how it works. They love trying different push, bite, and roll strategies, to find the fastest, most efficient way to get at the food. They return to the toy time and again, because there may be more rewards in there, waiting to be found.
Here are a list of interactive food toys that work well with my dogs (a Shiba Inu and a Siberian Husky). Note that the following descriptions are only based on my own experiences. Different dogs have different temperaments, and will respond differently to a dog toy.
1. Hol-ee Roller Ball
These balls are great and safe for the teeth. All we have to do is get some hard dog biscuits, and stuff them into the ball.
There are two versions of the Hol-ee Roller Ball – the regular ball which has thinner rubber joints, and the Extreme-Ball which has thick rubber joints (shown in the picture to the right). I much prefer the extreme version because it is more challenging, as well as more durable.
Originally, I filled this dog toy with Large Innova Health Bars, which worked very well. However, I stopped using them after getting my Siberian Husky, because she is allergic to oatmeal. Instead, I am currently using Baa-Baa-Q’s lamb lung.
Note – There was a voluntary recall of Innova products on March 2013.
2. Kong Rubber Toys
Kong rubber toys are tough and safe for most dogs.
I usually put canned dog food into a Kong Classic rubber toy, and then freeze it. This is a fun way to occupy my dog, especially when he is in his crate.
Sometimes, I further entice my dog by dropping in some cheese or sardines, before putting in the canned food. This provides the extra umph that gets him to work through the Kong.
Another fun Kong toy is the Kong Jump’n Jack. I stuff kibble or boiled chicken into the grooves of this two toy, and let my dogs chew on them.
We can also use Kong Stuff ‘N Paste, but I personally would not recommend it. The Kong paste frequently makes a mess all over the floor, and is not made from particularly good ingredients.
3. Premier Busy Buddy Collection
My dogs like many of the Premier Busy Buddy interactive food toys. However, note that in 2010, Premier was sold to Radio Systems Corporation (Petsafe), which is a leading manufacturer of electronic collars, invisible fences, and other pain based training equipment. As a result, some trainers and owners now choose to avoid Premier products.
The Twist and Treat is a good one to start with. Simply untwist the dog toy, put kibble inside, then twist the cover back on. At first, do not twist the cover on too tightly. In this way, our dog gets rewarded well for playing with the toy. Once he gains some experience, we can start tightening the lid more.
CAUTION: My Shiba Inu was able to tear off chunks from this toy when it was left with him unsupervised. Luckily, he just likes shredding and does not eat the shredded bits. It is best to take this toy away, once our dog is done with getting all the kibble out.
The Squirrel Dude is another fun dog toy that we can fill with kibble or other treats. If our dog has trouble getting the food out, we can cut off some of the rubber tabs at the bottom of the toy.
I have a full 4 tabbed Squirrel Dude, which I fill with little pieces of kibble. I also have a 3 tabbed Squirrel Dude that I fill with kibble and some larger, higher priority treats, e.g. freeze dried liver treats.
The most interesting one in the group is the Tug-a-Jug . I think it is hardest to get food out of this toy, so my Shiba Inu will only work on it when he is bored or really hungry, and does not have access to other food toys. My Siberian Husky, however, seems to really enjoy this one.
Initially, I unscrew the cover from the bottom of the jug, and fill it up with a good amount of kibble (over half full). This ensures that my dog is amply rewarded for playing with the toy. After he gains some experience, I slowly reduce the amount of kibble in the jug. It is difficult to get the last bits of kibble out, so I add more before the jug becomes too empty.
4. Buster Cube
In the beginning, I put the Buster Cube setting to maximum, so that my dog will be motivated to play with it. As my dog learns how the toy works, I slowly decrease the cube setting to make it more challenging.
When filling the cube, make sure all the kibble goes into the holes around the central column. Otherwise, the kibble will just collect at the bottom of the column. Then, when the Cube gets rolled, all the collected kibble will come out at once.
The Buster Cube does not work well on slippery, hard, surfaces (e.g. tile floors, wooden floors), because it will only slide on the floor, rather than roll. As a result, no food will come out. I use the Cube on carpeted surfaces and the backyard.
5. Rhino Stuff & Chew
This nice rubber chew ball has chambers all around, that we may fill with food. It is most effective to use wet food, such as sardines, or boiled chicken. Sardines work really well with my Shiba, and he is extremely motivated to get it all out.
I normally give him one of these at night, for going into his crate. I also give him a Greenie to help clean his teeth.
6. Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball
The Omega Treat Ball is a great kibble ball. It is easy to fill with kibble, and the ball only releases a few pieces of food at a time. As a result, this toy engages my Shiba for a good amount of time.
If you are looking for more ideas, here is a list of other fun dog toys including chew toys, tug toys, balls, frisbees, and homemade toys.
7. Cheap Dog Toys
I have found many good deals on Amazon by looking through their discount dog toys. Here are some 50%-70% discount dog toys at Amazon
. If you want to do this yourself, here are the steps.
For this to work well, you may want to join Amazon Prime to save on shipping and handling costs.
Our Shiba Inu, Sheba, does this “butt-move” also & it always make us laugh! Yes I have always wondered if it was just our Sheba being silly or if other Shiba Inus do this too! She is such a wonderful dog & has us trained very well! lol I could never have imagined how therapeutic Sheba has been for us since we got her. There is never a day that we don’t smile or laugh or just say how adorable she is & how much we love her!
LOL! Yeah, Sephy can be very charming when he wants something from me. Otherwise, he is Shiba, and Shiba is too good to be with humans. 😀
That is so true. Sephy reminds me of a stand-up comedian. He can make everyone laugh, but at the same time he has a very sensitive soul.
Hello, last year I was needed away from home and my husband gave our Shiba Lucky a large dog Kong. He stuffed it with peanut butter, froze it, gave it to the dog while they painted the front of our home. Later when they went to check on the dog, the Kong was gone and there were red pieces of rubber all over the place. (Thank God he only shreds thing and does not eat what he destroys.)
He had apparently destroyed the whole Kong in about an hour and a half.
Have your dogs ever done this? These Kongs are supposed to be nearly indestructable, but I have noticed that if a toy states that on the package, Lucky can usually take it apart.
Hello Rhonda,
Sephy has torn apart the Premier Twist-and-Turn which looked really durable to me. Like Lucky though, he just likes shredding and doesn’t eat the stuff – which is a really good thing! 😀
As for the Kongs, I now prefer getting the black Kongs, which are supposedly for strong chewers. They also last for much longer compared to the red Kongs, which don’t seem to stand up as well when exposed to the sun. Still though, I think that if Shiba really wanted to, he could still tear it apart. It would just take more effort and time.
Shibas have really big teeth! 😀
I know this isn’t one of your recomended but I thought i’d try the busy body tug a treat. I gave it to my shiba tonight and he didn’t seem too interested. I made sure there were plenty of treats in there and everything. Will he just get interested eventually?
The Tug-a-jug toy is one of the more difficult interactive toys, I think. When Sephy is really hungry and all of his other toys are empty, he will work on that. If there are easier pickings available, he will go for the lower hanging fruit. 😀
Can I sent you products from our pet products company for your review?
Thanks for the offer Ashley. However, I don’t do special product reviews.
My adopted 3 year old Shiba girl Ziva’s first playful moment with me involved an extensive demonstration of the air-butt move, with accompanying Shiba grins. She’s hilarious and obviously really enjoys it. I try to explain the grin to startled guests, but they don’t seem totally convinced that its all fun for her.
Hahaha – love the name Ziva! Is she named after Ziva David? That would be very apropos.
Yeah most people don’t believe me either. I think it is because Shibas have really large teeth relative to their total size.
Yes! She is in fact named after Ziva David. She’s a shelter dog that I rescued last spring. Knowing how difficult the breed can be, I had planned to get her to the regional Shiba Rescue, but she fit in so well here that I kept her. She gets along very well with my cat–they play constantly and keep each other busy. Still smiling at all her favorite guests, who are getting used to this unusal practice. She neck-pins and air butts me first thing in the morning. She’s a perfect companion.
Hahaha – definitely a Ziva David!
So I have to ask, is Sephy a bit dramatic when he gets a new toy or is being lazy with a puzzle toy or kong?
I ask because Reptar has developed this super annoying habit of taking laziness to the next level. I recently bought him a new Kong and put a treat in it for him. The past hour he’s been carrying the Kong around the house in his mouth while whimpering and crying for help. He’ll eventually bring me the Kong for me to do the work. Is this a Shiba thing? I know they’re lazy but the whimpering, really? I wonder if it’s because the actual Kong is new. hmmm, oh Shiba you always keep me guessing.
He does this with other very high priority items too, such as a pigs ear or something he doesn’t frequently. He’ll carry that around crying and making Shiba noise for a little bit until he feels the need to hide it around the house, “save it for later” kind of thing. When he has two, he will start to chew them. I get that, it’s a hording thing I guess.
He also does this crying Shiba noise when we give him a nutrident treat (similar to greenie but it doesn’t make him sick). He gets one every day or every other day and without fail he’ll run around the house whimpering, showing if off and giving it to us to admire then he expects it back so he can enjoy it.
In general, Reptar has become very vocal, not necessarily in the give me what I want way, but with Shiba noise and whimpering mainly.
Wow, I didn’t expect that post to be so long. So is this ultra laziness and helpless whimpering act a Shiba trait or just something Reptar is doing extra special for us? LOL.
OH! and I see in the picture with Shania and all her toys that they have a tug-a-jug. Do they know how to work this on their own? Reptar understands how to get food out, but I have to push the rope back in for him to pull it out. Just curious.
PS – I feel like I know your dogs really well 🙂 I love your site and posts! very helpful and entertaining (esp Shiba’s diary posts)!
OMG – that sounds very like Sephy.
Sephy just waits for Shania to get the food out and then he mooches off her – lol. If she eats everything, he will come over to me and whimper. He will only work on his kibble toys as a last resort.
Haha – yeah Sephy also did this with his Greenie. He used to do this with rawhide but I don’t give those to him anymore. Nowadays I give him his Greenie at night in his crate, and that seems to work for him. He will settle down and work on it. Shibas have such interesting personalities 😀
Yeah they both used to work on the Tug-a-Jug. Sephy got all of the kibble out one time when he was really bored (during Shania’s surgery). I was really impressed. But nowadays he has figured out other better strategies for getting food.
I think he can get food more easily from me than from the Tug-a-Jug! He just pokes me and food comes out. LOL
Our Shiba did that too! We figured out it was when she had to poop and wanted to eat the treat badly, but didn’t have room in her belly for it. So she would cry and walk around with it. We would take it away, take her out for a walk, she would poop and then upon returning, we give it to her and she eats it!
I like the “Buster Cube” toy. I believe my dog will like it as well. It’s a different type of dog toy that can stimulate my dog’s attention longer.
Hi Janet,
I looked at the Crazy Critters toy on your site and it definitely looks interesting. I definitely have to check it out. Maybe attach one to the flirt pole 🙂
Also, if you like the Buster Cube, you may also like the Omega Ball. My Shiba actually likes that more than the Cube. It works in a similar way, but the ball can work on all types of surfaces, and he pushes it around everywhere during meal times.
My Shiba does this too!!! I laugh all the time – I call it her Army-Man crawl! Shiba’s are quite possibly the best – best companion Ive ever had!
lol – Army Man Crawl – I like that! I should post something on this soon – with some pictures. Would be a fun topic 🙂
I can identify with all you say re Shibas. Your dogs are lucky to have such a involved “parent”. My 8 year old shiba is an absolute sweetie. She has a maneuver where she puts her head and front paws down like she is standing on her neck and sticks her rear in the air. Very cute. I wonder is this is unique to shebas. thanks Cynthia
LOL – My Sephy does exactly the same thing! I call it his butt-move. Sometimes he will do this and then flip over – it is too funny. Shibas are really very goofy dogs.
I wonder about that too. When I talk to dog-people about this they all think I am talking about the play-bow but this Shiba-butt-move is different. It is not a bow but really the whole butt sticking up -lol.
I will have to do some research into this and see if other breed owners talk about this as well 😀
Shibas really are Characters with a capital C!
Your dogs are so cute!!! The Hol-ee roller ball looks like a great toy for bigger dogs, My black lab would love it.