Outward Hound Nina Ottosson Dog Twister Dog Toy Treat Puzzle, 11.8" | Level 3 Advanced, 9 Hidden Treat Compartments, Kibble or Treats, Easy Clean, No BPA, Interactive Enrichment, Dogs & Puppies

As some reviewers have mentioned on the easier toys, smart dogs can figure them out very quickly and then they only provide entertainment for a few minutes. We had that experience with one. What I especially like about the purple and blue "Twister" toy is that we could ramp up the difficulty and make it last for several months before our dog finally got smart enough to tackle it in 10 minutes or so. Initially our dog had trouble opening the compartments, but there are several ways to make it easier: - remove compartment covers, so there are no adjacent covered compartments - tie little sections of cord around the white handles. It took our dog quite a while to build the association with scraping her paw to open a compartment, and giving her a larger thing to grab helped her through that phase. - present the puzzle with one or more compartments unlocked, so all she had to do was move the compartment with her nose (or tongue, which she figured out first) After about a month or two she got the hang of the toy with all but one compartment covered and locked, but it still took her quite a while to open them all (she usually needed a break in between attempts). In recent weeks, about five months after getting it, she has gotten to the point where she is able to work through it very quickly (10 minutes or so) although she still isn't perfect; sometimes a white handle gets pushed in and she can't figure out which one is blocking the movement of the covers. I'm pretty satisfied with a puzzle that challenged her for that much time! My only complaint is that the toy isn't designed to be cleaned in running water; the recesses where the screws are on the bottom trap water and cause the screw heads to rust. But this is a minor defect and hasn't affected our use.

I’ll try to keep this short. It’s plastic, so it’s not chew proof, but you should be keeping an eye on your dog with something like this anyway. I haven’t had it more than a few days, so I can’t speak for durability or longevity. One piece came off when he tried to pick it up, but it snapped back in easily. What I can speak for is: Bandit. The 9 month old puppy in the photo. He is a smart boy. He learned to plug our tub and turn the water on so he can play in it after he opens up the bathroom door. He has also figured out how to unscrew caps on bottles. So, as you can tell, we have our hands full. When he was 2 months old, we got him a snuffle mat and that was good for him until about 3 months ago. He gets tired of picking the food off it at times, picks it up and shakes all the food out. It’s irritating to say the least because at the same time, if he’s bored, he’ll fling his food bowl so he can pick the pieces up. He’s constantly looking for ways to work his little noggin and sniffer. This seems to be an excellent one. When I put it down, the first thing he tried to do was pick it up and shake the food out. It did not work. I only latched 2 of the things since it’s his first time, which was good for him. I debated on showing him how to use it, but that’s how he figured out how to truly unscrew a cap (he was curious about what I was doing. In hindsight, it was a dumb idea. I know. Some lessons are learned the hard way. Others are learned by cleaning juice and water off the floor.) I let him have at it and it took him a few minutes, but he got it. It seems to have been a good brain teaser because he is chilling now and not destroying my new-to-me house (built in 1951, but I digress). He’s been going crazy sniffing since we moved in a few days ago, but the novelty of the house seems to be wearing off. This toy seems to be a good way to keep him entertained and my house not destroyed. I would also like to note that he has never used a toy like this before. We have a tippy ball that spills food (which he has also learned to shake to get the food out faster). We have a snuffle mat and a licking mat. I use these when he turns into his supervillain alter ego, Destructo Boy. I’m excited to have a new tool to defeat Destructo Boy with and save the new tub from his antics. (I hope) I would also like to note that he now believes he had to eat his entire meal out of these toys.

I recently got the Outward Hound Dog Twister Treat Puzzle, and it has quickly become one of my dog’s favorite toys! Designed as a Level 3 advanced puzzle, this toy provides an engaging challenge that keeps my pup entertained and mentally stimulated. The concept is simple yet effective: you hide treats in the compartments and let your dog figure out how to slide the pieces to uncover them. I love that it encourages problem-solving skills and helps prevent boredom, especially on days when outdoor playtime is limited. The quality of the toy is impressive; it’s sturdy and well-made, which is important for an enthusiastic chewer like my dog. Cleanup is easy too—just a quick wipe down after use, and it’s good to go for the next round of fun. Overall, I highly recommend the Outward Hound Dog Twister Treat Puzzle for any pet owner looking to enrich their dog's playtime. It’s a fantastic way to keep them engaged, happy, and mentally sharp!

I have an Australian Shepherd. Was looking for puzzles to mentally challenge him. The first one we tried was WAY too easy. He solved it instantly. So we stepped it up to this next level. It definitely challenged him and originally he lost interest in it quickly because he couldn't figure it out (5 months old). As he got a little older, he worked on it a little more diligently. Unfortunately, he never actually "solved" the puzzle, just mauled it until the slider pieces shook loose. When he was done, we'd always end up gathering up the 3 or 4 slide pieces that he managed to rip off and pop them back on. Eventually, however, he got a hold of some of those loose pieces and the white locks and destroyed them to the point where I couldn't even put the toy back together again and had to throw it away. FWIW, my puppy destroys every toy he gets his hands on. It's a challenge for us to find things that he doesn't ruin the first day he has it. So this may work great for dogs with a little less "bite." And we may try again when he's a little older and has outgrown his puppy phase. I love Outward Hound and will continue to try their toys. We have another one of theirs that he has used with no issue but he solved it instantly so there's no challenge there which, therefore, means no destruction. Ha ha!

Ox is a big fella. He's active, an enthusiastic chewer, and damn is he strong! So I did my homework carefully before I bought this toy for his sixth birthday. We sang to him, and he was a little freaked out by this strange behavior, so he retreated to his crate and bayed at us. He happily devoured his birthday salmon cake once we yanked the candles out, and things got much better when he received his gift. We'd had steak and peas for supper, so I cut up the meat scraps and put them in every second compartment, and in between, I put peas. This turned out to be a good plan, because the peas were much easier to remove than the meat, so he had some encouragement. First he just picked the whole thing up and shook it, but that didn't get him far. Then he looked at us, and all of us suppressed the impulse to reach down and open it for him. Eventually, he discovered that the first step to get it open was to yank out all the little white tabs, so he did that (and they are all in great shape, fitted right back in their slots when he was done.) There's one open compartment on top (so no, yours isn't defective.) That permits him to slide the top wedge-shaped panels a little bit sideways, once the white tabs were out; see the photo. At this point, he was able to get the peas to fall out by picking the whole thing up again and shaking it. They didn't all come out at once, though; he'd get a couple, then go back to sliding the panels, lather, rinse, etc. Finally he realized that with the right leverage, he could in fact pull the panels clean off of there and get to the meat scraps, which thrilled him. The whole thing took him about half an hour, and that's a record for Ox. When it was all over, I rinsed it off and it stores very easily on top of the fridge, in between the containers of dog treats (photo.) I was impressed that the pieces were almost new looking when Ox was done. He has strong jaws, and he generally annihilates whatever goes into his mouth; nevertheless, it all fit back together again, no snapped-off tabs or big dents. I figure we'll let it rest till Thanksgiving so he can hopefully forget some of the information he learned tonight. Great purchase, five stars.

My dog may be too impatient to undo the locks and slide the covers. I tried showing him how to use it with all the locks undone, but he’d rather grab it and flip it around, pulling off the sliding doors. My other dog who’s more gentle and less smart figuring out puzzles actually seemed to do pretty well pushing the sliding doors around with her nose while it was all unlocked. The Outward Hound puzzles are all very well made and thoughtfully designed, so 5 stars even though it may not be the best one for my crazy dog.

I have 3 dogs in my house that I think encompass the range of play that this toy brings. The husky is a five-year-old dog who used this toy exactly like you expected. Once we showed him the sliding pieces and how the locks worked he fully enjoyed and worked the toy as intended. One-year-old Aussie pup who was not - I'm going to say compatible - with this toy. We did the same instructions as with the husky, but other than the 'freebie' he only opened one other. He ended up just sitting next to it and guarding it against the other dogs. We tried only locking every other lock. We tried unlocking every single one - he still didn't 'get' it. The odd thing about this though, is we have harder mental toys than this one and he can complete those. A lot more slots with a lot more 'must do x,y,z to get 1,2,3' which I found interesting. The last is our 7-year-old Aussie. This one...this one we nicknamed Hulk because he just brute forces everything. He starts by scratching the top of the toy to force open everything. He then will take a white lock in his mouth and pick it up so it is hanging vertically. This is where he worked the system. If he dangles it right - where the teal pieces pull away from the frame - the treats just fall out and he eats his fill. The flaw of this toy is, locked or unlocked, if you tip it on its side right (or completely flip it over) the treats just tumble right out. Even with his hardcore scratching across the top - the plastic has held its shape. There are no tooth marks on the white locks. We had one of the white pieces get pulled out but was easy to install. I don't know about the teal pieces if they pop off; although this company is pretty good at making it easy to reassemble if your pet is a destroyer. I do recommend this toy - if your dog isn't one to pick it up and chuck it around. The older Aussie is not a 'thrasher' either so I can't really use that as a precursor of compatibility. The pictures show the dog's workaround and the variety of mental toys we have for our pack.

Great difficulty level for my dog who mastered simpler puzzles! Unfortunately, the plastic of the white pull tabs is too flimsy. When he was figuring it out, he chewed on them and the plastic became jagged, which could hurt him. He also pulled some of them out, and they won’t go back in.

Our 5-month labrador is super Happy after he got to play with this. He was done quite fast but his behavior to play and how learned was impressive.

Bon pour le développement du chien

The game itself is great for keeping the dog entertained for 15 mins. But the plastic it’s made of is too soft and flimsy. The makers need to do an updated version with a harder more durable material. It’s already damaged after 2 uses and it’s hard to see how this is usable beyond a week or two.

Świetna zabawka, choć dla mojego psa jest odrobinę za trudna. Plusem jest możliwość wyciągania elementów co pozwala zmniejszyć poziom trudności.

My Border collie loves it. Made to last so worth the price