Treat Dispensing Dog Tug Toy

Something to work at, and something to show for it.

• Gives your dog a job to get on with: the ball is hollow, so a handful of kibble goes in and comes back out a few pieces at a time.
• Something to take hold of while they work: the double rope runs straight off the ball, so there is a handle for a mouth instead of a shape that rolls under the sofa.
• They can pull against it without you holding on: the suction cup set presses flat onto tile or a smooth floor and stays put while your hands are busy.
• Still interesting once the treats are gone: the rubber is covered in ridges and blunt points, so there is texture to work over as well as food to chase.

How the treats come out

There is an opening in one side of the ball. Push kibble or small soft treats in and they sit inside where your dog can smell them but cannot reach them.

Then it is down to paws, nose and teeth. A piece drops, then another, then nothing for a while. That gap is the whole trick, because a toy that empties in one go is finished in one go.

Why it holds their attention when it pulls back

A ball that only rolls gets one shove and then it is somebody else's problem.

Stuck to the floor, this one answers. Your dog leans back, the rope stretches, and the toy leans back too. That is much closer to how dogs play with each other than anything they can push around on their own.

Six o'clock, dinner on, dog underfoot

You have a pan going and a dog doing laps of the kitchen. Load the ball, press the cup onto the tiles, and your best friend suddenly has somewhere else to be.

They stay in the room with you, which is what they wanted in the first place. You just get your hands back.

Questions