Puzzle Toy Review: JW Treat Tower

The JW Pet Treat Tower by Petmate is a bobbing puzzle toy that is wonderfully adjustable and easy to clean. It comes in two different sizes, ours is the smaller one. The top unscrews and all the layers come off for easy cleaning. The opening in each layer can be adjusted to three different sizes, and the openings can be positioned anywhere around the circle.

Photo by Erin Koski

I had originally passed over this toy because it looked non-adjustable and difficult to clean. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it came completely apart and was quite adjustable. Definitely not as simple as it looks!

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 3/5
I can fit about a cup of kibble in the smaller of the two sizes, but I have to do it carefully and quite a bit spills out.

Loading Speed: 1/5
Basically one kibble at a time.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
It takes Annie forever to get all the treats out, but drops them often enough to keep her interested.

Photo by Erin Koski

Unloading Speed (superdog): 4/5
The Treat Tower empties out a bit fast for Brisbane, even on the hardest setting.

Size: 4/5
At nearly a foot tall, the big one should be big enough for any dog. The smaller one is small enough for Ru to use

Durability: 4/5
This should hold up to pretty much anything short of a determined chewer.

Noise: 1/5
Hard heavy plastic on hardwood floors is pretty much the worst case scenario.

Locatability: 5/5
It doesn't fit under the couch, and nobody tries to carry it around so it doesn't go far.

Washability: 5/5
Comes completely apart for super easy cleaning.

Versatility: 5/5
The size options and ease of cleaning mean this toy can be used by a variety of species. We borrowed the Treat Tower from our friend Xhuuya the raven.

Total: 37/50

Puzzle Toy Review: Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom

The Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom is a disappointingly non-psychedelic purple puzzle toy by Premier. It is wonderfully challenging for Brisbane, and almost easy enough for Ulysses to use. The Magic Mushroom comes in two sizes for smaller dogs and larger dogs. Ours is the larger size.

Photo by Erin Koski

As far as food-dispensing puzzle toys go, this one is my absolute favorite. It is the best thing ever. It can be loaded in seconds with an entire cup of kibble, the difficulty level can be adjusted to dispense food with more or less effort, it rolls quietly across my hardwood floors, and the entire thing can be taken apart and scrubbed thoroughly. As an added bonus, it has a ridiculous name and is purple. I don't think I would be nearly as drawn to this toy if it were, say, yellow and named The Food Ball. I don't think Brisbane actually cares about any of this, but Premier knows they have to get me, the human, to buy their toys. Premier is pretty good at appealing to me, the human.

Photo by Erin Koski

One of the things I love about the Magic Mushroom is that it requires more than one movement to get the food out of the toy. The bottom of the toy unscrews to allow a bunch of food to be scooped in, and there are three holes at the top for dispensing food when the shroom is turned upside down. Without the mushroom cap, this would be a somewhat easy bobbing puzzle toy. The half-sphere mushroom cap is what makes this toy magical, while the shroom is weighted, it isn't nearly as heavy as the Starmark Bob-a-Lot, or even the Kong Wobbler. As a result, the Magic Mushroom spends as much time upside down as it does rightside up. The kibble-dispensing holes in the shroom are located underneath the cap, so the food falls into the cap and the toy must be rolled upright again before dispensing its payload.

Photo by Erin Koski

The fact that this toy requires to separate actions to solve makes it absolutely fascinating to Brisbane.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 5/5
I can fit at least a cup of kibble in there, probably more. Definitely way more than anyone here eats at a time.

Loading Speed: 5/5
Unscrew the huge base, dump in kibble, done.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
On the easiest setting, this one is very challenging for Ulysses. He is likely to need a break before he empties half a cup of kibble out of it.

Photo by Erin Koski

Loading Speed (superdog): 5/5
Not only does this toy take 30+ minutes for Briz to empty, it keeps him happily engaged the entire time.

Size: 4/5
I wouldn't give the large shroom to a giant dog, but the small one is certainly reasonably-sized for a toy dog like Ru. Actually there's no reason he can't use the large one, either.

Durability: 5/5
Our shroom came from a thrift store and I have no idea how much abuse it took before arriving here. For hard plastic, this thing seems to absorb a lot of shock without clattering around horribly like our Kong Satellite.

Photo by Erin Koski

Noise: 4/5
It's not dead quiet, but pretty close. I'm impressed how little noise this makes on my raised-foundation hard floors.

Locatability: 5/5
Doesn't fit under the couch, and I always find it right in the middle of the room.

Washability: 5/5
The whole thing comes apart into four pieces for perfect scrubbing access. It's also top rack dishwasher safe, but this is one toy that I can get squeaky clean just hand washing.

Hoardability: 1/5
Briz can't actually pick this one up, so it never ends up in a crate or on the bed.

Total: 44/50

Puzzle Toy: Kong Wobbler

The Kong Wobbler is a bobbing-type puzzle toy designed for use with kibble and other small, dry treats. The Wobbler comes in two sizes for large and small dogs. The base of the toy unscrews from the body to allow for fast-filling and easy cleaning.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is a pretty basic bobbing toy, but it is also one of the most widely available. Kong has basically introduced this type of puzzle toy to the general public, as it can now be found in big box pet stores. Back in Brisbane's youth, we had to buy our nifty puzzle toys from specialty stores and online.

On the one hand, this toy is incredibly easy to fill and clean. The toy opens at its widest point, allowing for full scrubbing access. On the other hand, the hole is a fixed size, and a seasoned puzzle-solver like Briz can empty it in mere minutes.

Photo by Erin Koski

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 4/5
We have the large, which is advertised as fitting a cup of kibble but actually holds a little more. The small is supposed to hold 1/2 cup.

Loading Speed: 5/5
So very, very fast and easy.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
Uly can spend half an hour or more getting his dinner out of the Wobbler.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 3/5
Brisbane is a master of efficiency, he can empty this thing as fast as I can without unscrewing it. The hole is very wide to make kibble fall out easier.

Size: 4/5
The small is small enough for Ru to manage. The large is big enough for a big dog, though it feels a bit undersized for giant breeds. Then again, most toys feel undersized for giant breeds.

Durability: 5/5
Unless Brisbane decides to unscrew the top and then chew up the threads, I can't imagine this toy breaking or getting damaged. It is hard plastic though, so it probably wouldn't survive being dropped from a decent height.

Noise: 3/5
Because they are weighted, bobbing toys pretty much all make a hellacious amount of noise on hard floors with raised foundations. The addition of dry kibble inside hard plastic also means this toy rattles quite a bit. Lighter toys make less noise though, so the small should be quieter than the large Wobbler, and our large is definitely quieter than the Starmark Bob-a-Lot.

Locatability: 4/5
Bright red, and too big to fit under the furniture. Uly likes to shove it behind doors and into remote corners of the house, though.

Washability: 5/5
Dishwasher safe for those lucky enough to have a dishwasher. Also super easy to open up and scrub thoroughly. This is probably the easiest to clean puzzle toy I have ever seen.

Hoardability: 1/5
Since Briz can't lift or carry it, it tends to stay wherever it ended up when emptied.

Total: 39/50

Puzzle Toy: Starmark Bob-a-Lot

The Starmark Bob-a-Lot is a kibble-dispensing toy that is rounded at the bottom, and weighted so it bobs upright. It can be loaded through the top and dispense kibble through both the top and the bottom. This toy is amazing because the openings are adjustable. ADJUSTABLE!!!

Photo by Erin Koski

This is an incredibly sturdy and durable puzzle toy, and it can keep Brisbane busy for a good long time. Josie also enjoyed the Bob-a-Lot, though some days it was just too much work. Briz got this for his fourth birthday, so it has now been in regular use for five years with minimal wear. There used to be an orange grossgrain ribbon attached to the top for hanging and carrying the toy, Brisbane eventually destroyed that. He also chewed the inside of the top, under the yellow lid, shortly after we acquired the Bob-a-Lot. Aside from a few scratches, it has zero wear.

The purple bottom of the Bob-a-

Photo by Erin Koski

Lot is very solid and heavy, it actually takes a bit of effort to move. The yellow cap at the top unscrews, and under that is an opening that can be adjusted by spinning the yellow half-disk. The half-disk has a nice little ridge poking up to help spin it around to make the hole larger or smaller. Occasionally I find this piece flipped, so that the ridge is pointing down into the hole and unable to rotate. When the yellow half-disk gets flipped it becomes very difficult to remove to add kibble, and I usually end up prying it out with a butter knife. For a while I blamed my husband for this, but then I found it flipped while he was out of town so now I'm blaming the lizard people from beneath Los Angeles.

Photo by Erin Koski

The yellow cap can be left off the Bob-a-Lot so that the toy must be tipped over to dispense it's treasures, but I did this once and Briz chewed it. The yellow cap still screws on nicely so I just use the bottom opening and load kibble through the top. This bottom opening is set low on the purple section. It features a little sliding door that makes the opening adjustable. I could fill this thing with tiny kibble and make the opening tiny so the toy takes longer to empty! This definitely solves that 'kibble just falls out constantly' problem.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 5/5

I can fit several cups of food inside this thing, enough for an entire meal even for Josie.

Loading Speed: 2/5

Neither of the holes in this thing are very big, so it basically needs to be loaded one kibble at a time.

Photo by Erin Koski

I try pouring it in the top and they usually just jam up. 

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5

The Bob-a-Lot usually wore Josie out long before she finished her meal. She could get about half a cup out in 30 minutes and then needed a nap.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 5/5

A quarter cup of kibble takes Brisbane easily 20 minutes to empty, even with the bottom door all the way open. Occasionally I accidentally leave the door closed and he spends 45 minutes batting it around with increasing frustration. I apologize to my neighbors for any hysterical screambarking that results from this error.

Durability: 4/5

As long as I screw the yellow cap on, this thing is indestructible. Minus the cap, the rim is an invitation to chew. Briz doesn't often chew things that aren't food, but this was apparently worth it. Like pretty much everything else out there, I wouldn't leave the Bob-a-Lot unattended with a serious power-chewer.

Size: 5/5

We have the large size, and even 6-lb Ru could play with it if he felt like putting in any effort to get food. There is also a small size, so even more ridiculously tiny dogs can play with it. The large is very large, I would give this to a Great Dane or a mastiff without worrying about the dog choking.

Noise: 1/5
If I lived in an apartment, my downstairs neighbors would hate me. This thing is heavy, and we have hardwood floors. As an added bonus, it's tall enough to whack into the kitchen cabinets when Brisbane really gets it going.

Locatability: 5/5
This one is way too big to lose!

Washability: 2/5
The Bob-a-Lot does not open up at all, but it's not meant to be filled with peanut butter or anything either. The Starmark site says it can be cleaned by pouring in soapy water, shaking, and drying by setting it upside down. I have never washed our toy. That might make me a bad person.

Hoardability: 1/5
Since he removed the ribbon at the top of his Bob-a-Lot, Brisbane is physically incapable of carrying this toy. It generally stays in the same room where I leave it.

Total: 35/50

I use this toy at least once a week, often more. I can increase the loading speed by dumping kibble into the top so it has to fall into the bottom chamber before falling out the lower door. Briz will enjoy that.