Tikr by Sbark

Sbark has invented the most amazing puzzle toy, Tikr is a super-durable food-dispensing toy that opens with a timer. It's like an egg timer and a Kong Wobbler that dispenses different types of treats at different times. You can set the timer for up to 45 minutes, and the toy will open bit by bit, allowing the goodies out.

Photo by Erin Koski

 A Kong and a Egg Timer

I got to meet the inventors of the Tikr at SuperZoo 2016, and hear firsthand how they came up with this idea. They had been using regular Kongs for years to keep their dogs busy. You know the drill, stuff it with goodies and watch your dog empty it out in a few minutes. You can freeze it for a longer unstuffing session, but your dog is still going to empty it in well under an hour.

The idea for the Tikr came when one of the creators set a classic Kong toy down on top of a magazine with an egg timer on the cover. Thus came the idea of incorporating a simple torque timer into a dog toy in order to stretch out playtime.

Photo by Erin Koski

A Puzzling Puzzle

I came home from SuperZoo and immediately preordered a Tikr, and it finally arrived a few weeks ago. Sbark was even kind enough to send along some extra Tikr treats with my order. This thing is so cool!

The Tikr has one inner treat chamber, and three different-sized openings. Wind the timer, and the green chamber slowly rotates. When the opening in the green chamber matches up with one of the outer holes, treats come out! 

Photo by Erin Koski

The genius is in the size of the openings. The smallest one opens up first, releasing only the smallest treats. The medium-sized one opens next, and then final the biggest hole releases anything left.

The inner chamber has a peg sticking up from the center, onto which a softer treat can be impaled for an additional challenge. The largest Tikr treats have a hole in the center, presumably for sticking them on there. Unfortunately, the  treats are pretty crunchy and so far I've only succeeded in shattering them when I try that. gonna have to try sticking a chunk of cheese or something there instead.

Photo by Erin Koski

Tikr Treats

You can put any kind of dry or semi-moist treats in the Tikr, they even mention kibble and have pictures of dog biscuits. However, Tikr also sells nifty little gear-shaped treats in three sizes. The teeth on the gears lock together when you cram them into the toy, and of course they are just the right size to fall out when the right hole opens up.

The Verdict

Photo by Erin Koski

Godzilla and Zip love this thing. It has a timer that goes off when a new aperture opens up, to let them know when it's time to play again. I do have a small concern about Sisci Godzilla getting her lower jaw stuck inside the biggest opening, though. There are reports of lower jaw entrapment incidents happening with a bunch of different puzzle toys, and for this reason I am going to be supervising my dogs with the Tikr.

This is a flexible rubber-compound toy that stands up to some chewing. A ton of research went into finding the exact formula that would be durable enough without damaging anyone's teeth or clunking around on hardwood floors. Sbark currently recommends the Tikr be used by dogs under 50 pounds, only under supervision, and that owners should discourage dogs from gnawing on it.

Photo by Erin Koski

Our Tikr has taken some minor damage around the top, because Zip enjoys gnawing stuff. So far it's only cosmetic, though. I expect this toy to last forever. Sbark is currently developing an Extreme version for larger dogs, and I look forward to seeing what else they come up with!

Six Different Types of Enrichment

In preparation for Paw5's Enriched Life Challenge on October 17th, we are exploring all the different types of enrichment that can be added to a pet's life. Paw5 has come up with six different categories for dog owners, but I think these can be applied to nearly any pet's environment. The categories are: sensory, feeding, toys/puzzles, environmental, social, and training. There are quite a few products and activities that fit into multiple categories. I'm a big fan of feeding via toys and puzzles, and I love training my dogs to do tricks. I'm using the Enriched Life Challenge to expand into other categories for my dogs and my cats. What sort of things does each category include?

Sensory

Sensory enrichment is basically anything that activates your pet's sense of smell, touch, taste, sight, or sound. Paw5 suggest rolling in the grass and playing in water, as well as dog tv, music developed specifically for dogs, and scent discrimination activities like nose work. For pets that live primarily indoors, a simple trip to the yard can provide a lot of enrichment. 

A wading pool, sandbox, or digging area is a great way to liven up your dog's outdoor area. Adding toys can help motivate them to explore. 

Sensory enrichment for my cats will be a bigger challenge. I use a Ruffwear Webmaster harness to contain them for leashed trips to the yard, but I may also get them some kitty grass and other ct-safe plants to nibble indoors. Maybe they'll enjoy hearing bird sounds on YouTube? I definitely need to add catnip to my shopping list.

Feeding

My favorite form of enrichment! Feeding enrichment can include hiding food around the house, or tossing kibble out of the lawn for the dogs to hunt. It can be a new kind of treat or chew item. Bowls are boring! There are tons of manufactured and homemade options for feeding enrichment for dogs, but what about cats? James and Solstice are currently eating out of a puzzle bowl, but I can probably find some new ways to liven up their dinnertime. I need to come up with a way to tether a Kong in a spot that's out of reach of the dogs.

Toys/Puzzles

Not every puzzle toy involves food! Sure, we have tons of different food puzzles, but my dogs also thoroughly enjoy pull toys. These are toys that can be pulled apart, or have smaller toys pulled out of them. Food can be added, but Godzilla and Zip very much enjoy disassembling toys just for fun. Paw5 has a bunch of ideas and plans for making different puzzles, and I can probably modify at least a few for the cats.

Environmental

Adding something to a pets environment, or taking them into a new environment, is a great way to provide enrichment. Playgrounds for kids can be a lot of fun for your dog, as long as there are no kids there. Watch out for some of the grate-like surfaces though, sometimes toes can get caught. Hiking in a new place, and asking your dog to hop up on rocks or logs can also provide a lot of environmental enrichment. It's also great exercise!

Environmental enrichment for cats can be a little different. I'm not going to take the Hellions hiking, but I do plan to build them some wall shelves to climb around on. Heck, they're pretty thrilled with a paper bag or cardboard box!

Social

Social enrichment can include interacting with other animals, or just humans. Some dogs really love to play with other dogs, others are more selective. Just hanging out in a busy park and getting treats for seeing people may be enough for some dogs. Other dogs thoroughly enjoy a trip to the pet store. It's important to stay in your dog's comfort zone though! Zip really enjoys restaurant patios, while Godzilla finds them scary and stressful. Ru loves to play with other chihuahuas, but finds many bigger dogs intimidating.

Don't forget about cat socialization! It's an area that is often overlooked. Solstice absolutely loves new people, but James spent years hiding from all visitors until we started having people over on a daily basis. Now he is willing to come out and meet new people from time to time. This might sound weird, but try having a night in with friends, play some board games or watch some movies, and let someone else feed and play with your cat.

Training

Training is my favorite thing to do with my dogs, but some days we don't quite squeeze it into our schedule, and Ru often gets left out because he's a bit slow. I'm going to spend some time during the Paw5 Enriched Life Challenge to run Ru through his tiny list of tricks. I'm also going to do some clicker training with my cats, because they are food crazy, if seriously uncoordinated. What will we accomplish in five days? I can't wait to find out!

Types of Puzzle Toys for Dogs

Puzzle toys are a great way to entertain dogs and make them work for their food. Brisbane has spent his entire life eating out of puzzle toys instead of a bowl. He does have a food bowl now, but we only use it for things that are impractical for putting into food toys, like fish oil, and things that Briz doesn't feel are worth working for, like green beans. Puzzle toys aren't just for dogs, either. Zookeepers have been using food puzzles for years to provide enrichment for captive animals, and everyone from otters to giraffes enjoy turning meals into games. Animals in the wild spend most of their waking hours eating, foraging, or otherwise finding food. When we throw an entire meal down for them to gobble immediately, we leave them with nothing else to do with their time.

Photo by Erin Koski

In addition to providing entertainment and the opportunity to problem solve and work for their food, puzzle toys slow down the pace and help reduce the issues that come with eating too quickly. It's tough to inhale an entire cup of kibble when it's dropping onto the floor one piece at a time. There are dozens of different puzzle toys, but they can all generally be classified into a handful of categories. Each toy or type of toy teaches a new skill. Brisbane is a pro at many different puzzles and types of puzzles, while Ulysses is just beginning to learn how puzzles work. Because I love collecting and organizing data, here is my classification of puzzle toys:

Photo by Erin Koski

Rollers
These are toys that can roll across the floor, and are intended to be filled with kibble or other small treats. A roller has one or more holes, when the toy is rolled the kibble falls out of the holes. A roller puzzle can be round, like the Planet Dog Orbee Ball and the Starmark Treat Dispensing Chew Ball, it can also be cylindrical, like the TreatStik. Generally the size of the treat-dispensing hole is what makes a roller more or less challenging for the dog, and difficulty can only be altered by putting larger or smaller pieces of food inside. I consider rollers to be the easiest puzzle toys to use, and a good way to introduce the concept to new dogs since they only need to nudge the toy to start it moving and get the food dropping. Ulysses has recently figured out how basic roller toys work, and can now reliably empty them. Some rollers have inner workings that make them more complex and difficult to solve, and some have adjustable openings to change the rate of reward.

Photo by Erin Koski

Clatterers
These are toys that work on the same principle as rollers, with one or more holes that randomly drop kibble, but clatterers don't roll. The Buster Cube and the Kong Satellite are both clattering puzzle toys, as is the Grriggles Treat Jack. and the Starmark Treat Dispensing Jack. I generally consider these toys to be slightly more difficult to solve than rolling puzzles because they require more effort. A rolling toy can be sent across the room with one nudge, dispensing several rewards along the way. A clattering toy lands and stops moving immediately. Hard plastic clatterers are extremely noisy on hard floors, and this can frighten some dogs.

Bobbers

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A bobber toy is weighted to keep it upright, and has a hole somewhere in the side or top to dispense treats. In order to get the food out, a bobber toy must be tipped over in a certain direction. Bobbers can be a little spooky for sensitive dogs because they move on their own after they have been tipped. Unlike rollers which roll comfortably away from the dog, bobbers often tip right back at them. Most dogs need to be introduced to the bobbing toy concept by watching another dog or a person tip the toy to make the food come out. The weighted bottoms of these toys can be noisy on hard floors, and may scratch hardwood.  The Kong Wobbler is a very simple bobber toy, the Starmark Bob-a-Lot and the Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom are more complicated bobbers with an adjustable difficulty levels.

Photo by Erin Koski

Stuffables
Stuffable toys might be the oldest type of dog puzzles, we've had the Kong since the 1970's. I don't generally do puzzle toy ratings on these because they pretty much all work the same way, and most work better with soft stuffings like peanut butter than with kibble dinners. All stuffable toys are flexible and chewable. Some toys hold edible chews, like the Kong Marathon and Starmark Everlasting Treat toys. The SafeMade Biggie Bone, Bionic Urban Stick, and Kong Quest toys are all stuffable puzzles. The Busy Buddy Squirrel Dude can be used as a stuffable toy and as a roller puzzle.

Photo by Erin Koski

Board Games
Board game puzzle toys are not meant to entertain unattended dogs. These puzzle toys sit flat on the floor, have moving parts for the dog to manipulate, and are intended to be used under close supervision. They don't generally include a gameboard and dice, but they are definitely intended for dog-and-human play rather than simply dog entertainment. Kyjen makes a wide variety of board games, including our Star Spinner, Yin Yang Yum, and Treat Triad. Other companies, like Kensington Kennel Club, make board games out of wood. Each game requires a specific set of skills to solve, and the difficulty can vary from super-easy to super-difficult. The Star Spinner only requires the dog to understand how to spin parts of the toy, other board games require lifting of flaps, removal of cups or pegs, sliding parts, and assorted other fine manipulations. Ideally, a board game puzzle is solved by the dog with the handler sitting right beside them, watching, encouraging, and helping them play. When the food has all been uncovered and eaten, the puzzle toy is picked up and put away for next time.

The Tale of the Buster Cube

Gather 'round while I tell a tale of mystery and the unexplained...

The Buster Cube, by Our Pets, was the first food-dispensing toy I ever bought for Brisbane. It was nearly ten years ago, maybe longer. It's possible that I bought the first one for Oakley, my first dog. Back then, the Buster Cube was a lot more cube-like, the current model has very rounded edges. Those things are pretty big, and made from hard plastic. It was a loud toy, but back then I still lived with my parents, and their house has wall-to-wall carpet in almost every room. The Buster Cube served its purpose, it held more than a cup of kibble and kept Brisbane entertained as he bashed it into walls. The rotating center column never functioned in either of my Cubes, it always jammed on the first turn and could never be rotated or adjusted. At any rate, it was a neat toy. Our first one was red.

One day I went looking for the Cube in order to fill it up, and couldn't find it anywhere. Brisbane often shoved it under the furniture, and Oakley occasionally rolled it into her lair beneath the bed. After several weeks of searching intermittently, I broke down and replaced with a large Blue Buster Cube. This one also disappeared eventually, but by then I had acquired the TreatStik and a few other puzzle toys, so finding the Cube became less urgent. I always assumed it was under the bed or something, and that I would find it when I eventually moved out and emptied my room.

I have since gotten married, moved out, and emptied my old room. My parents have remodeled and redecorated, they have removed, rearranged, or replaced every single piece of furniture in the house over the last ten years. The Buster Cubes have never been found.

Where did they go? They were too large for Brisbane to pick up and carry, and much too big and obvious to have gotten mixed up in a pile of laundry or anything else we had around the house. They both vanished during the middle of the day when everyone in the house was at school or at work. While it's possible that one of my parents or siblings got fed up with the rattling noise and tossed the Cubes, it's much more likely that they would have complained about it first. None of Brisbane's noisier or more obnoxious toys vanished while I lived there. Just the Cubes.

Briz has much better puzzle toys now, but I haven't replaced the Buster Cube because it just feels too weird. What if it disappears again?