The best dog toys are not only entertaining for your dog, but they will also challenge him mentally. Mental stimulation activates your dog's brain and enriches his mental well-being. Dog mental stimulation is a very important part of caring for your pet, and toys like the Outward Hound Puzzle Cube can help you with that responsibility.
Studies have proven that increased mental activity leads to greater mental health, attention spans, and learning capacity. In fact, the messages between the neurons in your dog’s brain will actually slow down if they’re not used!
The good thing is that the activity in the neuron pathways will also increase shortly after the brain is stimulated. That means that it is never too late to wake up Fido’s brain, and interactive toys are the great (and very easy) way to do that.
Playing games with your dog and engaging in activities like nose work or hide and seek are good ways to mentally stimulate your dog. Unfortunately, these activities are also time-consuming. Not to mention, you need to be at home in order to engage in these activities with your dog.
On the other hand, interactive toys like the Outward Hound Puzzle Cube are an easy way to provide the mental stimulation your dog needs while you're busy or out of the house. The Outward Hound Puzzle Cube is an interactive toy for dogs of all sizes. I'll tell you all about it in this review.
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Outward Hound Puzzle Cube Review
The rubber cube is made of synthetic rubber, and there are two tennis balls inside. Both tennis balls squeak. One is a 2″ ball, and the other is 2.5″. You can always replace the small tennis ball with a larger one if you have a large breed dog that may choke.
This cube is made for any size dog. Our Beagle enjoys it, and so does our Labrador. The rubber strips that go across the sides of the cube are very flexible, so your dog will be able to fit his muzzle through no matter how big it is. This flexibility also allows you to put different toys inside the cube if your dog prefers something besides a tennis ball.
Since the Outward Hound Puzzle cube is made of rubber, it can be used indoors or outside. The square shape and bounce of the rubber cause this dog toy to bounce and roll unpredictably when thrown.
The dimensions of the cube are 6.75″L x 4.25″W x 4.25″H.
I would not recommend this dog toy for destructive or aggressive chewers.
They would easily rip the rubber, causing the puzzle cube to be useless. This may not be a good choice for dogs that aren't very motivated, either. Our girls are highly motivated by squeaky toys, so they enjoy trying to get the balls out of the cube.
You could try to stuff the cube with a treat-dispensing toy or a toy that can be filled with peanut butter, like a KONG. The smell of food will motivate most dogs, but you don't want Fido to attempt to chew the Outward Hound Puzzle Cube to get the treat out.
This isn't the cheapest dog toy on the market. At the time of this review, you can purchase a Puzzle Cube on Amazon for $8.31. For the durability of this toy, that is too expensive for me. However, if you feel that your dog wouldn't destroy the rubber cube, it would be worth the price to get this mentally stimulating toy.
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