• Pet Therapy: Educational toys can bring your dog joy this Christmas!

Pet stores are overflowing with Christmas themed gifts for lucky pets this time of year. According to Julia Nahanee, Assistant Manager at the Pet Food N More store in Vancouver, pet owners are now mostly purchasing themed toys that will fit into a stocking, like Santa Claus stuffies, treats and toys that jingle and squeak — every one guaranteed to bring immediate joy to their canine recipients!

But, what about the less cute and fluffy, inedible items that stores have on offer — the toys that contain brain-twister puzzles that dogs have to solve in order to get a reward? Do dogs appreciate educational toys at any time of year?

Much like my kids when they receive educational toys at Christmas, their initial response is one of bewilderment rather than joy. But, there can be a lot of fun to be had that does not initially meet the eye.

According to research published by Swedish researchers in the journal Animal Cognition in 2014, dogs are actually more excited when they solve a puzzle and earn a treat, versus being given the same treat without having solved a problem first. This demonstrated ‘Eureka effect’ indicates that dogs experience positive emotions when they solve a puzzle, just like humans do.

Based on this, at least in theory then, giving a dog the opportunity to earn its treat through an educational puzzle game will elicit more joy compared to if they had received a treat that they didn’t work for!This Christmas is a great opportunity to get a toy that delivers treats and also a gush of pride, to boot. Here are six of Pet Food N More’s top educational toy picks for dogs, and a rating of how much fun my dogs seemed to get from each one.

1. Nina Ottosson’s Dog Magic Fun Interactive Game, Retails $29.99

This festive-looking red and white toy contains nine wells, in which owners can hide treats. Each well is then covered by a ‘bone,’ which dogs can lift to reveal the treat. Owners can decide whether to fill a few or all wells, to keep their dogs guessing — the bright ones will stop, think and use their nose to be efficient. Magic Fun is simple for a dog to learn, and would be suitable for medium to large sized dogs — small dogs might have difficulty getting their teeth around this one.

Dax rating: 5 stars

2. Ethical Products Spot Seek a Treat Shuffle Bone and Treat Flip n Flap, both Retail at $29.99

These wooden dog toys contain sliding discs, which once moved, can reveal hidden treats for your pet. The Flip and Flap also contains a spindle that your dog can rotate to reveal other hidden compartments. Sadly, these products caused my dogs more frustration than joy. They were difficult to manipulate, and so my dogs used their teeth to chew the toy apart, and they started to break in minutes.

Dax rating: 1 star

3. Ethical products Spot Seek a Treat Connector Puzzle, Retails $23.99

This is a plastic version of the Ethical Products’ Treat Shuffle Bone. This toy was certainly more durable than its wooden counterpart, and slightly easy for the dogs to manipulate. But, maybe still too frustrating for the average dog.

Dax rating: 2 stars

4. Nina Ottosson Tornado, Retails $49.99

This toy consists of three twistable bone-shaped layers, in various hues of blue. Once a layer is moved by the dog, it reveals hidden compartments in which you can hide your dog’s treats, or even his complete dinner. This toy is durable, and can be made more or less rewarding, depending on how much you choose to fill it. It is the most expensive of the toys we tested, but definitely one of our favourites.

Dax rating: 5 stars

5. Dog Games Puzzle Mystery Tree, Retails $26.99

This was the only toy we tested that rewards with a tennis ball, not food treats. Someone feeds a ball into the top of a plastic tree stump, and then luck determines which of three tunnels the ball takes. The dog’s task is to manipulate the end of each tunnel to get the ball, such as by moving flaps. On the plus side, this toy is interactive for both dogs and owners. It’s sturdy, low-calorie and great for dogs that like balls! Dax on the other hand, was less impressed, and looked disappointed when he didn’t get a treat.

Dax rating: 2 stars

6. JW Treat Puzzler, Retails $10.89

This toy is cheap and very cheerful! The rubber ball doubles as a treat dispenser, and also as a ball that you and your dog can play fetch with. It is durable, and lots of fun. Our only downside is that I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees, as it tended to get stuck under our couch!