Last updated: September 2, 2025
You’ve heard that if you want your dog to behave, you have to exercise them. But that’s only part of the solution. Put a bored dog on a treadmill for an hour a day and what do you get?
An extremely fit bored dog.
Oopsie daisy.
Dogs don’t just need physical exercise to stay happy and well-behaved; they need other types of enrichment, too.
When dogs don’t get enough enrichment, they tend to invent their own hobbies. Think barking marathons, backyard excavation projects, or eating your couch.
A variety of safe activities that give them outlets for their natural behaviors can help them feel more satisfied and less… creatively destructive.
This is where food-dispensing puzzle toys come in. They’re a convenient way to:
- Give your dog a little problem-solving mental workout
- Scratch their instinctive itch to forage and scavenge
- Provide some relaxing/soothing enrichment in the form of licking and chewing (depending on the type of puzzle toy)
- Keep your dog occupied longer than a regular food bowl would, so you can drink your coffee in peace
- Give them some easy entertainment on days when you’re too busy or sick to play with them
Other forms of enrichment are important, too. Sniff walks, play, chewing, exploring, etc. But puzzle toys are a great place to start.
Types of food-dispensing dog toys
Note: This post mentions toys by brand name and provides links to purchase them. We’re not sponsored or affiliated with any of these companies. We just like their stuff.
The Classics
The workhorses of the puzzle toy world. Basically a solid rubber object with a hollow interior for filling with food. These toys are usually made of very tough, destruction-resistant material. They double (triple?) as chew and fetch toys. Great for leaving with Fido when he’s crated or home alone. You can fill these with kibble, soft food, treats, peanut butter, or even homemade food. Every dog should have at least a couple of these in their toy boxes.
Our favorites: Kong, Toppl, Barnacle
The Pushovers
Dogs use their feet and noses to shove them around and dispense the treats. Usually ball- or cubed-shaped, they require more space than the classics. My dogs love to push these all over the house and into crevices. They’re usually made of hard plastic and are not meant to be chewed on.
Our favorites: Kong Wobbler, Kibble Nibble, Tug-a-Jug, Tricky Treat Ball
The Board Games
These look like something you’d give your toddler. They require the most brainpower; dogs really have to tap into their wily problem-solving natures to figure it out. It’ll help if your dog is familiar with the basic concept of puzzle toys before you try these ones.
These work best as a game that you and Sparky work on together. Board games are not meant to be left unsupervised, as they have moving parts and are easy to break apart.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of these. From our experience with our own dogs and our clients’ dogs, these toys are just sort of a novelty and don’t get used much beyond the first week. IMHO, it’s better to just get a couple classics (like Kongs or Toppl) for your food-toy needs. And then instead of teaching them to play board games, use that time/effort to go for a sniff walk or give them a cardboard box to shred.
Our favorites: The Nina Ottoson line
How to get started with puzzle toys
You want your dog’s first attempt at solving a puzzle toy to be successful, so that he’ll want to play again later. If he gets frustrated and gives up, he might decide it’s not worth it and just wait for his regularly scheduled bowls of kibble.
Start on easy mode. Get a classic toy, like a Kong or a Toppl, and some really good treats, like chicken or cheese.
Loosely fill the Kong with the treats. Make sure the food will easily fall out when the toy is pushed around. Then give it to your hungry dog and watch what happens.
How to Stuff Your First Kong
When Sparky is proficient at easy mode, level up:
- Pack more food in so that it doesn’t fall out so easily.
- Seal the opening with something soft like peanut butter or cream cheese, and freeze it.
- Start adding his regular food to the mix so that he truly has to work for his dinner.
When using kibble, put a really good treat in first, at the bottom, so Sparky has more incentive to work through the “boring” food.
What to put in a puzzle toy: Kong-stuffing ideas
Use these ingredients on their own for an occasional snack, or mix them with Sparky’s kibble or canned food for a meal:
Cottage cheese
Peanut butter and/or banana
(Peanut butter is full of sugar, so use sparingly)
Scrambled eggs
Canned fish, like tuna or mackerel
Cream cheese or plain greek yogurt
Other ideas:
- Ground beef/turkey
- Shredded cheese
- Dog biscuits
- Spray cheese (use VERY sparingly as an extra special treat)
- Mashed sweet potato
- “Kong pops:” plug the bottom hole (shut up) with peanut butter, stand it upright in a cup, then fill the toy with chicken broth. Freeze until solid
Homemade Puzzle Toys
To get a taste of the puzzle toy experience without shelling out the cash, you can make your own.
These toys require close supervision. Never leave your dog alone with a homemade toy.
The DIY Pushover
Get a plastic container that you don’t mind destroying: Gladware, a cottage cheese cup, etc. For this photo shoot, I used a Slim Fast shaker cup that has kept turning up in my possession for 14 years. I don’t even know where it came from)
Cut a hole in the lid, add treats, close lid. If your dog is prone to Hulk-smash mode, duct-tape the lid down for extra security.
Towel burrito
Place treats on an old towel, loosely roll it up, and let your pup figure out how to get at the snacks. Supervise closely to make sure they don’t rip up and eat the towel.
The Muffin Tin Game
This has been going around the internet for ages. I don’t know who’s originally responsible for it (if you do, let me know!), but it’s genius. It’s a great intro to board games.
Get a muffin tin that you don’t mind getting covered in dog slobber, fill the cups with treats, then cover each cup with a tennis ball.
Here’s an example from Donna Hill:
Troubleshooting and FAQ
My dog isn’t interested in food toys
Make sure you use really good treats to start out. If you just use Sparky’s standard kibble, she probably won’t think it’s worth it. “I get this stuff for free twice a day. Why should I work for it?”
Make sure it’s really easy for the dog to succeed at first. When introduced to puzzle toys, most dogs’ tolerance for frustration is low. Give her a few easy wins to build her confidence and attention span before you make it challenging.
My dog is too dumb for this ****.
So Sparky just stares blankly at the toy, or knocks it around a few times before wandering off.
He’s not dumb, o ye of little faith. He just doesn’t know how to play the game yet.
Let’s face it: we almost never ask our dogs to use their brains. We dump food in a bowl and hand-feed them treats. The concept of treat-dispensing toys is completely foreign to them.
Give it time. As extra incentive to figure it out, put the food bowl in the cupboard and feed only out of puzzle toys for a day.
Eventually, the light bulb will flicker on. I love watching the moment a dog figures it out. “Holy crap! So THAT’S how it works.”
With any luck, you’ll create a puzzle toy fiend. My overachieving border collie, Merlin, lived for a good smart toy challenge. Sometimes he’d empty the toy without touching the food. He just wanted to solve the puzzle. What a nerd.
Can puzzle toys help if my dog is stressed?
Often, yes. Puzzle toys can give your dog something constructive to do when they’re wound up. And if you use soft, spreadable foods (like yogurt, pumpkin, or peanut butter), the licking action itself has a calming effect. Licking actually releases feel-good brain chemicals, which can help dogs settle.
That said, puzzle toys aren’t magic stress erasers. If the toy is too difficult or your dog gets frustrated, it can actually make things worse. Start simple, make it easy for them to “win,” and you’ll have a better shot at turning the toy into a stress-reliever rather than a stress-inducer.
Can puzzle toys help with separation anxiety?
Yes and no. For mild separation distress, or when you’re helping your new puppy get used to being alone, food toys are super handy. They provide distraction, give the pup something to do when you’re gone, and smooth over those first few minutes of being on their own.
See: Help! My Puppy Freaks Out When I Leave the Room. Will I Ever Get My Freedom Back?
But for dogs with serious separation anxiety, puzzle toys don’t cut it. Most leading separation anxiety specialists don’t recommend them as part of behavior modification anymore. You can certainly give it a try, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t make a huge difference. For true separation anxiety, you’ll need a structured plan that goes way beyond stuffed Kongs.
How often should I give my dog a food toy?
Think of puzzle toys like your dog’s version of Netflix: best enjoyed regularly, but not the only activity in their life. Most dogs do well with a puzzle toy once a day, especially at mealtimes. Instead of inhaling their food in 14 seconds flat, they get a few minutes of mental stimulation.
Now, you don’t have to make your dog work for every meal. Some days it’s great to toss kibble in a bowl and call it done. The real key is variety. Mix puzzle toys with sniff walks, training games, and good old-fashioned play.
