PupPod Puzzle Toy for Dogs – Top Dog Tips
The best dog toys provide entertainment and mental stimulation. Mental stimulation is important to enrich your dog’s life and keep his brain sharp. It also helps to burn excessive energy and calm your active canine companion. The PupPod Puzzle Toy for Dogs is designed to challenge your furry friend mentally and get him up off the couch.
Studies have shown that increased mental activity leads to greater mental health, attention spans and learning capacity. Did you know that the messages between neurons in your dog’s brain will actually slow down if they’re not used?
Once you stimulate your dog’s brain, the activity in the neuron pathways will increase. That means that it’s never too late to get your dog’s brain in shape!
While some pet owners stimulate their pup with nose work, outdoor adventures or training sessions, most people don’t have the time to do these things every day. Interactive dog toys, like the PupPod Puzzle Toy, provide an easy way to keep your dog’s mind engaged while entertaining him at the same time. They also allow your dog to do some brain training when you’re away from home and he gets bored.
Review: PupPod Puzzle Toy for Dogs
The PupPod is an interactive dog toy that is paired wirelessly to a treat dispensing pet camera. If your dog touches the toy at the right time, he’ll earn a treat. The game gets more difficult as your dog begins to figure it out.
You can change the levels manually or set the device to automatically get more/less challenging based on your dog’s performance. There is even a lights-only mode for dogs that are deaf or sensitive to noise.
The free PupPod app allows you to play with your dog when you’re not at home. You can also watch your dog via the live streaming 1080p camera. The camera features a 160˚ field of vision and night vision.
There are 5 training levels:
- Level 1 – Learn Association
- Level 2 – Touch on Cue
- Level 3 – Task Discrimination
- Level 4 – Impulse Control
- Level 5 – Sound Randomization
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, I’ve been working exclusively from home. This toy has been a great help in entertaining my dogs while I’m on Zoom meetings or talking on the phone. The lights-only mode is handy when you’re trying to limit background noise, but I’ve found it is much more challenging for my dogs than the sound mode.
As I demonstrate in my video review, the app is easy to use. It’s very user-friendly! It’s interesting to watch your dog’s progress and see how long they play, track how successful they are and be able to monitor how many treats they’ve had.
The PupPod is best used with one dog at a time. I think it gets a little bit confusing when you try to use it with multiple dogs. One dog will touch the rocker pod and the other can get the treat, so they don’t learn to associate one with the other.
I was a little bit worried that one of my dogs would end up carrying the rocker away or trying to chew on it. The rocker is actually specifically designed in size, shape and weight to minimize chewing/carrying. My dogs have tried to pick it up with their mouths, but have never been successful.
The feeder holds about 2 cups of kibble, but only shoots out 2-3 pieces at a time. The Pod requires two size D batteries, which aren’t included with the device. I’ve been using the PupPod for weeks, and I haven’t had to change the batteries yet. The app also monitors the batteries lifespan, so you’ll know when they’re getting low.
The rocker pod currently only works with the PupPod feeder, but the company is trying to work with other manufacturers to allow the rocker to pair with feeders from other brands. If you’ve already got a pet camera with a treat dispenser, you may want to wait to see if you can pair the rocker with the brand you already have.
The PupPod Puzzle Toy for Dogs sells for $199.99 on Amazon right now. It comes with the rocker and feeder/camera unit. It’s comparable in price to other pet cameras with treat dispensers, but it also includes the interactive game. While it won’t fit into everyone’s budget, I do believe it’s a good value for the money.
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