Ethical Pet Seek-A-Treat Shuffle Bone Dog Puzzle

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $9.99
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I bought this toy several months ago and the video is of one of the first times my dog played with it.

Now she knows exactly what to do and can get to all the treats in a matter of moments. The only downside is of course that now that she is used to it and it is less of a challenge. I'm going to have to get another, perhaps more challenging interactive toy to switch out with this one.

That being said I am very happy with the product. It has provided many moments of fun and my jack seems to like the challenge of finding the treats almost as much as the treats themselves. The small holes cut into the top of each of the round sliders allow her to sniff out the treat.

I haven't had a problem with her chewing on the toy itself even though I have left it out with her for long periods of time. However it would probably be best to supervise when your dog is playing because the wood is rather soft and I can see how a larger dog could chew through it with relative ease.

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I recently purchased this product for my two Beagles. They enjoy food more than anything so I thought a puzzle might make treats a more exciting experience for their minds in addition to their stomachs.

This product has its pros and cons. This is a very reasonably priced puzzle so it would make an excellent "starter" puzzle if you have not tried one with your dog before. I really liked the size and weight of the puzzle. My dogs were not going to be able to cheat and flip it over to get the treats! It also has a pretty simple, straight-forward design: slide the disk back and forth. The fewer the parts, the smaller the chance it will break. Regardless of the number of parts, it did feel like a very sturdy product.

Unfortunately, the con was too big for me to ignore. After playing with this for about 15 minutes, my dog cut his lip/gums on the edge of one of the tracks or disks. He initially tried to use his paws to move the disks back and forth, but eventually, in a zealous lust for treats, just began using his muzzle to move them.

I rated this 3 stars because I think it is a good puzzle for most dogs. Unfortunately, my dog is too crazy for treats and likes to use his muzzle to move things. This would be much better suited for someone whose dog is calmer around food and typically uses his paws to perform tasks. Definitely supervise your pet while they are using this product in case they have a similar experience to the one I described.

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We purchased the Ethical Pet Seek-a-Treat Shuffle Bone for our dogs a couple of months ago because we thought it would be a great item for them. We placed a few treats under the shuffle pieces and then set the Shuffle Bone on the floor. Our younger dog immediately took an interest in the toy, sniffing it and checking it out. Doc (the dog) soon figured out how to shuffle one of the pieces. My husband and I were both very excited that he had figured it out and gotten the treat out, but soon our excitement turned to panic as we noticed a large blood smear and a couple of drip of blood on the Shuffle Bone and on our carpet. We immediately took the Shuffle Bone away and tended to Doc, finding that he had a cut on his chin that was almost 1/3 of an inch long. We tended to the wound that Doc received from the Shuffle Bone, cleaned the blood out of our carpet and then my husband and I both inspected the Shuffle Bone only to find that it has VERY SHARP EDGES and that was what caused the injury to our dog. We were both dumbfounded as to why a pet toy manufacturer would leave such sharp edges on a toy rather then sanding them down and rounding them off a little for the safety of the pets. We both searched the box for a comments/concerns number to call and bring the issue to the companies attention, but there was no such number anywhere on the box to be found. We don't know if the Shuffle Bone works better for dogs with long muzzles or not (our dogs are Boston Terriers), but we STRONGLY urge buyers to TAKE CAUTION in purchasing this product!

Though we believe that the company had the right idea, we do believe that the item is flawed and is a PET SAFETY HAZARD! We would not recommend this item to anyone, ever.

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I purchased this for my 11-year-old cat, and I'm glad I did. She has IBS and as a result, cries constantly for food. I was desperate for some peace and bought her this puzzle toy in hopes of giving her something to focus on when she wants treats.

It is working well for her. I gave it four stars because I think eventually, she will need a more challenging toy. But in the mean time, I'm having a lot of fun watching her play with it. It has provided a nice bonding experience for us. She mastered it after about 4 tries. She purrs the entire time she plays with it.

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I've been intrigued with the idea of a dog puzzle since first setting eyes on a Nina Ottoson version online. However, I didn't know if my dogs (who are treat motivated but a bit "lazy") would find enjoyment with them, and it was a lot of money to spend on something untested. So when the link for this very affordable alternative popped up, I decided to give it a try.

As others may have pointed out, the concept is similar to Ottoson's Brick Puzzle. When it arrived, I was pleased to find it of substantial weight. My dogs have yet to slide it around during their explorations. The little space beneath each round is deep enough to hold all but the bulkiest of treats: liver snaps, Puporoni, Kona jerky.

There are, however, some "flaws." First, while the little rounds do slide rather easily, they sometimes catch a bit when they're bumped up to the edge of the slots. With only that tiny hole on top and a very smooth finish (as is common with compressed wood products), there's very little for my dogs to get traction with (using either their paws or noses) to move the circles. I believe Ottoson's Brick toy specifically has a shallow groove on top of each "brick" just for this purpose. I wish this toy did as well. Perhaps more determined dogs with a strong digging sense or just stronger noses and paws can work it loose, but mine struggle. If I push the round a little away from the edge...just enough to give it a couple mm of lip, they open it without any problems, but they'll often bump it close while exploring and leave it in frustration when they can't get the circle to move.

But the most distressing flaw this toy has are the incredibly sharp edges. I was trying to rub a bit of wax along the tracks to provide a smoother glide when I sliced open a knuckle on the edge. They're super sharp. With mine, it hasn't been an issue b/c my dogs' muzzles are so small that they don't touch the edge when grabbing their treats, but I can easily see a larger or more enthusiastic dog cutting themselves badly.

I'll probably stick on some fuzzy velcro tabs or hot glue a small button on top of each tab to give the girls something to grab at. It's still an affordable alternative. Just be careful. Because of those sharp edges, I wouldn't recommend for frenzied eaters due to the high probability of injury.

UPDATE: After a few more weeks, my dog got better at moving the pieces around, so I decided to upload a vid. As you can see, there are times when she does the right thing and would have moved the piece if she could get better traction with her nose. Still, she enjoys playing, though it now takes her less than 2 minutes to solve. I'll probably buy a few more games to keep her challenged.