Nina Ottosson Dog Puzzles Have Saved My Pup from Boredom & Separation Anxiety During Quarantine

nina ottosson dog puzzles
Dara Katz

Value:18/20
Functionality:20/20
Ease of Use:20/20
Aesthetics:15/20
Dog Approval:20/20
Total:93/100

When our company instituted a work from home order, I was thrilled that I got to spend more time with my favorite person in the world: My dog Oakley. A 13-pound Pekinese-dachshund mix (plus a lot of other stuff), Oakley is independent, intelligent, food-driven and sometimes, a little snobby. But after weeks upon weeks of 24/7 time together in a small apartment, I began to notice some behavioral changes—she would bark at my husband and I at 6:59 p.m. on the dot if we weren’t sitting on the couch watching TV. She would howl at the moon if we left to get the mail downstairs. She would even stop dead in her tracks at the beginning of a walk and hustle me all the way home, just to make sure the three of us were all together.

It was cute and endearing, at first. But as I’ve learned through writing about dogs in quarantine, our pets arehighly sensitive to changes in routines, and spending all this time together can actually lead to increasedseparation anxiety. I knew I had to change things up, while encouraging Oakley to get more physical and mental exercise. Unfortunately, quality outside time wasn’t exactly a choice in Brooklyn, New York. Puzzles, on the other hand, were definitely something we could do inside.

After a little research online, I kept coming back to one dog puzzle maker:Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound. Ottosson, the Swedish founder of the brand, has been committed to physically and mentally stimulating dogs with interactive toys since 1990. She’s literally the dog puzzle wiz. So, I ordered three of her games at different levels—1 being the easiest; 3 being the hardest—and Oakley went to town testing them.

Now, the puzzles aren’t dogsitters. These aren’t something you toss at your dog and forget about. If you want the most out of these challenges, the folks at Nina Ottosson say to always supervise and teach your dog the rules—like no chewing allowed. You should plan to play for short periods of time and stop if your dog gets frustrated. You can also help out a little, until your pup understands what to do.

I’ll break down the individual puzzles I tested below, but overall, I absolutely love these toys. The brand promises that they can help prevent and reduce behavior, boredom and weight problems and strengthen your bond with your dog. And the toys live up to that promise. The gist of almost all the puzzles is simple: Find the hidden treats—whether that means sliding, pivoting or lifting pieces. It is so fun to watch my dog snap into detective mode to get her hands (er, paws) on some treats. You can actually see her brain light up as her eyes focus in and her snout twitches during her investigations. On the days when I do a Nina Ottosson puzzle with Oakley, she is noticeably less needy and more of her pre-quarantine self.

有extremely smart things about Nina Ottosson toys as well. Like, how the plastic ones (as opposed to wooden) are dishwasher-safe. And, if your dog eats too fast, you can swap your usual bowl for a puzzle. (Genius). On hot summer days, you can fill the hollows with a mixture of water and treats, freeze them, and serve it up like doggie ice cream in a puzzle cone. There are othertips and tricks on Ottoson’s websitetoo, which I really appreciate. If you’re dedicated, the toys aren’t a one-time thing (like human puzzles tend to be). There are several ways to re-invent them as your dog gets wise to the puzzles.


nina ottosson dog brick
Dara Katz

Dog Brick (level 2)

We started Oakley with this puzzle—first without the white bone-shaped blocks, and with some of the treats showing. Since Oakley is super motivated by food, she got the hang of this one fast and we moved on to the next level.

尼娜ottosson隐藏n张狗puzzle1

Hide N Slide (level 2)

This puzzle is a level 2 as well, but with a few options to make it even more challenging— you can hide the treats in both the hollow compartments of the base and inside the sliding blocks. In order to get the ones inside the blocks, your dog has to scoot them over the hollow compartments, drop the treats and scoot them back. I also really like there that there are no loose pieces here—which means you’re not going to step on a missing component in the middle of the night. Made with a sturdy composite material of plastic and wood, this one is easy to clean with soap and water, but can't be put it in the dishwasher.

nina ottosson challenge slider dog puzzle
Dara Katz

Challenge Slider (level 3)

The 24-treat compartment game has become our go-to. While the level 2 games were fun at first, Oakley “tested out” of them pretty quickly. But she still has yet to completely understand the Challenge Slider—which is good. It means she still has to put in the mental work to find her treats. It’s also a lot bigger than her, another good thing, since it means she has to move around the puzzle to solve it. When/if Oakley does eventually master this puzzle? We can up the game by freezing treats inside or even hiding the puzzle for her to find. As for cleaning it, I like how you can just remove the tray and clean it in one piece.



DaraKatz

Dara Katz

Executive Editor, Frazzled Mom, Bravo-Holic

Dara Katz is PureWow's Executive Editor, focusing on relationships, sex, horoscopes, travel and pets. Dara joined PureWow in 2016 and now dresses so much better. A lifestyle...
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