AïKiou Activity Interactive Feeder Dog Puzzle Review

 I love Boston Terriers, I think they're the most wonderful dog breed ever and I wish I found Bostons earlier in my decades of owning other bull and terrier breeds. Like the pit bull terrier breed they're derived from, Bostons have a wide variety of body variation and energy levels. Some Bostons are busy bees and reactive, some are mellow and sort of ummmm lazy like mine. All need some sort of mental stimulation and almost all are food motivated so in come the food puzzle toys.

 This is what my Boston does for a large portion of the day, as we live in a third story apartment with only a large patio and few sidewalks or safe places that I can walk him and push my toddler in the stroller. We make do with a quick walk in the morning and a longer walk at night and in between we do a lot of fetch and Solaire helps pick up toys off the floor in exchange for a bit of treat. He can easily pick thirty small toys, crayons and trucks off the floor in almost a blink. 

                                   

 He's also overweight, as many Bostons are and as a majority of house dogs in general are. I feed him a raw diet with some table scraps, avoiding carbs, but we do have a toddler who snacks versus eats at the table so there's that issue. Using a food toy like this feeder puzzle by AiKiou helps slow down dogs who inhale their kibble to prevent bloat and possible choking as well as give their stomach time to fill up. Solaire isn't a gobbler but he is interested in using puzzles.

 This feeder is fairly simple, just two lightweight plastic pieces with a lid that slides off when you line up the arrows. This makes it easy to clean and fill. It can even go in the dishwasher if you feel the need to sanitize it. I usually but shredded cheese in the feeder for my Boston. 

   The little Milk Bones are super cute though and I give them to my toddler to scoop and dump with his construction trucks. 

 Solaire uses both his face and his feet to spin the lid around and reveal the treats in the chambers. Unfortunately the openings are a bit too small for his flat wide muzzle, so he has problems reaching far enough in to pull out the treat. The recommended dog weight is up to forty five pounds on the box, but I think this is designed more for a small long muzzled dog like a Chihuahua, or terrier or Papillon or spaniel, someone who can fit their muzzle in to lick out the treat. You could make it super challenging by dabbing peanut butter in each chamber.

 Here's my main issue with the AiKiou feeder: it isn't properly weighted to be used as a spinning top feeder! It feels like a light plastic dog bowl and even with the little feet on the base, it is still easy to flip when the dog gets excited or frustrated and ends up just skating all over the floor. The other brands of puzzles with spinning tops I've tried were much heavier, especially the wooden ones. Otherwise it should just have compartments on both sides to let the food fall out. 

 If you have a small dog who isn't a big chewer (mine isn't) and can fit its face into smallish squares, you might give this puzzle a try. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRJDPVM