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

Extendable Retractable Leashes: LOVE or HATE?

 I've owned dogs for the majority of my life. We didn't grow up with dogs, or even a cat, just hamsters and then rabbits. When I was eighteen and out of high school, I worked at a pet store in the mall as the Puppy Manager. There I fell in love with dogs and especially with the first dog our family ever owned, an American Eskimo. That was 1989 and the Extendi-lead was a hot new item. I remember how it cut into my little sister's neck and made a painful scab for weeks, too, when my puppy ran too close as she bent over. I think I had that same leash for maybe a decade, I rarely used it as it just wasn't safe for anything but being alone with your dog in a field on a hike.

 My Boston Terrier, Solaire, has been raised on a four to six foot lead. He isn't much of a puller, more of a mosey around and mark everything and sniffer and that's fine with me.

 This retractable leash is really bulky and reminds me why I prefer to hold a soft lead slipped over my wrist versus something I have to constantly grip. I just don't see the appeal and it seems like there's a lot of trial and error involved in learning to keep your dog safely controlled. 

  That said, it's made of all tape, not the rounded rope that tore my sister's neck when it touched her. I still dislike seeing this sort of leash being used anywhere other people have to pass the dog, like sidewalks. The owners usually let the dogs charge ahead of them and seem to have little interest in controlling the dog beyond holding the leash. This sort of behavior made me always dislike these leashes, and I've noticed that the majority with these type of long leashes also do NOT pick up their dog's poop. :C

 Look how far he got ahead of me going down the stairs from our apartment! He could have gone further but I stopped him and he waited. He could be down that hallway and around the corner and walking up on a stranger or another dog in a blink! I don't like that!

 I did get him to pause and wait at the top of each flight of stairs, and it is nice to let him take his time to stroll and pee without standing over him, especially when he's pooping and he gets to sort of gallop a bit on the long line. I also like how the leash doesn't drag through the grass which is ALWAYS full of poop despite dog bags all over the complex, so I mostly use this lead at night in an area where I don't expect people or other dogs to surprise us. It should be great for the park but not with my toddler as he could get hurt in the leash, like my sister did. Another issue I have is that if the heavy plastic handle is dropped, it might make him panic and run a few feet. I'll stick to my six foot soft leads.

 Like this retractable leash? Check it out at  https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dpets&field-keywords=retractable+dog+leash&field-brandtextbin=PetExpert.