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The best dog puzzles to occupy your pup and keep them mentally stimulated

My dog has some thoughts.
By Dylan Haas  on 
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Our Top 6 Picks

Pet Zone IQ Treat Ball (opens in a new tab)

Best for Big Spaces

The Pet Zone IQ Treat Ball will keep your dog both physically and mentally active while they solve it, rolling around the floor and dispensing treats without a hitch.

The Good

  • Kept my dog very active while she played
  • Easy to refill
  • Multiple difficulty levels

The Bad

  • Rolls around wildly and quickly, making it not great for small spaces
  • Experienced some plastic deterioration from biting

The Bottom Line

The Pet Zone IQ Treat Ball is a great option for people who want to keep their dog physically active while they puzzle-solve, although it will roll under couches and other items if you happen to live in a smaller space.
Pros & Cons

Outward Hound Wobble Bowl (opens in a new tab)

Best for Slow Feeding

The Outward Hound Wobble Bowl puzzle also doubles as a slow feeder, so if your pup tends to rush through meals, this will probably be a good option for you.

The Good

  • Very sturdy build
  • Definitely works as a slow feeder
  • A joy to watch

The Bad

  • Can be a little bit messy depending on the type of treat/kibble you put inside

The Bottom Line

If your dog tends to rush through meals, this dog-puzzle-slow-feeder combo is going to be your best bet.
Pros & Cons

Outward Hound Hide-a-Squirrel Puzzle (opens in a new tab)

Best for Burrowing

The Outward Hound Hide-a-Squirrel puzzle not only looks cute, but it's a fantastic burrowing brain teaser that will reward your dog with multiple new toys.

The Good

  • Multiple rewards
  • No hard plastic
  • Easy to reset

The Bad

  • Gets dirty easily
  • Some shedding from the squirrel toys

The Bottom Line

This puzzle is great for pups who love to burrow, especially the ones who appreciate a nice squeaky (multiple, actually).
Pros & Cons

Trixie Mad Scientist Puzzle (opens in a new tab)

Best for High-Energy Dogs

This puzzle is harder to solve than it appears, but high-energy dogs will love frantically spinning each part around until treats drop out.

The Good

  • Stays stationary but allows for high-energy play
  • Can hold a lot of treats at once
  • Adjustable difficulty

The Bad

  • Build quality feels a little cheap
  • Not the most intuitive to solve (but that could just be for my dog)

The Bottom Line

While more on the difficult side, the Trixie Mad Scientist puzzle will be a good fit for dogs that have a lot of energy and patience.
Pros & Cons

Outward Hound Hide N' Slide Puzzle (opens in a new tab)

Best for Nosey Dogs

The Outward Hound Hide N' Slide puzzle is one of the more puzzle-y options on this list, and it's a well-built enrichment toy with many moving parts and hidden compartments that any dog will love.

The Good

  • Great quality
  • Pieces slide smoothly and effortlessly
  • Aesthetically pleasing
  • Easy to clean

The Bad

  • Compartment flippers can sometimes get in the way of each other

The Bottom Line

The Outward Hound Hide N' Slide puzzle was my personal favorite of the dog puzzles we tested because of its high-end quality, minimalistic look, and well-functioning mechanics.
Pros & Cons

Outward Hound Brick Puzzle (opens in a new tab)

Best for Chronic Lickers

Another classic-style dog puzzle, the Outward Hound Brick game will require your dog to lick their way to victory.

The Good

  • Build is high-quality
  • Sliding pieces move around well
  • Great for chronic lickers

The Bad

  • Bone pieces are a little hard to dig out

The Bottom Line

If your dog licks a lot (paws, furniture, etcetera), they'll love the Outward Hound Brick puzzle, which will require them to lick their way to victory and open up the board's many compartments.
Pros & Cons

We may be on the other side of The Lockdown™, but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of people became full-time remote workers during that time. Many of them also adopted "pandemic puppies" after learning that they'd be at home for the foreseeable future.

If you're one of those people, you've probably experienced a lot of ups and downs as a new pet parent with a WFH gig. Cuddles while you're checking emails are great! Whines for attention while you're trying to get a word in during a Zoom call, not so much. It's a process. And if you're living in an apartment without an outside space for your dog to run around in, this can create even more of a challenge.

Whether you're raising a puppy or a canine companion that's a little longer in the tooth, you'll absolutely benefit from having a few dog puzzles at the ready while you tackle the daily duties of your job.

Picture of multiple dog puzzle options
Dog puzzles come in all different shapes and sizes. Credit: Dylan Haas

What is a dog puzzle?

Sometimes referred to as enrichment toys, dog puzzles are pretty much what they sound like: Puzzles for dogs. Not all dog puzzles are made the same, though. There are many different kinds that employ diverse mechanics, have different goals, teach unique lessons, and feature difficulty levels that run the gamut of cognitive ability. But more often than not, you can bet that most dog puzzles will act as a fun little brain teaser that holds a reward for your pet once they solve it.

What's the purpose of a dog puzzle?

Dog puzzles have a lot of uses, but the two biggest ones are distraction and mental stimulation. Instead of giving your dog a simple chew toy to keep them busy while you work, you can present them with a dog puzzle to keep them occupied much longer without having to divert their attention over and over. (We know, we hate turning our dogs' playtime offers down, too, but sometimes you have to focus.)

But aside from keeping your dog entranced while you handle business, dog puzzles can offer other benefits for your pup (and consequently, you). Dog puzzles provide more mental stimulation in comparison to the run-of-the-mill toys that many of us have at our disposal, because they actually require your dog to solve a problem to get to what they want. They'll find success by doing things that dogs instinctually love doing: Sniffing, burrowing, licking, chewing, etcetera.

Not only do they get rewarded for their work, but they also get the serotonin boost that comes with fulfilling their life's purpose. Some claim that enrichment toys like dog puzzles can also help remedy behavioral issues, although that's still up for debate.

Photo of writer's dog
My dog, Stevie. Credit: Dylan Haas

How do I choose a dog puzzle?

The good thing about dog puzzles is that it's pretty hard to make a catastrophic choice when buying one. All dogs love new toys, and chances are they'll probably be down to test out whatever you put in front of them. The one thing we'd advise against, though, is starting your pup off on a puzzle that's too difficult — it can be discouraging, and may end in your dog staring up at you with beady eyes that say "why can't I do this?" Devastating.

If you want to find the perfect one on the first try, there are a few things to consider that can make your decision easier:

  • Temperament: What is your dog's personality like? What are their tendencies? Are they curious? Impatient? The former will pair better with a puzzle that takes more time to figure out, while the latter calls for simpler mechanics that yield faster rewards. You know your dog best.

  • Age: Depending on your dog's age, they'll be at different cognitive ability levels from others, which will help inform your decision on which difficulty level to begin with. Puppies should obviously start with the most beginner-friendly puzzles, but older, more experienced dogs might be able to get away with skipping right to the intermediate level.

  • Puzzle rewards: Dog puzzles usually employ one of two rewards: a toy, or a treat. If your dog is mainly motivated by treats, go with a puzzle that dispenses an edible reward. If you worry about over-feeding your dog, maybe get one that uses a squeaky toy as a prize. Better yet, get one of each.

Close-up of writer's dog
POV: You're a dog puzzle and Stevie is about to solve you. Credit: Dylan Haas

And with that, we're ready to get into our picks. Below, the best dog puzzles we tried.

Best for Big Spaces
Credit: Dylan Haas
Specs
  • Difficulty level: Beginner

The PetZone IQ Treat Ball(opens in a new tab) is different from all the other puzzles on this list in that it's an active brain teaser. Instead of being stationary while finding a solution, the PetZone IQ ball will roll around as your dog tries to get the treats inside to fall out, giving them a workout for their brain and their body at the same time.

What I really like about this puzzle is its simplicity and compactness. It's really easy to refill with treats when they're all gone, and I was even able to adjust the difficulty by moving the included plates around inside the ball. Stevie was a big fan of this one, as it's probably the one she was able to solve the quickest. At first, she tried to hold the ball with her paws and bite through (the plastic even started to scratch, which wasn't great), but she quickly learned that by pushing the ball around with her nose, she was able to get ahold of the goods. The PetZone IQ ball worked very well, but I would warn against picking one up unless you have a larger space to work with. My apartment is pretty small, so the ball ended up rolling under my furniture pretty often and required me to fish it out. But, if you've got the floor plan for it, this dog puzzle is a good get.

Best for Slow Feeding
Credit: Dylan Haas
Specs
  • Difficulty: Beginner

Stevie absolutely inhales her food when she's hungry. It's honestly a wonder how she does it (and also a little concerning). That's why I thought the Outward Hound Wobble Bowl(opens in a new tab) would be a good dog puzzle to test out — because it doubles as a slow feeder.

And in practice, it does the slow feeding thing very well. All you need to do is remove the plug at the top, dump in your kibble or treat of choice, and close it back up. When your dog knocks up against the bowl or taps the top of it, it will wobble and dispense the contents. It may sound too easy, but my skittish dog had a bit of a tough time figuring this one out at first. The wobbling of the bowl initially scared her a bit, and it took me showing her the ropes multiple times for her to get the gist and do it on her own. If your dog is on the more anxious side, this puzzle may freak them out, so use your best judgment there.

But once Stevie got the Wobble Bowl working, she seemed to thoroughly enjoy the way it spilled her favorite salmon-flavored dog food all over the place (yeah, it can get kind of messy). I also thoroughly enjoyed watching her tap her paws on the top, jump away, and then come back in to lick her rewards off the floor.

Best for Burrowing
Credit: Dylan Haas
Specs
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

One thing that Stevie loves just as much as treats: squeaky toys. She goes totally wild for them, and that's a huge reason why the Outward Hound Hide-a-Squirrel puzzle(opens in a new tab) was such a winner for her.

This is the one "soft" toy we tested out, and I really liked that I didn't have to worry about my dog accidentally ingesting plastic. The puzzle is basically a log with holes in it that you stuff with squeaky squirrel toys, and your dog is supposed to burrow into it to get the toys out. Stevie figured this one out very quickly, but I could see how it could occupy other dogs for longer, especially smaller ones. She loved this one so much that every time she completed it, she would bring me each squirrel toy to signal that she wanted me to set up the puzzle again (which was thankfully very simple to do). The only downsides to this toy were that it can get dirty really quickly and hold onto dried dog slobber, and some of the squirrel toys shed some fur. Other than that, this was a fantastic pick.

Best for High-Energy Dogs
Credit: Dylan Haas
Specs
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

This is the puzzle that my dog had the most trouble with. The Trixie Mad Scientist(opens in a new tab) is simple in design — it's three beaker tubes connected by a spinning bar that will dispense treats when it's flipped upside down. Although it wasn't a good fit for Stevie, I still think the quality of the toy is mostly good, and will work better for high-energy dogs that have a lot of patience. Stevie just wasn't able to get the beakers to flip, and when she finally did, they would flip back over before anything could fall out.

I did like how it came with two different toppers for each beaker, one with multiple small holes throughout and another with one large hole in the middle. This was nice to have because I was able to make the difficulty a little bit easier, and it also ensured that there was a size big enough to fit my dog's specific treats. The only other knock I have for this one is that the plastic construction looked and felt pretty cheap, but I didn't have any issues with pieces falling off or fraying.

Best for Nosey Dogs
Credit: Dylan Haas
Specs
  • Difficult: Advanced

The Outward Hound Hide N' Slide puzzle(opens in a new tab) was easily the best puzzle that Stevie and I tested for this list. For starters the puzzle itself is built extremely well — it's sturdy, and all the moving pieces slide around effortlessly as promised. Also, I love the look, and it's easy to keep clean with a quick wipe-down.

This one is more of a straight-up puzzle without the gimmicks of some of our other picks. All you do is hide the treats within the board's compartments, or put them inside the sliders for higher difficulty. Through licking and nose-pushing, your dog will be able to slide each piece around and open each compartment to reveal their reward. Stevie didn't get this one right away, but after working at it for a while, she became a pro, which is the level of challenge I prefer in a dog puzzle. One frustrating thing that happened a few times was the swinging compartment doors getting in the way of another one, but those instances were few and far between. All in all, this is one of the best classic dog puzzles you can get right now.

Best for Chronic Lickers
Credit: Dylan Haas
Specs
  • Difficulty: Advanced

The Outward Hound Brick game(opens in a new tab), like the Hide N' Slide, is another classic-style dog puzzle that'll act as an advanced-level brain teaser for your pup. Same as the last puzzle, you'll have to hide treats within the board's hidden compartments and let your dog find their way to them. This puzzle is better fit for dogs who lick a lot, as most of the moving parts will require your dog to use their tongue to get to the prize.

I really enjoyed this puzzle, too, but it comes in a close second to the Hide N' Slide for two reasons. One, my dog doesn't really lick that much, and two, I thought the interspersed bones pieces were a little too difficult to dig out from the board, even with my help. Besides that, the drawer-style compartments moved around really easily, and it was a blast watching Stevie figure out how to open them up. It's also built very well, and was easy to clean between play sessions. Even though it didn't end up being my number one, it may be yours depending on your dog's licking tendencies.

More in Animals

How we tested

To find the best of the best in dog puzzles, I recruited the help of my dog, Stevie, to help me test a few of them out. Stevie is a four-year-old boxer-pitbull, medium in size, and even-tempered. She's naturally very curious, excitable, listens well, and is heavily motivated by treats. She can be a bit lazy, though, and will quickly lose interest in something if she isn't getting enjoyment out of it. She is also very cute (this is irrelevant to the testing of the puzzles but I just wanted to say it).

I chose two puzzles apiece from three difficulty levels — beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each day, I gave Stevie a new puzzle and allowed her to take all the time she needed to solve it, taking special care to look at things like:

  • Build-quality: This refers to how well-made each puzzle was. Any toy that a dog is meant to interact with needs to be durable, so if any products fell apart or started shedding during use, it didn't make the cut.

  • Performance: This simply refers to whether or not each puzzle worked the way it was supposed to. Did the parts move properly? Was it actually solvable?

  • Intuitiveness: This refers to how simple each puzzle's instructions were, and how long it took my dog to figure out how each puzzle worked. This is not to be mistaken with difficulty, which was measured by how long it took my dog to completely solve the puzzle.

Dylan is a reporter for Mashable Shopping. Follow him on Twitter @iamdylanhaas, or send him an email at [email protected]


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