When Lindsay first found Dobby, she bought a bundle of treats and toys. One of those was a toy in which we could place a training treat, and Dobby would have to figure out how to get it out. According to Lindsay, dogs needed this sort of mental exercise as much as they needed physical exercise. Naturally, when we used this with Dobby, he decoded it within about ten minutes, and once he did, it was a great aggravation to have around—if we left it out, he would do his moves on it, and if it didn’t produce treats, he would bark and bark and bark at it. So we had to put it away.
Recently, I saw an Instagram a reel in which a dog owner explained that dogs are mentally stimulated by smell (hence, they need sniff walks and other smell experiences). The woman had wrapped a variety of treats for her dog in printer paper and placed each in the slots of an empty egg carton. Her dog had a field day with this—sniffing all over it, pulling each treat from the carton, pulling open the paper, and eating the treat. Within twenty minutes, the dog was exhausted from the mental exercise.
I tried the same thing with Dobby, and he loved it. Then, the next week, I added a wrinkle—instead of an egg carton, I used an empty box that had held Diet Dr. Pepper. This was a great challenge for him since both openings are not easy to get his head into, moving the box is easy, but pinning it down without opposable thumbs to manipulate it is not. I did twelve treats wrapped individually in notebook paper; I used three different types of treat that he loves. Enjoy the videos (and one photo) of Dobby figuring it out. He wore out after about twenty minutes and pulling out nine treats. He had to come back the next morning for the final three. But I think you’d have to agree that he’s a genius.
Finding the box
Changing strategies
First success
Building on his success
Exhausted for the evening
Back to finish the job in the morning
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 