OLLIE & BOOMER ✦ DOG ENRICHMENT
The Dog Puzzle Feeder Ollie Took 3 Weeks to Figure Out — And Now Won’t Share
An honest review from a small homestead with two very different small dogs.
I want to tell you about a dog puzzle feeder for small dogs that sat on our floor for three weeks while Ollie stared at it like it had personally offended him.
He’d walk up to it. Sniff it. Look at me. Walk away. Come back. Sniff it again. Look betrayed. This went on for three weeks.
And then one day something clicked — literally, he figured out how to spin the tubes — and now he stands next to it when he’s hungry and wants a snack, like he’s placing an order. It became one of his favorite things in the house. The toy he absolutely will not share with Boomer, which tells you everything you need to know about how much he values it.
Here’s the full honest review — what it is, how it works, how we use it with Ollie’s Ollie fresh food, and whether it’s worth it for a small dog who might need a few weeks to figure it out.
🐾 What Is This Thing, Exactly?
The Dog Puzzle Toy Interactive Puzzle Feeder is a wooden enrichment toy with three clear rotating tubes mounted on a bamboo bone-shaped base. You load the tubes with kibble or treats, and the dog has to figure out how to spin the tubes so the food falls out through the holes in the orange caps.
It looks simple. Ollie would disagree.
Quick Specs
- Wooden bamboo base — bone-shaped, sturdy
- 3 clear rotating tubes with orange perforated caps
- Works with kibble, small treats, or dry food
- Easy assembly — everything included, even the screwdriver
- Difficulty level: medium (Ollie needed 3 weeks — Boomer hasn’t figured it out yet)
- Size: appropriate for small to medium dogs
🥣 How We Use It — Ollie’s Dry Ollie Food
We feed Ollie Ollie fresh dog food as his main meal, but he also gets a portion of dry food throughout the day. That’s exactly what goes in the puzzle feeder — his dry kibble, loaded into the three tubes.
The routine now is simple. We load the tubes in the morning. Ollie works at it throughout the day, spinning tubes, getting pieces to fall out, moving on to the next one. It slows him down, keeps his brain working, and gives him something to do on days when we’re busy and he can’t be outside.
The food stays fresh in the sealed tubes. We just refill as needed.
⏰ The Honest Truth: It Took Ollie 3 Weeks
I want to be real with you about this because most product reviews skip it: Ollie did not figure this out immediately. He sniffed it, walked away, came back, looked at it sideways, and generally treated it like a piece of furniture for about three weeks.
We didn’t force it. We just left it on the floor loaded with kibble and let him work it out on his own timeline. Some dogs figure these out in a day. Ollie is more of a “I’ll get there when I get there” kind of dog.
The day he figured out the spinning mechanism was one of the funniest and most satisfying things I’ve watched happen on this homestead. He spun a tube, a piece of food fell out, and you could practically see the light bulb go on. He immediately went to the next tube. Then the next.
Now he’s an expert. He stands next to it when he wants a snack. He has a whole system. He is very proud of himself.
🚫 The One Toy Ollie Will Not Share With Boomer
We have two dogs. Boomer the Chiweenie, and Ollie the Dameranian. They share most things reasonably well — beds, toys, the good spot by the window.
Not this. Ollie has claimed this puzzle feeder as entirely his own. When Boomer approaches, Ollie gives him a look that can only be described as “I worked hard for this and you don’t get any.”
Boomer, for his part, hasn’t quite figured out the spinning mechanism anyway — he mostly just watches Ollie with great interest and waits for pieces to fall on the floor. Which is arguably a smarter strategy.
🔧 Assembly — Easier Than Expected
One thing I genuinely appreciated: this toy comes with everything you need to put it together, including a small screwdriver. You don’t have to dig through a junk drawer looking for the right tool. You open the box, follow the simple instructions, and it’s assembled in about 10 minutes.
The bamboo base is solid and doesn’t tip over when the dogs paw at it — which was my first concern. The tubes click into place securely and spin smoothly. The orange caps stay on unless deliberately removed for cleaning.
🎬 Watch Ollie Work It
This is Ollie in action — once he figured out the spinning mechanism, he got very serious about it. Boomer makes a cameo appearance to observe from a safe distance.
⭐ The Honest Verdict
If you have a small dog who gets bored, who eats too fast, or who needs mental stimulation on days when outdoor time is limited — this puzzle feeder is genuinely worth it.
The three-week learning curve might sound discouraging, but here’s what I’d tell you: once they figure it out, the payoff is real. Ollie is calmer, more focused, and less demanding on the days he has this to work on. It gives him a job. Small dogs need jobs.
The fact that he stands next to it when he’s hungry and wants a snack — treating it like his personal snack dispensary — is honestly one of the funniest and most endearing things he does. Worth every penny.
→ Shop the Dog Puzzle Feeder on AmazonRelated: What I Feed My Small Dogs — why we switched Ollie to fresh food and what changed.
The Bottom Line 🐾
Three weeks of patience. One very proud Dameranian. One Chiweenie who has accepted that some toys are not for him.
If your small dog needs mental enrichment — and most do — this puzzle feeder delivers. Just give them time to figure it out on their own terms.
Does your dog have an enrichment toy they love? Drop it in the comments — I’m always looking for new ideas for Boomer and Ollie. 🐾