I was going to wait a few weeks to do another product review, but my sample Nina Ottosson Dog Brick from A Company of Animals showed up and it is just too cool to wait!
The Nina Ottosson line of games are properly called games, not toys. They are designed to make dogs think while playing together with their people. The toys are available in both wood and plastic. My sample is a plastic Dog Brick. (Be sure to select “Brick” under “size” if you want the same game.)
The plastic is heavy and very high quality. As you will see in the video below, I unleashed Gage on the game, and it is still intact — not even a scratch. However this is not a game that you should leave out unattended. It is intended for supervised (and team) play.
The dog brick has four sets of two sliders under which you can hide treats (I used kibble), as well as a center row where you can place treats either in the open or under plastic covers shaped similar to bones. This simple design provides you with a variety of options in varying the level of difficulty for your dog. The key with games like this is keeping it interesting for your dog without making it too difficult. The game includes a short but very helpful DVD explaining how to gradually introduce the game to your dog.
Enough talk. Here’s Caffeine with the game.
At first Caffeine seems a little intimidated and gives up, but after some help she gets into it. This illustrates how working together yields better results and more fun. This is not an alternative to the Kong – it’s a game!
Here is my wife, Dagmar, playing with Gage:
This process is similar to the one described on the companion DVD. To round out the Stooges, here’s Buddha:
Isn’t it interesting to see how the three dogs approach the game differently?
This game is a lot of fun! It’s definitely worth considering for any family. The Nina Ottosson games used to be more difficult to get in the U.S. (and quite a bit more expensive) but now with options like Amazon (affiliate link) the toys are much easier to find. The Dog Brick (Again: be sure to select “Brick” under “size” if you want the same game) is a medium level game, if you check out A Company of Animals website you can see the full line of toys, including the easier and more difficult options.
As promised, here is Gage unleashed:
14 Comments
I love these games, their interactive component that asks people to spend quality time with their dogs, and the levels of engagement they provide for dogs. Nice job, Eric, Eric's wife, Caffeine, Gage and Buddha!
Good job Caffeine, Cage and Buddha!! They are brilliant. I love interactive toys. My little guy did a product review of the “Dog Fighter” by Nina. Here's a link:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBu_fYQIeX0
Very nice! I think a more advanced toy like that may be in Caffeine's future.
Yup, serious quality time with the dogs.
Thank you. I like the names Linus, Stetson and Derby. Very creative.
Eric, I liked how each dog approached the game differently. Intelligent doggies!
Eric, I liked how each dog approached the game differently. What intelligent dogs.
Looks like a great game. And mental exercise can be as tiring as physical exercise!
Yes, and both are really required if you want a sane and happy dog.
All dogs are, really. (Although sometimes I wonder about Gage….
)
I love the idea of these games and they seem to work great for many. My BC powered through them (and not in a subtle way — she thinks outside the box and flips the whole thing upside down, for example) without learning much. She also broke the Dog Tornado, the most difficult of the games. For dogs who are impatient and like to work super fast, these may not be ideal.
I love the idea of these games and they seem to work great for many. My BC powered through them (and not in a subtle way — she thinks outside the box and flips the whole thing upside down, for example) without learning much. She also broke the Dog Tornado, the most difficult of the games. For dogs who are impatient and like to work super fast, these may not be ideal.
Love the videos Eric! Love hearing and seeing you and Dagmar interacting with the “kidz”, you all are a lovely bunch : ) I bring a couple of these along with the muffin tin/tennis ball home made version, to my graduation night at manners class and let everyone have try and talk about about games and trainiing for tricks and how they can be an great addition to your play together AND a super fun way to train your manners skills while you play.
D
Thanks! I love showing toys like this to my classes too. They can really add something to a dog’s day.
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