pooch has ants in his pants - are dog puzzles any use?

[paddythepooch]

Hi

Our lovely lurcher gets ants in his pants - usually for about an hour in the evening but sometimes during the day too. We reckon he's got rough collie in him so probably the old brain cells need stimulation. Need some ideas to get him off trying to chew things he's not meant to! (he has loads of chew toys but isn't interested in them)

We're doing the following:
clicker training
he works for his food - we put it in kongs or a ball with a hole in or inside an old loo roll (stuffed with newspaper), inside an old yog pot
he gets plenty of exercise

wondering if it might be an idea to get him one of those dog puzzles or are they just a waste of time

He's going to go to training soon and after that we may look at agility. Just need something to occupy him when i'm meant to be working

[SpicyPear]

I don't know but I am keen to know too. Have been looking at them for hyper puppy but they are quite expensive.

[Principality]

Our vet leant us two when ddog I've was resting post op.

Imo I prob wouldn't buy one. Once they get the hang of the idea then they so it so quickly that they don't keep them,amused for more than 2min.

If you can borrow one tho then great.

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

We've got a few of the Nina Ottoson ones, they are really good but as Principality says once they learn how to do it they don't keep them busy long. When my boy got restless I would fill lots of different types of food dispensers (he has a few roll ones, a buster cube and a pyramid, all need different techniques to empty them) and it took him ages to get through it all. We also hid food around the house, but it took us longer to do that than he took to find it all! Frozen kongs are good, they keep him busy for ages. Best thing for him though it a training session. We now have a second dog and when he gets restless he's just as likely to go to her for a good wrestle than come to us - we are reserved purely for cuddling up to!

[iseenodust]

Does he like a ball? Ours will bounce and catch a tennis ball on his own for a while before shredding it. (He also bounces it at the bottom of the stairs to let you know he's there.) Hide scooby snacks round the garden too.

[Floralnomad]

Mine has a sandpit that I hide little treats in , he finds that quite entertaining as he finds them then reburies them . Also a bubble machine is quite good for a while - obviously both outdoor ideas so need reasonable weather although the dark doesn't bother him.

[paddythepooch]

He's not too keen on balls - except to nick them off other dogs to get them to chase him . will chew them up though.

he has a dodgy tummy so no rawhide bones and he doesn't seem to like other pretend ones - seems to prefer bits of plastic that he's not allowed get him attention very effectively He's just a big toddler really with ridiculously cute ears

[iseenodust]

The only plastic chew toy that has survived and he goes back to is a v hard plastic bone (harder than kong but not brittle) about 20cms long which smells/supposedly tasted of chocolate.