Nina Ottosson, Again.

     Today my reviewers are exploring a variation on Nina Ottosson's (www.nina-ottosson.com) Dog Pyramid called the "Dog Dizzy."  The Dog Dizzy ("It Rolls and Twists") is another interactive treat dispensing toy offered by the Swedish dog toy maker.  We filled the Dizzy with a variety of treats and gave it a spin.
     The original reservation about the the Dog Pyramid was that it righted itself rather too aggressively and tended to hit the unsuspecting dog in the head.  The narrowed top also made it very easy for a bigger dog to pick up and carry away.  There was one hole only in the top of the Pyramid which made it at once laborious to insert treats and challenging to extract them.  On the plus side the wider weighted bottom of the Pyramid made it easy for the dog nose or foot to push over increasing the chances that with gravity and a great deal of luck a treat would manage to pop out.

     I wish I could say that the Dog Dizzy is a vast improvement over the Dog Pyramid.  It still has the one treat escape/insert hole, the toy is weighted at the bottom and is constructed of the same hard plastic.  The shape, however,  is radically different being sort of a ball with the top and bottom flattened.  Not being completely round makes the toy reluctant to roll and less rolling means less treats escaping.  My reviewers found it very frustrating.  At first I loaded the Dizzy with regular kibble and interest was keen until no kibble was escaping.  To renew interest I then added some high value training treats.  The Dizzy was then poked, prodded and bitten before interest waned again when no treats were seen.  Just a lazy day for my reviewers?  No initiative to use the higher canine brain functions?  I have to admit that for my reviewers (canine and feline) the Dog Dizzy was a bit of a dud.
     To recap the Dog Dizzy rates a Poor as to Playability.  It has to be said that MY reviewers found it lacking and the Dizzy might find a more enthusiastic audience in the insanely food motivated dog- the Labrador perhaps?  The Durability seems to be Excellent if the item is not gnawed upon.  This is an interactive toy and your dog should play with it under human supervision only.  Safety is also Excellent if used properly, again under supervision.
     The success of  treat dispensing toys as a whole seems to be a balancing act between being too challenging and not challenging enough.  An intermittent reward is the most potent reinforcer (think Vegas slot machines) for dog and human alike.  You have to applaud Nina Ottosson's dedication to unlocking the potential of the canine mind.  Dog toys are simple?- I think not.