Ayla’s second birthday is coming up on February 23rd and when I was in the pet store the other day, I saw one of these dog learning games. I’ve seen them quite a few times before and always thought to myself it could be something interesting for Ayla since she’s so smart anyway (too smart really!) I intended to give her the game for her birthday but I just couldn’t wait. I brought it out last weekend while Stefan’s parents were here and wanted to show them just how smart Ayla really is. The game consists of a wooden board with holes drilled into it. Then you have little wooden cups which you place over the holes. Inside the cups you place treats. It’s a pretty simple concept but the dog actually has to pick up the cups to reach the treats. Using a paw will result in nothing because the cups nestle into the bottom board and can’t be tipped over.

So I put a few treats under a few random cups and set it down on the floor for Ayla. The instructions state that you may need a few tries with the game to make the dog understand that they need to pick up the cups…but not Ayla. She knew what to do almost immediately. Too smart these dogs are!

So we played a few rounds and then we both grew bored of the game. What I didn’t read is that most dogs get bored within about 15 minutes. Dang! And of course this is a toy you can only play with while supervising the dog; otherwise it’s very likely that there won’t be any pieces left for you to play with when you come back. Ayla kept trying to take off with the cups and didn’t really seem interested with the treats inside…but she’s always been a sucker for wood anyway.

Was it worth the investment of €28? I’m really not sure. I mean it’s interesting and all…but not necessarily cool and if we both lose interest within 10 minutes I’m not really sure I would try another one. But one never knows until they try, right? At least her other birthday toys will be cooler! 😉