Nina Ottosson Dog Brick

The verdict

The Dog Brick earns its place because it is three puzzles rather than one. Outward Hound builds it around three kinds of hiding spot — flip-open lids, sliding blocks and removable bone covers — and its listing describes easy, medium and hard ways to set it up, so you can make it easy on day one and genuinely difficult a month later. That is what prevents the usual outcome of a puzzle being solved once and abandoned. Load it with part of a meal rather than extra treats, so the game costs no extra calories. Outward Hound rates it Level 2, intermediate, on its own scale. The consistent warning, from the maker and from owners alike, is that it is not chew-proof: Outward Hound says not to let a dog chew the game or its pieces, and to supervise every session. It is hand wash only — warm water and soap, per the maker — so wipe out peanut butter before it sets.

Drawbacks

• Not chew-proof; the maker says not to let a dog chew the game or its pieces
• Hand wash only

Researched from the manufacturer’s listing, its published specifications and what owners report. We do not test products on dogs.

What the listing says

• Three ways to hide food in one board — lids, sliders and lift-out bones
• Can be set easy or hard, so it lasts past the first solve
• BPA, PVC and phthalate-free materials, per Outward Hound

Specifications

Specs come from the manufacturer listing and Amazon’s public product data. A field that reads “Not stated” is one we have not verified — not one the product lacks. We research and analyse; we do not test products on dogs.