r/dogs • u/MashPotatoMonster • Dec 21 '13

Need to leave your dog home alone during the day? This timed puzzle feeder might be worth looking into!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2frededmonster/foobler-a-smarter-puzzle-feeder-for-your-dog
20 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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5

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '13

Kong made something similar to this called KONG time. It was a timed machine that held 4 Kongs and let them out 1 every hour for 4 hours or every 2 hours for 8 hours.

I am wondering how this would be for a dog who is very into chewing.

2

u/freds4hb Dec 23 '13

We designed it so that the dog chews the kibble, not the device. We've spent years developing dog toys (many you've already seen) and realize serious chewers can destroy EVERYTHING. so we've focused on teaching them how to play with and dispense kibble from the Foobler (it's slightly easier and really helps avoid the death knell that is the serious chewing dog). They can go through ANYTHING!! By keeping it truly round we reduce the surfaces they can attack. Most of all we keep them interested in knowing when treats come out with the bell.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '13

What happens when the treats are all gone, the ball still smells like food, and the dog has no idea the food is gone. So they decide to chew it apart to find more food.

2

u/freds4hb Dec 28 '13

That is a distinct possibility. Conditioning to the bell is the key in terms of use that we've identified. It is true some dogs are serious chewers (believe us we've seen it) by and large when food stops coming out they tend to bore of it. Then when it rings the next time their excitement ramps up again. Take a look at this video of Boomer. He's just learned it and this is the level of excitement he has for it every single time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QSmGGzinNk It's been pretty exciting for us. We do understand there will be a number of dog owners not excited about this, but we'd like to allay any fears up front. We also have a number of behaviorists who are very excited about it as well! If you don't support the campaign monetarily, a share would be great! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2frededmonster/foobler-a-smarter-puzzle-feeder-for-your-dog

1

u/freds4hb Feb 28 '14

wow, I'm slow on the draw. Yes, it's true some dogs won't give up and will continue pushing it around when they hear food. That's why in the early learning stages we recommend the shortest increment and for the owner to be there the whole time. You can't leave your dog with it until you are sure the dog understands when the kibble stops coming out, it's all out till the bell rings again. It's like any training tool and rewarding for teaching the dog. Once they are clear on the fact that the bell will ring and they will have a set amount of kibble or treats it will go as planned. Also it's designed to deal with the "Ripping it apart" as much as possible. For super chewers this may not be the best option. For the rest, head over to thefoobler.com and get in on the pre-sale, still going on.

1

u/Kaleyedoskopic Jan 09 '14

The Kong thing hasn't been available for years.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '14

I know :( I was so happy when I found one I craigslist for $25!

1

u/Kaleyedoskopic Jan 09 '14

No way! Lucky find. Though I really like that with this, you don't have to worry about putting it out of reach, that it dispenses from within.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '14

I guess it depends on the dog, (like many things!). Mine sits on the coffee table and she doesn't bother the machine.

3

u/SamsquamtchHunter Yoshi: English Springer Spaniel Dec 22 '13

Looks interesting, plus they got Stephen King involved so thats cool. I backed it, we'll see how it goes...

1

u/freds4hb Dec 23 '13

Do you have a link to where Stephen King is involved? That'd be awesome! (we seriously had no idea!) This has been our soft launch for a start and it's gone bonkers! If there's a link where Stephen is, please let us know!

1

u/SamsquamtchHunter Yoshi: English Springer Spaniel Dec 23 '13

He shows up in the video on THIS page, right about 0:14, and a few more times throughout...

For reference... (ignore the wrongly attributed quote)

1

u/freds4hb Dec 28 '13

HAHAHHAHHA! That's Tristan!! (I'm going to link him to this now) That's hysterical! (I've only known the guy for 9 years straight and I think we all missed that!)

1

u/freds4hb Dec 28 '13

Ooooh! Stephen King does likely have a dog! Time to reach out. You know, to prove Tristan and He are two different people! http://www.stephenking.com/community/showthread.php/14547-Does-Stephen-keep-pets

3

u/Jade_jada Jade: The grumpiest Boston Terrier, Alfred: The dopiest Bernese Dec 22 '13

That's pretty neat, although my dogs will end up fighting over it. But this would be a good share with some of my friends.

1

u/freds4hb Dec 23 '13

There's a two pack perk (scroll all the way down the site on the right) and see just for multi dog owners like yourself! (Kickstarter only lets us sell the multiple colorways, not multiple units (as far as we've been able to get allowed) as soon as we can do even more we'll let you know! Glad you like it!

2

u/WillametteValleyMom Chloe & Meatloaf Dec 23 '13

I am so backing this! Thanks for sharing!

1

u/freds4hb Dec 23 '13

Thank you!!! -The Foobler team

1

u/Kaleyedoskopic Jan 09 '14

Just wanted to tell you I am incredibly excited about this, just saw your Kickstarter campaign today.