Dog Tornado from The Company of Animals
September 20, 2009 by Paris and John
Filed under Dog Toys, Our Reviews
Product Name: Dog Tornado
What It Is: interactive pet puzzle. Part of the Nina Ottosson Games collection developed and approved by animal behavior specialists.
Manufacturer: The Company of Animals
DogTipper Review: One of the many interactive toys available from The Company of Animals, a UK specialist in dog behavior and training products (like the Halti), the Dog Tornado is designed as an interactive dog toy that encourages your dog’s mental activity — and gives you a chance to have a lot of fun with your dog as well.
The plastic toy (an earlier version was wooden) has four levels that spin around a center point. The three lower disks each contain four secret compartments that are revealed when your dog uses his paws or his nose to search for hidden treats.
We decided to give the Dog Tornado a try with our dog Tiki. A doberman/poodle/sheltie/bulldog mix, Tiki enjoys play but isn’t wildly motivated by treats. We loaded it down with some chewy liver treats and, seeing the toy, Tiki’s curiosity was instantly aroused.
The Dog Tornado instructions say to turn the cover (the top, light blue layer) to expose two treat compartments and to encourage the dog to “find it,” repeating the play with the subsequent levels after he learns to turn the layers. Tiki, however, was ready to play from the moment she saw the toy.
Soon she was working her way down to the lower levels. At some point, however, she missed a hidden compartment or two. Smelling a treat but unable to uncover it, Tiki took a whole new approach to innovative play, grabbing the toy in her jaw and flipping it over. The treat was unveiled. (If you have a similar problem with the dog using his paws to flip the toy, the Dog Tornado instructions give some tips on encouraging your dog just to use his nose; the toy can be placed on a higher surface like a chair so he’ll nudge the layers with his nose.) Soon we were back on track, though, as Tiki got the hang of turning each level.
The difficulty level of the Dog Tornado can be increased by inserting plastic “bones” into one or more of the compartments. These plastic covers prevent the layers from turning, requiring the dog to first remove the bone and uncover the treat before continuing.
Just as we were about to experiment with the plastic bones, a new level of difficulty was added to the game: our cat Felix. A longtime lover of games, Felix arrived to show Tiki how it was done.
Substituting cat kibble for the liver treats, soon Felix was joined by housemates Linus and Inca, all curious about the operation of the Dog Tornado, AKA the Pet Tornado. The toy kept the cats busy as they worked to move the layers and reveal the kibble. The game (and the eating of the hidden food) lasted longer with the cats than it did with Tiki but, one by one, every compartment was revealed.
To add variety to the game, you can fill the compartments with a variety of foods–even part of your dog’s daily diet rather than treats.
The Dog Tornado makes a great game for rainy days, early evenings, and any time when you’d like a quiet home game to play with your dog (or cat). It’s also an excellent option for elderly pets or sick/injured pets. With the fun of a game, it gives your pet the chance to think and respond, working for and earning his food.
This game gets a big paws up–from canines, felines, and humans alike!
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Official Manufacturer’s Website:
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