Beating the heat- by staying inside: Dog Games

Well, it's been 100+ degrees here for about a week, and I know it's been the same all across the US.  The boys and I have been everything we can to stay cool, and that's meant much more time inside and time outside only to potty and get back in.

With a 1 yr old and 3 yr old, this is a recipe for restlessness and destruction, so Scott and I stopped by Natural Pet Market in Wheaton to use a groupon and get some indoor toys, including a mind game- the good kind, I swear!

We chose the Paw Hide Dog Toy puzzle by Kyjen as our first foray into the world of dog games because it was marked as "Medium" and we were sure that we had at least one pretty smart dog. 

I must admit that I got this toy for Oliver, and actually said to Scott- "well, seriously, we both know Oliver is the dog that will figure this out first."  The concept is pretty simple- you put treats in the wells, cover them with the cups (which have a notch out so they can smell where the stuff is) and the dog figures out how to get the cup out. (Which apparently means they are geniuses.)

At first, the boys were both interested, but Mully just laid on it, hoarding it from Oliver.   As soon as the lights went out in the house, I heard the found of plastic, dashed into the hall, and found Mully had uncovered one!!  This happened again last night, and now today he'll do it even with me ( and Oliver) watching!!  Check out video below:

 

It's fun to watch him work it out, unfortunately, Oliver hasn't been allowed near it. We'll definitely be investing in some others- though I hope the weather breaks soon or we'll have FAT DOGS from all the treats!

What do you do to keep your dog busy in the heat of summer?