The Gamechanger Of Dog Toys

Have you heard of “The Gamechanger?” I first learned about it in 2015 when I went to a massive pet expo called Super Zoo. The Gamechanger had just recently launched, but I loved the idea. I’ve always given my dogs puzzles for a little extra mental stimulation but this one was different. It wasn’t made of hard plastic that could (and would) crack and it seemed pretty durable. Unlike most other puzzles, I liked that you could actually adjust the difficulty, depending on what your dog could handle.

I chatted a bit with the folks at Gamechanger and learned it’s made in the USA too – another win! But what would my dogs think of it?

I bought one for my fur kids to test out. They’re expert dog puzzle solvers at this point so I wasn’t convinced it would keep them busy for very long, but I’m always up for trying new things and they always like investigating something new so we set out to test it.

A Little About The Gamechanger Testers…

I’ve been buying puzzles for my dogs for years. They have kongs, orbees, and all sorts of puzzles with levers, flaps, and sliding doors for them to navigate. The kong and orbee will keep them busy for a while, but they’re not so much puzzles as activities. Kong time usually results in the dogs laying in one place, chewing and licking at their kongs to get all the peanut butter out.

The more traditional dog puzzles we have were a challenge when we first got them, but after a few sessions, they were quickly solved. It’s to the point now that my dogs solve them in less than a minute (and they are some of the more advanced puzzles)! Needless to say, they don’t keep my fur kids busy for very long or provide much of a challenge anymore.

How The Gamechanger Works

The Gamechanger is interesting because of its unique design. It’s actually two pieces that pull apart so you can put treats in the middle. Each side has two holes across from each other so you can stagger them (for an easier puzzle) or line them up to make things more challenging, depending on your dog’s puzzle-solving level.

It is also made of a material that I like the for a couple of reasons:

It has held up well against my dogs. It doesn’t crack like a lot of plastic puzzles I’ve tried.
It can be tossed, rolled, and flipped around the house without scuffing up or scratching my floors.

It also seems to be pretty durable. I’ve had the Gamechanger for about 6 months now and it still looks brand new. I’m impressed with how well it’s held up. Even more importantly, it’s still a challenge to my dogs!

At this point, my dogs solve most other puzzles in less than 5 minutes but this still keeps them busy for at least an hour every time. Even after it’s empty, they will continue to roll it around, double and triple-checking that they’ve gobbled up all the treats.

In speaking with the people at Gamechanger, I learned this was designed with bigger dogs in mind, but my smallest dog is 11 pounds and still carries it around and handles it without problems so I would say it works well for dogs 10 lbs and up, especially if they are food-motivated.

All in all, the Gamechanger is here to stay in my house. I like the mental stimulation it provides for my dogs and I’m really impressed with how well it’s held up. I haven’t seen it in stores yet, but you can get it online here. They come in red, green, yellow, and blue so you can take your pick of your favorite color (or color code for multiple dogs) and when you get them here, each purchase helps provide 5 days of food for shelter dogs. It’s a win-win!

Have any questions? Comment below! I’ll share my experience.

PS: Here’s a video of dogs playing with the Gamechanger so you can see it in action: