Toller bored with Kong? Best dispensing toy alternative

A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who's bored with their Kong — honestly, that tracks completely. Tollers are working dogs with serious problem-solving brains, and a classic stuffed Kong can stop being a challenge pretty quickly once they've figured out the system. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise for a breed like yours, and the right toy really depends on what's keeping your dog stuck — boredom, destructive behaviour, something to do alone? Before I point you somewhere specific, tell me: how old is your Toller, what problem are you mainly trying to solve, and what have you already tried beyond the Kong?

Perfect context, thank you. So she's sharp, she's persistent, and she's essentially optimised her way through everything you've given her — that's a very Toller thing to do. The snuffle mat going fast tells me she's not really being made to work for it, just sniffing efficiently. What you need is something that requires active physical manipulation, not just sniffing or licking, so the toy itself becomes the puzzle. Can I ask — does she have good paw coordination? Does she push and bat things around, or is she more of a nose-and-mouth dog?

That tells me exactly what you need. Get the West Paw Toppl — specifically the large size, and link two of them together if you want to extend the challenge further. It's a wobble-and-dispense toy but the opening is awkward enough, and the internal ridges are shaped so that even a food-motivated dog can't just shake it empty in seconds. You can stuff it with wet food, freeze it, or pack it with a mix of kibble and something stickier like peanut butter or cream cheese to make it genuinely resist her. Because she's a pusher and batter, she'll engage with the rolling and tilting movement rather than just sitting there mouthing it — and at 7, the moderate physical effort of nosing it around is actually good for keeping her joints moving too. The Toppl is also dishwasher safe, which matters when you're using wet food or dairy. It's a meaningful step up from the Kong without being so hard she gives up — it'll hold her attention through that restless afternoon window.

Great question — and yes, there's real room to scale it up. The most effective way is to nest a small Toppl inside the large one, which blocks the opening partially and changes the angle she needs to work from. Beyond that, freezing the fill is a simple way to add significant time — a frozen mix of wet food, banana, and kibble can keep even a fast dog busy for 20 to 30 minutes. You can also vary the fill texture week to week so she doesn't fully learn the 'recipe.' For a Toller specifically, novelty matters almost as much as difficulty — even rotating between two or three different toys on different afternoons can reset her engagement with each one. The Toppl won't be a permanent solution forever, but realistically it should give you six months to a year of genuine challenge before you need to add another layer.

Glad it clicked — she sounds like a really fun dog to have around, even if she is running rings around you. Start with a loose fill the first time so she gets a win and builds interest in the toy, then ramp up the difficulty from session two onwards. Freeze it by day three and you'll really see the difference. Good luck with the afternoon work sessions!