[Dailydrool] Interactive games and bassets

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

I got our Elsinore a game in which treats are hidden underneath plastic covers shaped like dog bones that fit into grooves on a plastic base. The dog is supposed to figure out how to jigger the covers, which are such smooth plastic that it’s hard to get a good tooth-hold on them, out of their grooves to get the treats. Here’s a link: http://www.muttropolis.com/products2.cfm/ID/9259/name/Dog-Magic-Interactive-Treat-Game.

Elsinore had it figured out in about five minutes. She can whiz through that $35 game in under ten minutes, and then, of course she wants to do it again and again because our Elsinore is all about treats. I was really hoping it’d engage her attention for longer than that. 

Young Charlie had to work a little harder and longer to learn how to manipulate the plastic covers. But now, once he gets the first one off, he eats the treat underneath and then grabs the cover and runs away with it so I’ll play keep-away and chase with him. So with him, the “interactive” part of the game becomes interactive with me in a much more physical and involved way than the game’s creator probably intended. And I really do need to get the covers away from him because, once off, they can be chewed up beyond a point where they fit in their grooves. 

The next time I’m feeling flush, I’ll try another game for Elsinore. One that’s rated intermediate or advanced this time. And one whose pieces can’t be removed so Charlie can’t run off with them. 

Elizabeth