Some dogs wear you out with their legs. June, my three-year-old Aussiedoodle, wears me out with her brain. She is 48 pounds of blue merle curiosity, and if she does not get something to figure out, she finds something to unzip or chew. So in September 2024 I bought the Outward Hound Nina Ottosson Dog Brick, a Level 2 treat puzzle with sliding blocks, flip lids, and removable bone-shaped pieces. On college football Saturdays, while Dale and I watch the game, June works the Brick on the living room rug. A few minutes of puzzle time settles her in a way a walk alone does not. Here are ten reasons why.
A smarter kind of tired for a smart dog
The Outward Hound Nina Ottosson Dog Brick gives a bright, busy dog a job to do. June has used hers every football Saturday since September 2024, and it still holds her attention.
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It makes her use her nose, her paws, and her patience
A walk lets June cover ground, but the Brick makes her slow down. She has to slide the blocks, flip the lids, and work the bone-shaped pieces out with her teeth and paws. That combination of sniffing, pawing, and figuring out the order is what actually drains her energy. The first time I set it down, she circled it for a full minute before she touched anything. Now she knows the moves, but she still has to think about where I hid the treats. That thinking is the part that tires her out.
It burns mental energy, not just physical energy
June can run around the yard for twenty minutes and come inside ready to redecorate the living room. Mental work is different. When she works the Brick, she has to hold a plan in her head: check this block, then that lid, then the bone piece on the side. By the time she has cleared it, she is ready to flop on her bed. That is the difference between a dog who is exercised and a dog who is actually tired.
It gives her a job instead of a chew project
June is a chewer when she is bored. Before the Brick, a rainy day meant finding something of mine to mouth. The Brick gives her something appropriate to work on, and because it is a puzzle, she treats it like a task instead of a toy to destroy. I still supervise every session, and I put it on a high shelf when she is done. But the routine has cut way down on the random chewing when the weather keeps us inside.
It works on the days when a walk is not possible
Not every day is a forty-five minute walk morning. On the days when the weather is ugly or my shift runs late, June still needs something that feels like a win. The Brick takes her a few minutes to clear now, and she is a different dog afterward. It is not a replacement for exercise, but it is the best backup plan I have found for a smart dog on a stuck-inside day.
It is easy to change up so she does not get bored
A puzzle that stays the same stops being a puzzle. The Brick has sliding blocks, flip lids, and removable bone pieces, so I can hide treats in different spots every Saturday. Sometimes I put them under the blocks, sometimes in the middle compartment, sometimes under the bones. June never knows which spot I chose, so she checks everything. That little bit of variety is what keeps the Brick interesting two years later.
It is sturdy enough for a determined dog
June is not gentle when she is excited. She has shoved the Brick across the rug, flipped it over, and pawed at the pieces like they owe her money. After two years of Saturday sessions, the blocks still slide and the lids still flip. I would not call it indestructible, because no puzzle is, and I always supervise her with it. But it has held up better than I expected for a dog who treats every treat like a mission.
It gives us a calm routine on football Saturdays
Dale and I watch college football every Saturday in the fall. That is when the Brick comes out. June knows the routine now: game goes on, puzzle comes down from the hall closet, she settles on her rug. She works the Brick while we watch the first quarter, and by halftime she is usually asleep. It has become the most reliable part of our Saturdays, and I look forward to it as much as she does.
It is a good fit for a dog who already knows the basics
The Brick is labeled Level 2, and that is the right call for June. She figured out the basic moves within her first week. If I had started her on a Level 1 puzzle, she would have solved it in one sitting and lost interest. The Brick has enough going on to keep a smart dog engaged without being so hard that she gives up. For an Aussiedoodle, that middle difficulty is exactly the right level.
It is easy to clean and put away
The Brick does not stay on the floor in my house. June works it, I pick it up, and it goes back on the high shelf in the hall closet. When it needs a wipe, I use a damp cloth and let it dry before the next Saturday. There are no fabric parts to wash and no stuffing to sweep up. For a dog owner who is already brushing, walking, and cleaning up after a curly dog, a puzzle that is simple to maintain is a real plus.
It makes me feel like a better dog owner
I am not a trainer, and I do not pretend to be one. But I know that June is happiest when her brain is busy. Giving her the Brick on a Saturday morning is a small way to meet that need without turning our whole day into a training session. It is not a fix for every behavior, and I still call the groomer about her coat and the vet about anything that looks wrong. But it is one tool that genuinely helps, and that feels good.
What I'd Skip
If you are thinking about the Outward Hound Nina Ottosson Dog Brick, here is what I would skip. Skip leaving it out all day, because a puzzle that is always available stops being interesting. Skip using it as a substitute for walks, because June still needs her forty-five minutes on the leash and her time in the yard. And skip it altogether if your dog is a serious chewer, because the Brick is a puzzle, not a chew toy. Supervised sessions are the whole point. I bring it out on football Saturdays and rainy days, and I put it away when she is done. That routine is what keeps it working.
The Brick is not the answer to every Aussiedoodle problem. It will not detangle a matted coat, and it will not teach a pulling dog to walk nicely on the leash. But for the specific job of giving a smart dog something to do, it has been the most dependable tool in my house.
June solved the sliding blocks in her first week, but two years later she still checks every lid and bone piece before she settles down.
Give your smart dog something worth figuring out
The Outward Hound Nina Ottosson Dog Brick has been part of our Saturdays for two years, and it still earns its spot on the closet shelf. If you have a bright, busy dog who needs more than a walk, this is a good place to start.
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