Best interactive puppy toy for a happy hound

Available in different sizes to suit different breeds, this automatic ball launcher offers hours of fun for dogs that like to fetch (we're looking at you, collies, spaniels, and terriers). While you can operate this for your puppy (which you'll certainly have to do, to begin with), the aim is to get your pooch to work out how to drop the balls back into the machine for continuous independent play. The ball launch distance can be adjusted from 10 feet and up.

Customer review: "My dog loves this product - I use it in my flat to burn off energy between walks. The noise it makes didn't bother her but it did take time for her to learn how to drop the ball into the launcher. Even so it's great fun for her, absolutely recommend."

Developed by Nina Ottosson, an award-winning pet puzzle designer, this popular interactive mat will perplex even the smartest of puppies. You can adjust the level of difficulty, hiding tasty treats under the moveable green tiles, inside the spinning wheel, and beneath the orange locks, and the centre sliders. Suitable for puppies of all sizes, this puzzle is made from food-safe materials and can be hand-washed between uses.

Customer review: "[This] is an excellent choice for pet owners who want to engage their dogs in a fun and interactive way. This puzzle toy is designed to challenge your dog's problem-solving skills and keep them entertained for hours."

This affordable Zellar treat dispenser works like a weeble wobble toy to issue treats when wobbled the correct way. This toy is a good value buy as it can take your dog from puppyhood and beyond, thanks to the sliding switch that allows you to adjust the size of the opening, meaning you can make it more challenging as your pup works out how to dispense the treats. This is available in green, orange, and pink.

Customer review: "We use this with our dog's kibbles to slow down time taken to eat his dinner and to also create some entertainment for him. The quality is excellent with five settings to control delivery of food."

This snuffle ball has such a generous amount of compartments it can take some time to fill, but, as one reviewer states, "the joy is evident" once you have. This soft ball is made from puppy-safe materials, and the compartments can be rolled out to fill with treats or kibble of your choice. As well as an interactive toy, this can be used to encourage greedy puppies into slower eating.

Customer review: "The dog loves it. Keeps her busy for about an hour. Takes quite a while to roll treats up in all the ribbons but once it's done, the joy is evident. Worth using low fat treats given the number it can take."

This tower offers a great challenge for even the smartest canine. This is a two-in-one puzzle toy. The most obvious part is the three cones that you can hide treats beneath, so your pup has to knock the cones over to get their reward. The more challenging element is the drawers that your dog needs to pull out to access the treats you've placed in the tower. Because of the removable parts, this is best used under supervision.

Customer review: "I bought this item to give my dog a challenge and keep her active. It took some encouragement from me but she did finally manage to get the treats out. Over time she has remembered what to do and now tries to cheat by pulling out the platforms as I'm filling it with treats."

We love this treat dispenser's fun, retro robot design that comes with green, blue, or yellow wheels. Your puppy will love what's inside it - small treats that fall out of the three dispenser holes when the robot tips forward. Those big wheels mean this moves around easily at the push of a paw or snout, offering your pupper some handy indoor exercise and vital mental stimulation.

Customer review: "I've had this for a few months and the only down side is I have to cut treats into small pieces to fall out easily but my dog loves it, it keeps him busy for a good 20 minutes."

This obviously works on the same principle as the snuffle ball we've featured but may be more suitable for younger pups who would find the ball too much of a challenge. This is made from soft, washable fleece and features a variety of places and pockets where you can tuck kibble, biscuits, and other treats for your pup to forage for. This has an anti-skid base and handy hooks so you can secure it in place.

Customer review: "My daughter's 10 month old puppy really enjoyed trying to get his treats out of all the different pockets kept him and us amused for a long time."

This automatic bubble-making machine isn't designed specifically for puppies, but there is no reason you can't fill it with a dog-friendly bubble mixture - bacon flavour is particularly popular. Powered by two AA batteries, a simple press of the button will see hundreds of bubbles streaming out of the puppy's mouth for your dog to try and catch and pop. This makes for hours of fun indoors and out.

Customer review: "This is a really nice bubble machine. It is smaller than I expected but it makes loads of bubbles and goes on continuously making bubbles for a surprisingly long time even using only a small amount of the liquid."