BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a new toy for stimulating the intelligence of dogs with a preferably rectangular or cube-shaped body with base panel projecting laterally on the underside of the same, into which body small food rewards, in particular treats, can be placed, wherein at least two panels which are horizontal, parallel to one another, provided with recesses and movable are arranged in the inner space thereof at distances above one another, corresponding to a multiplicity of functional levels, of which panels at least one panel is formed as a sliding panel which can be inserted on both sides through slot-like recesses arranged in opposite body side walls and which can be pulled out by the dog.

Various toys for animals, in particular for dogs, are known from the prior art, which toys are supposed to engage the dog in play and additionally bring about a learning or training effect. These games normally have a relatively simple structure and reward the dog in the event of success for the solution with an edible reward in the form of a normal treat. The toys which are currently commercially available and known are, however, usually solved directly and by applying the principle of trial and error, as a result of which the learning effect for the dog remains within narrow limits. The toys also enable barely any or no variance in the complexity of the problems to solve with the result that the games quickly become uninteresting for the animal.

DE 202008011742 U1 describes a dog toys, comprising a hollow cylinder in which at least two sliding panels arranged on top of one another can be inserted and pulled out reversibly by the dog through lateral recesses slots in order to convey the treat to the output opening.

US 20110253059 and DE 202008011741 describe multifunctional animal toys.

Austrian Patent No. AT 516156 B1 describes a toy for stimulating the intelligence of dogs with a preferably rectangular or cube-shaped body with base panel projecting laterally on the underside of the same, into which body small food rewards, in particular treats, can be placed, wherein at least two panels which are horizontal, parallel to one another, provided with recesses and movable are arranged in the inner space thereof at distances above one another—corresponding to a multiplicity of functional levels (I-IV)—of which panels at least one panel is formed as a sliding panel which can be inserted on both sides through slot-like recesses arranged in opposite body side walls and which can be pulled out by the dog.

US 2014/0224185 A1 discloses a game for stimulating the cognitive skills of domestic animals with a two-part displaceable cover.

DE 202008011741 U1 shows in FIG. 1 and DE 202006010218 U1 shows in FIG. 5 further examples of dog toys in the case of which a cover must be displaced or pivoted, wherein the toy according to DE 202006010218 U1 can be expanded with variable modules.

WO 2014/081376 A1 relates to a motivational game for domestic animals in the case of which a locking element must be displaced to a specific location in order to be removable. The level of difficulty can be increased in this case.

US 2011/0253059 A1 and CN 202285807 U disclose further examples of toys which stimulate the intelligence of domestic animals in the case of which locking elements have to be removed in order to reach an edible reward. According to the Chinese publication, the covering elements also have “scent channels” and both of these toys are to be regarded as complex challenges for the animal which is playing with them.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to create a toy for dogs which avoids disadvantages of known games, maintains the interest of the dog in the toy for a particularly long time and ensures its long-term and frequently recurring interaction along with a simultaneously high and gradually increasing learning effect.

In particular the object of the invention lies in the creation of a toy for dogs with rapidly and simultaneously complexly changeable and exchangeable demands on physical and mental capabilities and in particular on the intelligence and learning capacity of the dog.

This object is achieved in the case of a toy corresponding to several degrees of difficulty with increasing demands on intelligence of the above-mentioned type with the combination of features as claimed.

In the case of this new toy, it is provided according to the invention that the body—corresponding to a first functional level—has on the upper side two partial covering panels arranged horizontally and parallel to the stated panels with their two facing edges at a dog paw-accessible distance from one another and can be slid laterally out of one another by the dog under the full upper-side opening of the body and can finally be swiveled into a vertical position parallel to the two side surfaces of the body or bearing against them, that there is arranged thereunder—corresponding to a second functional level—an access panel which is provided with an upper-side dog paw- or teeth-accessible retaining bracket and at least one recess through which a locking pin which is to be removed in advance by the dog passes and can be lifted out of the body upward by the dog by means of this retaining bracket, below which a sliding panel—forming a third functional level—through which at least one locking pin to be removed in advance by the dog and at least one special locking pin which can also be removed by the dog only after deliberate lateral displacement pass, runs approximately diagonally and centrally has a slot-like longitudinal recess having an expansion on both sides, and that below it there is located a special locking pin holder or base panel—corresponding to a fourth functional level—where applicable, fastened in the body having a substantially identical surface area, configuration and identical or similar orientation to the diagonal longitudinal recess of the sliding panel, by means of which at least one special locking pin which is equipped with a projecting base edge zone and is engaged over by the two-sided edges of the diagonal longitudinal recess is displaceable in the longitudinal recess and can only be removed upward via its central expansion zone, with it only being possible for the sliding panel to be displaceable by the dog and pulled out of the body thereafter.

In the pushed-in state, the panels bring about a spatial delimitation and division of the body into “functional regions” or compartments which lie on top of one another.

Several locking elements which can be inserted reversibly and removed by the dog, for example, pin-type locking elements, are therefore provided which can be brought into mechanical interaction both with the upper panel and with a lower sliding panel, wherein, when the locking pin is inserted, a locking or blocking of the access panel and the sliding panel arises and lifting or pulling out of the body is prevented and is only possible after corresponding removal of the locking pins.

What is important here is a continuous scent channel which extends through the locking pin, which passes through the two panels, and which establishes an open scent connection between the nose of the dog and a treat placed e.g. at the base or close to the base of the body.

This scent connection between the treat and the nose of the dog is important because the dog is motivated by the scent of the treat to ultimately reach the treat and in this manner solve the problem by overcoming the individual functional levels.

At the same time, the locking pins, however, also satisfy the further function of the mechanical interaction and the locking of the panels in a mechanically and structurally advantageous manner. The provision of the locking pin(s) which lock(s) the panels causes the dog to have to identify a causal link between his/her actions and adjust his/her behavior accordingly.

In the case of the new toy, the dog does not arrive at the objective in the short term by means of trial and error since a removal and the pushing out of the panels is not possible before he/she has not removed the locking pin(s). It is only then that each of the panels can be successively detected and lifted or pulled out by the animal, wherein the sequence is additionally relevant here.

The game means that the dog learns to identify a specific sequence of his/her actions and adapt his/her sequence of actions accordingly. The final success is, however, not directly achieved and rewarded in this case, as is the case in previously known games, if the dog immediately finds a treat, for example, in a drawer which can be pulled out or behind a flap to be opened or the like.

In the case of the new game, the dog must put several steps of action in the correct sequence in order to reach the final reward. If he/she does not order the steps or tries to put the steps in an unintended sequence, by virtue of the fact that he/she first tries, for example, to pull out the sliding panels, he/she will not be successful.

Only the satisfaction of the intended prerequisites enables the solution to the game. In this manner, a long-term, intensive activity with long-lasting learning success is ensured and it is guaranteed that the dog does not start to become bored with the new game even after frequent activity.

Further advantageous configurations of the invention are achieved by the following features:

It is thus provided that recesses are provided in the panel of the second functional level to be lifted out and in the sliding panel of the third functional level and the locking pin(s) can be passed reversibly through these recesses or introduced reversibly into these recesses or, vice versa, removed from there. As a result of the constructive manner of the mechanical interaction between the locking pin(s) and the recesses, the game is robust, long-lasting, physically easy to operate and operationally safe.

In this context, it is advantageously provided that there is provided in the panel which is to be lifted out of the cube at least one continuous recess which passes fully through this panel and in the sliding panel located thereunder at least one non-continuous (blind) recess so that the dog is forced to firstly remove the locking pin(s) in order to lift out of the body and discard the access panel of the second functional level by means of a retaining bracket after already completed entire pushing apart and lateral folding up of the two partial covering panels of the first functional level.

In order to initially achieve a per se uncomplicated pushing apart of the two partial covering panels by the dog, which is followed by its “recognition” that this is not sufficient to reach a desired treat, in order therefore to remove the access panel arranged thereunder from the body, it is provided that each of the two partial covering panels is equipped on both sides in each case with a pivot pin projecting laterally from them and with which they engage in guide slots arranged in both sides, preferably in upper protrusion zones of the body, and are displaceable in each case up to their outer end and pivot points, from where the partial covering panels can then be folded vertically away and down.

In accordance with the bodily structure of the dog and the approximately human hand-equivalent functionality of its front paws, it is provided according to the invention that the sliding panel has on at least one of its face sides projecting out of the body a lug-type bow-shaped handle which can be operated, i.e. used by the dog.

It is of course particularly preferred if in each case such a bow-shaped handle is arranged on both lateral face sides of the sliding panel projecting at the front and rear out of the body in each case through a sliding slot which passes through its opposite side walls, which increases the variability of the new toy.

In order to make the process of pulling the sliding panel out of the body more difficult to a certain extent, it can be provided that there is arranged in the base panel of the body projecting laterally on the underside at least one blind recess into which a locking pin which passes through the handle recess of the bow-shaped handle of the sliding panel can be inserted, and that it is only after its removal by the dog that the sliding panel can be displaced and pulled out from the body.

In order to achieve a mutual locking of the panels of the various functional levels at the start of the game, it is provided that recesses of identical, preferably circular configuration through which the locking pins and/or the special locking pins can pass or be appropriately occupied and are linearly flush with one another and such blind recesses are arranged in the panels of the second to fourth functional levels.

In order to ensure the incentive caused by a treat for the dog to engage to a greater extent with the game cube and with the successive removal of the panels corresponding to the various functional levels therefrom, it is expedient if preferably each of the in particular substantially cylindrical locking pins and optionally also the special locking pins has a scent channel passing fully through it along its central main axis.

The sliding panel of the third functional level represents a particular challenge for the intelligence of the dog which increases to a varying degree of speed with the duration and number of games, wherein it is provided that the sliding panel of the third functional level outside the diagonal longitudinal recess with the preferably central expansion through which a locking pin passes or can pass additionally has at least one further special locking pin passing through this diagonal longitudinal recess and furthermore two recesses which are arranged approximately counter-diagonally and through which locking pins to be removed by the dog can also pass.

The playfulness of the dog can be easily challenged if it is ensured that the access panel of the second functional level which can be lifted upward out of the body by the dog by means of a lug-type retaining handle has two recesses which pass through these, which are passed through or can be passed through in each case by a locking pin and which are preferably arranged diagonally, wherein these two recesses of the access panel which can be lifted out with two recesses or blind recesses of the sliding panel of the third functional level are arranged congruently.

It is not least advantageous in the sense of stimulating the intelligence of the dog in the context of its activity with the new toy if at least one blind recess is arranged in the special locking pin holder panel, where applicable, fixed in the body, in which blind recess the edible reward for the dog can be arranged.

The invention is explained in greater detail on the basis of the drawing.

