Crocheted baskets

I got the idea for these baskets from Ikea’s Nordrana baskets. So, if you don’t want to crochet the baskets yourself, you can buy them from Ikea.

If you want to crochet the baskets yourself, you can find lots of tutorials when you google “crochet basket”. Then you should consider the size of your dog’s nose and head, so that your dog can reach the treats on the bottom.

I crocheted these baskets with two yarns to make them strong. My blue basket is 35 cm high and about 26 cm wide and the red basket is smaller; about 34 cm high and 20 cm wide. I made the red one smaller, so that it can easily fit inside the blue one.

The baskets can be frightening to some dogs as they need to put their head into the dark basket. That’s why you should start these games with the easiest one, as I did with Miki.

First I rolled the sides of the bigger basket down, opened it wide and then I put a couple of kibble inside for Miki to search. Each time we played with the basket, I made it taller and taller until I finally gave the basket to Miki without rolling the sides down at all.

You can make all of these games harder if you put some soft of round obstacles in the baskets with the treats. I’ve used some crocheted corals and tennis balls as obstacles.

All these games were easy for Miki and it took him only from seconds to under a minute to get the kibble out each time.

Game 1: Starting easy…

Game 2: Open basket, sides pulled up

Game 3: Flatted basket

Game 4: I rolled the sides inwards and hide the kibble in the sides

Game 5: I rolled the sides down, then flipped the basket upside down and put the treats between the sides and the basket

Game 6: The red basket inside the blue basket, with the sides rolled down. The treats are on the bottom of the red basket.

Game 7: The red basket inside the blue basket, sides pulled up. The treats are on the bottom of the red basket.

Game 8: The red basket inside the blue basket. The treats are between the baskets.

Game 9: The red basket inside the blue basket. The treats are in the red basket and I put the red basket upside down in the blue one.

Game 10: The red basket inside the blue basket. The treats are in the red basket and I folded the red basket in half before I put it in the blue basket.