I think this could be more than just a substitute for responsibly exercising and interacting with a dog. I work at home and take my dog for plenty of walks and hikes, and do a lot of training with her, but she's very smart and food motivated, and loves all the Kong-like food dispensing puzzle toys. I suspect she would love this, and if it were a bit cheaper, I'd be all over this. (I could get a lot of $10 dog puzzles for the cost of this.)