Wilderdog's Conifur has quietly become one of the brand's most beloved products. It’s an enrichment toy that keeps dogs busy, mentally stimulated, and endlessly entertained. The story of how it came to be is just as unexpected as the toy itself. Here's a conversation with Conifur creator and Wilderdog co-founder, Jerad.
Could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your role at Wilderdog?
Hey there, my name is Jerad! I'm one of the founders of Wilderdog. While I often wear many hats, my role is primarily marketing. However, I sometimes dabble in product design, and a few years ago found myself really inspired to create a fun, engaging enrichment toy that also looked cool and wouldn't look out of place around the house. So working on the Conifur was really fun and let me jump head first into something I was really excited about.
For someone who has never heard of it, how would you describe the Conifur?
The Conifur is a super versatile enrichment toy. It's designed to provide mental stimulation for high energy dogs, keep any dog busy and engaged for approximately 30 minutes, and/or help sooth anxiety for our super anxious friends. It's a toy designed to engage your dog and mentally stimulate them through therapeutic activities.
Where did the idea for the Conifur come from?
I'll jump into the full story here. Two summers ago I had ankle surgery, and Rachel (Wilderdog Co-Founder and wife) needed knee surgery. We staggered them so I would go first, she'd take care of me, and then she'd go second and I'd take care of her. In between, we figured it would be a great time to get our puppy, Gus, neutered. The three of us would just be posted up on the couch for a stretch!
Sadly, while Gus was waking up from being neutered, something happened. He freaked out and tore his Achilles in the vet's office. What was supposed to be a few days of recovery turned into emergency surgery within 24 hours, followed by three months of being crated and off his feet. Gus is a Border Collie puppy, so very high energy... off his feet and in a crate, for three months.
So the three of us were all sitting around together recovering, and that's when I really started looking into enrichment toys. How do I keep him busy and mentally stimulated while we're sitting on the couch all day? At least we were right there next to him since we'd also had surgery, but keeping him busy and happy was a challenge.
We went through a plethora of enrichment toys, and the ones I liked most were ones where you could freeze something and let the dog lick it out. But the ones we were buying, I just wasn't happy with. The materials weren't durable — he'd be done licking and would start chewing the toy to pieces. With nothing but months of couch time on the calendar, I decided it was time to get to the drawing board and make my own.
Little Gus stuck in his crate.
What were you trying to design that would make this toy different from the others you tried?
I wanted the toy to have more than one purpose. If the dog got tired of or finished licking one side, I wanted there to be more to it. That's where the kibble hole on the opposite end came from. A dog has to roll it or bounce it to try and get kibble out after they're done with the frozen side.
And then we live in the mountains. Gus is a pine cone eater. He loves to chew them, and if we're ever short a tennis ball you can always throw a pine cone. I really liked the idea of something that felt natural, like an object you'd find on the ground.
The pine cone shape also gives it an unpredictable bounce. If you give it an underhand toss, it doesn't go where you expect it to. It bounces all over the place.
So those were really the three pillars of the design: the frozen treat end, the kibble hole on the other side, and the pine cone shape for that natural look and unpredictable bounce.
So Wilderdog wasn't really initially aiming to create an enrichment toy at all. This came directly from that experience?
Exactly. It came from this sort of lived-in hell we went through. We had talked about maybe doing toys at some point, but were thinking more along the lines of tennis balls or fetch toys. Honestly, I knew nothing about enrichment toys until this experience.
Being posted up on the couch with my ankle in a cast, next to my dog with his ankle in a cast, I had plenty of time to research what was out there, learn what enrichment toys are designed to do and what kind of mental stimulation is beneficial for dogs.
The name is quite catchy. How did 'Conifur' come about, and were there any other candidates in the running?
Ha! Thanks. I can't take credit for the name - that was one of our employees. We like to bounce product names and ideas off of everyone in the office when we're coming up with things like that. Fortunately we have some funny and bright folks on our team who came up with that one.
What did the design process look like in the early days? Were you literally sketching a pine cone on the couch?
It really is an interesting origin story, because I don't have any prior toy design experience. It did start with a few sketches. But to take it from there to something digital, I had no idea where to start. So I went to a freelancer site — Upwork — and found someone who specialized in dog toy product design. I reached out and said, 'I have this idea, here are the sketches and the functionality — can you help me come up with a 3D model I could take to a manufacturer?' It was a great experience. There were a couple of revisions, and then I had enough to take to a toy manufacturer and ask, 'Is this something you think is possible?' They said yes.
There were a few hiccups once we got into creating an actual 3D mold, and working with the manufacturer helped polish things off. Eventually we had a 3D printed sample in hand, and once we could see the sizing and feel it, we were able to move forward and make it out of silicone. I like to joke that I don't have any technical skills, but thanks to the internet I was able to take this idea and find people to help me run with it.
First concept. V1 of many!
Prototype showing each piece of the Conifur. The tube is a fake frozen treat!
Final prototype next to the finished product.
Did the final product look like what you originally imagined?
The final product looks a lot like how I imagined it.
Lake Tahoe is known for massive pine cones. I had this vision of something that looked like a traditional Jeffrey pine cone you'd find on the ground here. It came out a lot better than I thought it would. I'm stoked to say the least.
Wilderdog also put together a recipe book to go with the Conifur. Were you the head chef on that project too?
Yes, I was the head chef, partnered with my chief of taste testing, Gus. I wanted to come up with recipes that were fun and felt seasonal for different times of the year.
Some are fruity for summer... In my mind I was trying to replicate a beachy drink you'd have on vacation, or fun popsicle, but healthy and without sugar for a dog.
Then, there are some that are more suited for November or December. Hearty, beef stew-style recipes that sound good on a cold winter day. I wanted to find ingredients that work all year round and feel festive and fun at different times.
Were there other dogs involved in early testing beyond Gus?
Definitely. Once we had the first handful of samples, we sent them out to friends and some of our doggy influencers to get feedback and see how other dogs responded. I liked the toy — but I also came up with it. So I was curious whether other people (and their dogs!) would be equally excited.
The initial feedback was great. A common response was something like, 'My dog actually played with this for the longest he's ever played with a toy — a full half hour to lick everything out, then work on getting kibble out of the other end.' It was really cool to hear that other dogs knew what to do with it and enjoyed it the way I had hoped.
The Conifur is pretty different from the rest of the Wilderdog lineup. What were your expectations going into the launch?
I really didn't know what to expect. It was a totally new category for us. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel some doubt about it - but was excited to get it out there and see if people liked it!
Have any customer stories or reviews particularly stood out to you?
The reviews that have meant the most are the ones that say something like, 'This really did work for a half hour — I was able to take a Zoom call without being interrupted.' It's cool to see that it actually works. That was always my underlying question: it keeps Gus busy, but will it work for other dogs too? Will they find it interesting? Will they want to lick it out, work on getting kibble out of the other end? Or will they just ignore it? Sometimes you buy a toy for your dog and it ends up collecting dust on the floor unless you're actively engaging them with it. So seeing that it actually works has been rewarding — especially because at the end of the day, I'm not a dog psychologist. It came together through trial and error, some couch research and the help of Gus!
Is Gus still loving it, and what are his go-to recipes?
Yes, Gus is still loving it. Post-recovery we had some separation anxiety issues since we had all been glued together on the couch for a few months. He waits next to the freezer for his Conifur to get reloaded when we start to get ready to leave the house. So to say the least, he might love it more than us.
His go-to recipe is the Doggy PSL. It's simple, easy, and the pumpkin works wonders with helping express his anal glands... TMI? Haha.
Chief Tasting Officer Gus.
