You know how it is when you get chatting to someone in the same line of work and time just flies?
That's exactly what happened when I sat down (virtually, kettle on) with the team at Ancol to talk about their brand new Ancol Orva Pine Cone dog enrichment toy.
Ancol are celebrating a proper milestone this year, 50 years in the pet world, trusted since 1971 and, like us they're a family business. Ancol Pet Products just get it when it comes to pets, and of course dogs.
Their Orva range is a bit of a baby by comparison: it only launched in September 2024. But it's already turning heads, especially with their new enrichment toy, the Pine Cone, which you'll have seen popping up alongside our No Fuss Fill enrichment toy filler this autumn. We're proud to be the exclusive UK stockist of the Orva Pine Cone during their launch month, so it felt like the perfect moment to sit down together and swap notes.
So, kettle refilled, here's how our chat went . First I put Ancol in the hot seat, then they turned the tables on me.
Part One: I Sat Down With Ancol
Mrs P: You're a Midlands-based business. What do you think being a UK-based pet brand means to pet parents?
Ancol: As a trusted UK brand since 1971, we offer consistent quality and service, great customer support and general communication.
Mrs P: What goes into creating a new dog toy at Ancol, where does an idea start?
Ancol: As pet owners ourselves, we only design or select items we would be happy for our own pets to use or play with. Market research allows us to make an informed decision on whether a new product is commercially viable.
Mrs P: What made you decide to add the Pine Cone to your range?
Ancol: The Pine Cone is an evolutionary step. ( Ancol previously launched a Pine Cone along with an acorn) In use, we realised this product could be better, so we set to re-design and improve on the previous one.
Mrs P: What makes the Pine Cone different from a traditional dog toy?
Ancol: The Pine Cone is part of the Orva range — not so much a toy, but designed to help solve the problem of intelligent, bored dogs who need more stimulation than a "squeaky toy". All Orva products are designed or chosen for their superior quality components and aren't designed to compete with traditional "dog toys", as those can be quite price conscious.
Mrs P: What type of dogs do you think will get the most enjoyment from the Pine Cone?
Ancol: Any dog who is looking for stimulation, big or small dogs. The various uses all satisfy some of the dog's natural urges.
Mrs P: What's your favourite way to use the Pine Cone?
Ancol: My favourite way is to fill it with kibble at the end and then, with my No Fuss Fill, fill their raw food to the top. It takes her a while to get everything out, and it makes it perfect for her, she eats at 100mph, but she loves it and gets excited to see the Pine Cone. It's a food game for her.
We had a laugh about this one — turns out "wolfs it down in ten seconds flat" is a very universal dog problem, and it's exactly the gap our filler and their Pine Cone were both built to close.
Mrs P: If your dog could choose one thing to put inside their Pine Cone, what do you think they'd choose?
Ancol: Either their raw food or yogurt on the inside and outside, then freeze it. It lasts her a long time and she loves seeing the Pine Cone!
Mrs P: What made you think the Pine Cone and No Fuss Fill would make a good partnership?
Ancol: Two independent companies trying to make a dog's life a happier and more content one.
Mrs P: What's next for Ancol , can we expect more enrichment-focused products?
Ancol: Range development is a constant process. There's a new range catalogue being launched in March 2027 — look out for new products then.
Part Two: Ancol Turned the Tables on Me
Then it was my turn ! Here's what they wanted to know about No Fuss Fill
Ancol: Tell us about No Fuss Fill how did the idea come about?
Mrs P: The idea came to me when we got our 1st dog, I had read how important enrichment is and knew that I wanted to incorporate this into my dog's life. One of the ways was to use enrichment feeders but I came up against a few issues once I started using them.
- the of the mess and faff of filling enrichment toys with sticky, wet food by hand,
- The time it took to fill toys
- Wanting to control my dogs’s weight and worrying about filling this kind of toy with just treats, I wanted to put his actual food in the toys
So I decided to create a solution to a problem lots of people were facing when they filled toys- and the No Fuss Fill® Enrichment Toy Filler was born.
Ancol: Where is No Fuss Fill made?
Mrs P: It's made just up the road from the Ancol Headquarters! It was really important to me to work with a local UK based manufacturer. It meant that I was close the product, I knew the standards at the factory and met all of the people involved in the manufacture process and packaging, many who have their own dogs and loved being part of the No Fuss Fill story
Ancol: What can you actually put inside a No Fuss Fill?
Mrs P: Market research showed me that people wanted to use proper food in toys, not just treats or the equivalent of dog junk food, so I worked with Warwick Manufacturing part of Warwick University to ensure the filler works with a range of foods with different consistencies and textures. It works with wet, tinned or tray food, minced raw, grated pate and even soaked kibble - soaked until soft.
Ancol: What's your favourite thing to fill a No Fuss Fill with?
Mrs P: My dog Harvey eats Bella+ Duke, raw and I love how easy it is to just stamp the wide open end of the No Fuss Fill into the tray to load it and seconds later the toy is filled
Ancol: What makes enrichment preparation so much easier with No Fuss Fill?
Mrs P: The No Fuss Fill is quick and clean, no more spooning or squeezing food into fiddly toy holes by hand, less mess, quicker to batch-prepare and freeze ahead, so enrichment becomes something you can keep up with and becomes part of their daily care and not an optional extra
Ancol: What would you recommend to someone who's never tried enrichment with their dog before?
Mrs P: I'd start by building the toy's value with your dog. That might look like adding a few dry treats or pieces of kibble to the toy and letting your dog explore it and discover there's value in interacting with it. Once they see the toy as something that dispenses good things, you can start playing around with different textures , perhaps some dry treats first, followed by a squirt of something from the No Fuss Fill, then a few loose treats on top. Before you know it, your dog will be proficient at getting every last morsel out, and while they're having fun, you can step it up and pop the filled toy in the freezer for a while, building up to it being a fully frozen toy. I love watching my dog work on his toys and hold them while he gets the food out. Start simple: one filled toy at mealtime instead of a bowl, and build up from there , it doesn't need to be complicated to make a real difference.
Ancol: What's the strangest or most creative thing you've seen someone use in a No Fuss Fill?
Mrs P: We know lots of people use the No Fuss Fill to "hand feed" wet or raw food, which isn't something we'd thought of when it was designed, but it makes life so much easier for wet or raw feeders, since it's not exactly easy to carry a handful of wet food in your pocket for training the way it is with kibble!
But the weirdest thing I have done with a No Fuss Fill is make sausage rolls!
A Partnership Built on Happy Dogs
Two independent, family-run, UK- based brands, one shared mission: happier, more content dogs (and considerably less mess for the rest of us). That's what #NoFussAncol is all about keep an eye on our socials over the coming weeks for the rest of the collaboration including a giveaway!
In the meantime the New Ancol Orva is exclusively available from No Fuss Fill with a special Launch Bundle price of just £18.99
Get your paws on the bundle here
