Canine Enrichment 101
Did you know that foraging for food in a snuffle mat is a great way to provide your dog with mental exercise?
Dogs enrich our lives. They show us joy, bring us happiness, and supply us with endless love.
We make the choice to have them in our world. It’s important to remember that it’s not something they’ve chosen for themselves.
It’s expected that every good dog guardian meet’s their dog’s physical needs. You feed your dog, exercise them, take them to the vet, keep up on their preventative medication…the list goes on! But what about your dog’s emotional and behavioral needs?
Lots of behaviors that dog’s exhibit and we label “problematic” are behaviors that make dogs, well, dogs! For example, your puppy needs to rip, shred, and tear things. If you fail to meet that need, your puppy will find their own way to meet it. Often at the detriment of your home–or furniture! Dogs love to sniff, yet many people demand their dog walks in heel position, and will go so far as to “correct” sniffing by popping and yanking them by the collar.
So, how do you meet your dog’s natural and instinctual needs in a way that works for them and you? Provide them opportunities for canine enrichment!
What is canine enrichment?
Oxford defines enrichment as “the action of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something.” In the case of canine enrichment, it’s improving the quality of your dog’s life. Regular canine enrichment allows dogs to engage in behaviors that are natural to them—such as scavenging, chasing, smelling, and chewing. And as a bonus, enrichment activities provide mental stimulation and can help your dog expend their extra energy. Just think about how tired you are after a day of work!
Every dog benefits from canine enrichment.
Canine enrichment is beneficial for each and every dog! It can help your bored dog at home have an appropriate outlet for his or her energy. It can teach your puppy to interact with novel objects. And, it is incredibly beneficial for the mental health of shelter dogs who may otherwise spend a lot of time in a noisy kennel.
There are so many opportunities for enriching your dog’s lives. Whether you want to create a library of puzzle toys, teach a trick, or just want to take your dog on a sniff walk, the possibilities are endless. So, I wanted to share some of my favorite enrichment activities. Over time this list will surely evolve and change, and I will update it as I discover new toys and activities!
Kong Classic toys, or just “Kongs” are a favorite canine enrichment toy in our house. We always have a few filled with treats, frozen, and on hand for when they are needed!
My favorite canine enrichment toys:
Kong Wobbler
The Kong Wobbler is a great toy to replace your dog’s bowl at mealtime. Fill it up with their kibble and let them push it, paw it, and bop it with their nose to dispense the kibble on the floor! Letting your dog work for their meals will help meet their need to scavenge and provide mental exercise! A word of caution—the Kong Wobbler could scratch your wood floors or baseboards/walls if your dog is really tenacious about getting the food out. Be careful where you allow the toy!
Purchase the Kong Wobbler: Shop Kong or purchase at Good Dog Rocky in Gainesville!
Kong Classic
This one is for you—new puppy owners! The Kong Classic (usually referred to as a “Kong”) is a common dog and puppy toy, but did you know you can take it to a whole new level by filling it with food?! Peanut butter, wet dog food, and cream cheese are top of my easy Kong-stuffing list! Spend a few minutes on Google and you’ll find a whole smorgasbord of other Kong stuffing ideas. Because of this, the Kong makes a wonderful daily treat to give to your dog during their down time… or to provide your puppy with an appropriate place to put their sharp teeth!
Pro tip: Purchase a couple of Kongs, fill ‘em up, and freeze them! Then you’ll always have one on hand when you need to give your puppy some quiet time.
Purchase the Kong: Shop Kong or purchase at Good Dog Rocky in Gainesville!
Outward Hound Dog Tornado
Outward Hound makes many dog puzzle toys, and the Dog Tornado is a favorite in our house. I like the Dog Tornado because any dog, no matter what their puzzle problem solving “style” is, can get the toy to dispense treats. They can paw at it, nose it, or even put their mouth on it—all of those interactions create a “win” (i.e. the treats become accessible!) for your dog. You can make the toy really easy, by staggering each of the tiers of the toy and putting plenty of kibble in the slots, or you can make it more challenging by lining them all up to conceal the food.
Pro tip: When your dog has figured out the toy, try freezing wet food or other liquid/paste treats in the containers to create a long lasting and fun game for your dog!
Purchase the Outward Hound Dog Tornado: Shop Outward Hound
Trixie Mad Scientist
The Trixie Mad Scientist is a great intermediate-level puzzle toy that requires your dog to nose or paw each beaker to spin it and dispense treats! It can be made more difficult by adding caps on each beaker to reduce the size of the opening. While this is a more challenging puzzle, it’s really fun and rewarding to watch your dog gain confidence each time they “win” and get their treats!
Purchase the Trixie Mad Scientist: Shop on Chewy
Snuffle Mat for Dogs:
A snuffle mat is a great toy that you can either purchase or, if you’re crafty, make on your own! A basic snuffle mat has felt strips tied to a durable backing. The pieces of felt, densely woven, create a grass-like surface for you to hide kibble. Put your dog’s food in their snuffle mat and let them go to town sniffing and scavenging for their meal.
Pro tip: The snuffle mat is great for your puppy because in addition to providing enrichment, it also teaches them about walking on different surface textures. Enrichment AND socialization!
DIY Snuffle Mat: For DIY snuffle mat instructions, check out the Animal Humane Society’s blog.
Purchase a Snuffle Mat: Shop on Amazon
Hol-ee Roller & Fleece:
The fleece filled Hol-ee Roller became a quick favorite when I realized how much Allie liked to dissect toys! Here’s how I make it for her:
1. Put kibble or a treat in a strip of fleece
2. Roll the strip up
3. Put the rolled up fleece into the Hol-ee Roller toy
4. Repeat until the toy is full of rolled fleece filled with treats
5. Give to your dog to let them go to work getting their food
Purchase the Hol-ee Roller: Shop on Chewy
WOOF! Pupcicle:
The Woof! Pupcicle pop is a great activity to keep your dog busy for long periods of time. I love the pre-made Pupcicle Pops. They keep our busiest dog (hello, puppyhood!) occupied for nearly an hour when kept frozen before use! You can also purchase a mold to make your own. A great, long-lasting enrichment toy!
Purchase the Woof! Pupcicle: Shop Woof! Pupcicle
You can make your own enrichment activities with items commonly found around the house! Here, a shelter dog enjoys the muffin tin and tennis ball game. Photo courtesy of Best Dog Studio.
My favorite canine enrichment activities:
Sniff Walks
If you have a dog who enjoys going outdoors with you, try a sniff walk (sometimes called a sniffari!)! A sniff walk is for your dog and guided by your dog—so plan to get your exercise another time! Go at their pace and let your dog sniff whatever they like (if it’s safe, of course!). They are your guide, you’re just along for the ride. I like to use a 15 foot long leash when I take my dog on sniffy walks so that she has extra freedom to go wherever she wants without any leash pressure. Just make sure to practice good leash handling skills so you don’t get tangled!
Muffin Tin and Tennis Ball Game
Get creative and make a quick and easy puzzle from two things that are likely found in your house—a muffin tin and tennis balls! Grab the muffin tin, fill each spot with some kibble or treats, and top each spot with a tennis balls! As your dog sniffs the tin, they’ll have to knock each tennis ball out of place to get their food! This is a great, easy puzzle for puppies learning about novel objects and dogs who need to grow in their confidence. It also makes a great low-cost activity for volunteers to do with shelter dogs.
Stair Searches
If you’ve got a staircase in your house, put some treats on the various steps and let your dog search! Your dog will get to engage their nose (what dog doesn’t love sniffing?) and get a workout while finding the yummy treats you’ve hidden. Bonus: moving up and down the stairs slowly while sniffing out the treat is a great workout and teaches your dog body awareness.
Clicker Training
Engage your dog’s mind and teach them a new trick without any special equipment needed! Some of my favorite tricks to teach are spin, roll over, paw, and peek-a-boo! If you’re unsure about how to start with clicker training, check out my blog or contact me to schedule one-on-one lessons for your dog!