7 QUICK TIPS FOR ENRICHING YOUR DOG’S ENVIRONMENT
Boredom is the worst!
When I’m bored, I find myself usually going to the kitchen looking for a snack. It’s not just us humans who fall into bad habits though. Dogs do too.
One of the easiest ways to keep your dog blissfully busy is exercise. While my dog also loves snacking, she equally loves hunting for rabbits in the back yard or exploring and sniffing things during walks and trips to the dog park.
While physical exercise is important for dogs, they also need to keep their brains busy too! Here’s my quick tips to enrich your dog’s environment to help them stay mentally and physically active - and out of trouble.
#1 - Hide And Seek Toys
My dog Hannah absolutely loves the hide and seek toys from outward hound. She loves getting new toys, but usually gets bored with them in about 10-15 minutes. I first got her a banana (for Hannah banana) with hidden monkeys. When she didn’t tire of that toy for days I got her the squirrel one. She loves finding little things like she’s hunting (especially tearing things apart). This toy allows her to find multiple little animals and she hasn’t torn them apart yet. This will keep your pooch happy and busy for hours!
#2 - Food Dispensing Toys
There are a plethora of these out there. Making your dog work for their food can be fun. The classic and my favorite is the good ol’ Kong. (I had to get the heavy duty one for my pup). As a pro tip here’s what I do: I mix peanut butter with plain greek yogurt (make sure there is no sweetener or flavorings) to make it a little lower in calories than just peanut butter. I fill the kong then put it in the freezer. A frozen kong lasts a lot longer and provides more mental stimulation since it’s more difficult. It also gives them the satisfaction of licking. Hannah also really likes the Starmark Bento Ball. They have inserts that are good help clean their teeth too! You can also get food dispensing balls that you can put their kibble in to make mealtime more fun and mentally stimulating. (Pairing these games with their regular meals also helps prevent calories from going crazy for just giving them extra treats).
#3 - Puzzles
Puzzles really keep the brain going and challenge your dog’s mind. I really like this puzzle by Outward Hound because Hannah is able to do the puzzle without getting frustrated, but it’s not too easy. This is a great puzzle because You can also add levels with this puzzle starting off with the easiest (without the white bone inserts) then you can add the white bone inserts to add difficulty once they start getting the hang of it. It’s definitely a great way to add mental enrichment to your pups routine.
#4 - Snuffle Mat
If you’ve never heard of a snuffle mat before, you might be wondering what it is. It’s like a puzzle. But it has flaps of fabric to hide bits of food. These help your dog exercise their sense of smell and stimulates their brain to find food. You can purchase already made snuffle mats. Or, I wrote a blog post awhile back about how to make one yourself for all you DIY loving folks out there. Pro Tip: hide your dogs kibble in the snuffle mat for dinner!
#5 - Watch Tv
No, my dog doesn’t like watching tv with us really. She does seem to like listening to relaxing music though. Not all dogs get excited by food. You have to be creative and figure out what stimulates your pup. Some pups love watching tv! You could leave the tv on for them, or get a subscription to Dog Tv. Or, here are some Youtube videos specifically for your dog. 15 Hour Dog TV; Live TV for Dogs; Garden Birds for Dogs.
#6 - Show them the world!
I usually make sure to open the curtain in our spare room and the back sliding door. My dog Hannah loves watching outside. Out back she watches for birds and rabbits. She’s not really a barker. So this works for us. (Of course if your pup gets over stimulated this may not be for them.) She often sits in from of the window as if it’s her giant tv screen.
#7 - Go High-Tech!
Of course, in the modern world, leaving to go to work doesn’t have to mean a boring day for your dog anymore. The industry is exploding with high-tech tools and toys that do everything from monitor your dog’s food intake, to watch and speak to them to, yes, enrich their lives! Porter labs is releasing a Pup Station that seems pretty impressive and is all about enrichment.
Every dog is different so play around and see what your dog actually finds entertaining and engaging.