Enrichment Toy and Game Ideas

Are you looking for ways to provide mental stimulation for your pet? Have you ever been working diligently at the computer while your pet lays listlessly on the floor, sighing heavily with the expression, “Are you done yet because I am really bored?” Here are a few simple and cheap ways to engage your pet’s mind and senses while you are leaving for work or catching up on emails.

Dig Box – Animals have a natural desire to hunt and search for food. As owners, we can take advantage of their feeding time while simultaneously stimulating their minds. You can use any type or size box, container or basket and fill it with any type of substrate that you’re pet won’t ingest such as newspaper, old socks, leaves, etc. I use No Sew Fleece which I cut into varying length strips. I like this for inside the house because the edges don’t fray, it’s easy to clean up and easy to wash. Now just mix in their food or treats and let them sniff and search away! This is also a great way to feed dogs that eat too fast. And when they are done eating it makes a great soft bed into which they can dig and burrow to their heart’s content! Click here to view a video of Polly having dinner at Café Dig Box.



Milk Jug – This is another version of the Dig Box but adds an increased level of difficulty because it moves! Take a milk jug, card board box, cereal box, etc. and cut a few holes that are not big enough for your pet to get their head stuck! Then add substrate such as newspaper, old socks, leaves, No Sew Fleece, etc. and food or treats. I would not recommend this activity for a pet that might ingest non-food pieces and your pet should be supervised. It is up to you if you want to let your pet tear up the box but it is great fun! Your pet will paw, push, pull, sniff and contemplate this food puzzle. Click here for a video of Baby pulling the ‘guts’ out of her milk jug prey to get to the tasty treats inside and Polly who is still mastering her technique!






Find It – This is a great technique that a lot of trainers use to redirect a dog’s attention to the food on the ground rather than the other dog, cat, squirrel or mail man that the dog likes to bark at. It also makes a great indoor or outdoor game. Start simple. Drop a piece of food or a treat on the ground in front of your dog and say, “Find it”. Slowly drop or put the food farther away from your dog. The goal is to get them sniffing for the food. Once they get the idea you can hide treats in areas that provide just enough of a challenge to find. You can help them by walking near a treat and pointing. Some dogs just aren’t motivated to look but others just love it. If you end up with a dog that is glued to your side and finds the treat the moment it touches the ground you can do one of two things.

a. Put one treat in one hand and the rest of the treats in the other. Use sleight of hand and use the hand with all the treats to distract your dog while you casually place the single treat in it’s hiding place.
b. Put your dog in another room while you hide the treats and them let ‘em rip!

Feed your dog by hand – This is a great way to build a relationship with and train your dog as well as break up the monotony of the feeding ritual. Take your dog’s food ration, ask for simple commands like sit, down, stand or watch and then give them a piece of food. ‘Watch’ is a great way to teach your dog to pay attention to you. Just hold the food up by your eye at which, of course, your dog will look at and then say ‘Yes’ (or whatever word you use to tell your dog they just did what you asked). Then start holding the food further and further away from your face and then just wait until your dog makes eye contact with you and then say ‘Yes’. Not only will hand feeding reinforce your dog’s basic obedience but it teaches him or her that you are the keeper of all things good and they should ‘ask’ you first!

©2010 Wagmore