Dog Environmental Enrichment
All dogs can benefit from extra physical and mental stimulation, especially while left alone at home. Below are some tips to help keep your canine companion happy, healthy and fulfilled.
Rotate toys frequently. Having toys of different textures (eg rope toys, rubber toys, soft toys) can provide variety for your dog. Always make sure you inspect the toys frequently for any damage or parts that could be swallowed.
Use food dispensing toys for your dog to eat its daily ration from. Examples include Kong toys which can be stuffed with a variety of treats, kibble or wet food (and even frozen for extra difficulty!), or Bob-A-Lot toys which can hold your dog’s full ration of dry food.
Scatter your dog’s food in the backyard or house and encourage them to sniff it out.
Fill up a clam shell with water on hot days for your dog to splash in.
A clam shell can also be filled with balls, and then treats hidden among them to encourage your pet to search for them.
Use an old muffin tin to put your dog’s kibble in. Then place tennis balls on each of the wells to challenge your dog.
Give long lasting toys such as pigs ears or dental chews to keep your pet occupied.
On hot days, fill an icecream container with water and put in bits of kibble, treats, or anything (eg peanut butter, chicken bits, wet food) and freeze. Tip this big ice block out for your dog in the backyard to enjoy.
Freeze a milk carton with the mix mentioned above, and hang it from a tree, allowing treats to drip out over the day.
Invest in strong toys such as Jolly balls or other tug toys that can be fastened to an upright structure to allow your dog to play tug during the day.
Make sure your dog has access to plenty of cool water and shade during the day.
Give your dog multiple beds to rest on - for instance one in the sun and one providing shelter and warmth.
Many dogs enjoy having access to indoors and outdoors - consider if a doggy door might provide your dog more opportunities to feel relaxed.
Provide your dog appropriate physical exercise for your dog daily. This might be a walk outside, playing ball or tug in the backyard, or going for a gentle walk around the yard depending on your dog’s fitness and age.
For many dogs, a short training session learning new skills will provide lots of mental stimulation. This is often more effective than physical exercise for tiring a dog out! Simple skills such as shaking hands, rolling over or bringing you a toy can be fun for dogs to learn. Youtube is a great resource for learning new tricks, and your dog will love getting lots of treats and pats as a reward.