10 Quick & Easy Dog Enrichment Ideas for Busy Dog Parents
Good news: mental enrichment for your dog doesn’t have to mean more work for you!
Enrichment has become a commonly heard term in the dog community for good reason; it’s an important part of giving our dogs the best life, and for living our best lives with them. What does “enrichment” mean, though, really?
Maybe news clips of zoo animals having a great, funny-to-watch time with pumpkins around Halloween come to mind, making it seem like something exotic, difficult, or even excessive for a pet.
Almost certainly, when considering enrichment or being advised that their dog could use “more enrichment,” it can sound like yet another thing to impossibly fit into an already packed day.
Another walk or training session. Another activity that requires knowledge, supplies, setup, supervision, cleanup, and something like the organizational skills of a kid’s summer camp director. If nothing else, it’s another expense.
Thankfully, that’s not what enrichment has to be like! Enrichment can be quick and easy for you, fitting into even the tightest schedules, and it doesn’t even need to cost you any extra money.
Some genuinely useful, thoroughly enriching activities take less than a minute for you to set up.
Others are as simple as changing how you give your dog something they were going to get anyway.
Instead of putting a meal into a bowl, scatter some of it in the grass. Going to give your dog a treat anyway? Change it up, make it interesting by hiding the treat. Instead of serving all of their dinner at once, put some of it into a puzzle that gives your dog a fun problem to solve and engages natural foraging behavior.
It really is that easy! And, easy for you doesn’t take away any challenge or fun for your dog.
Your time investment may be measured in seconds, while your dog may get several minutes (or considerably longer) of sniffing, searching, licking, chewing, investigating, and thinking from it. Those things truly matter!
I’m speaking from experience; my dog and my life make enrichment activities that are quick and easy necessary.
That cute scruffy Coydog mascot is my dog, a purpose-bred cross of Australian Shepherd and Australian Cattle Dog. This mixture, called a “Texas Heeler,” was meant to work on cattle ranches in our region. As you can imagine, my little guy is driven and needs to engage his busy mind. While I’m fortunate that my dog works with me, that just means time spent close to each other, not always a novel and enriching experience. Further, not long after I rescued Tater, a serious chronic illness became significantly more severe and limiting; when I’m not busy, it’s because I physically can’t be.
It’s a requirement that I have quick and easy enrichment activities to keep my physically and mentally active, intense herding breed mix happy, healthy, and not coming up with his own “jobs.” (A bored dog is never a good thing, a bored dog who is also an intelligent and active one who is driven to control any and all movement-or lack thereof, even-in his vicinity is miserable for the entire household!) These are all enrichment activities that Tater and I find possible and enjoyable, and we think they’ll get you off to a great start on your own enrichment journey!
In this post…
A Coydog quick-start guide to getting started with dog enrichment activities, even for the most busy dog parents!
First, find out what dog enrichment even is, why it matters, and how it helps. (Psst: It’s not just fancy, newfangled dog keeping language! Enrichment is part of having a more enjoyable relationship and manageable household with your dog.)
Then, get started fast with 10 quick and easy enrichment activities! All chosen as good starter activities to try for busy dog parents. Each has a quick guide card right at the top for you to guage which activity is a fit at a glance.
Already know what enrichments are, but have been holding off because you feel too busy? Jump to the Enrichment List to see what’s possible!
At the end of the post, find all the promised links to items to get you started quickly. Click Tater below to jump there.
First: What is Dog Enrichment?
Enrichment, put simply, is an opportunity for an animal to engage their body, brain, senses, and natural behaviors in meaningful ways.
For dogs, that can include:
sniffing and searching
foraging for food
licking and chewing
digging
shredding and dissecting appropriate objects
problem-solving
exploring
playing
learning
making choices
interacting socially
Not every dog needs or enjoys every type of enrichment. That’s part of the point: good enrichment considers the individual animal. Your dog’s age, breed or mixture of breeds, and individual, developed preferences all factor into the type of enrichments they’ll get the most out of.
A retriever may find carrying and searching particularly satisfying. A terrier may have strong needs to dig, chase, investigate, and dissect things. A scent hound’s idea of a magnificent afternoon may involve approximately six inches of forward progress and 400 fascinating smells. Coydog mascot, Tater, has the typical heeler interest in chasing, biting, and interacting with movement.
Like all the best things we can do for our dogs, your dog gets a vote in their enrichment. Agency is always best, and if you’re not sure which enrichment styles your dog might enjoy, that’s alright! Pick some of our easy suggestions below to start experimenting-it’ll be obvious what your dog likes best.
Now you might be wondering why enrichment matters so much…
The Science of Why Enrichment Matters
Enrichment isn’t just a trendy phrase for keeping dogs occupied; it’s actually rooted in wellbeing.
Modern animal-welfare recommendations recognize opportunities for mental stimulation, exploration, natural behavior, and choice as important parts of a good life. The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), for example, recommends enrichment appropriate to a dog’s age, breed, and temperament, and notes that enrichment can support emotional wellbeing while reducing boredom and associated unwanted behaviors.
There is especially interesting research around olfactory enrichment—letting dogs use those extraordinary noses.
In a 2019 study, pet dogs who participated in nosework for two weeks showed a more positive judgment bias than dogs who spent the same period practicing heelwork. In simpler language, the nosework dogs behaved in a way researchers interpret as greater “optimism.” The researchers highlighted two particularly important welfare components of nosework: dogs were able to perform a natural behavior and had some autonomy in solving the task.
That makes sniffing and foraging much more than a way to distract a dog while you answer emails. With their scent-based worldview and olfactory super senses, this outlet is an all-important opportunity to be a dog.
Nosework doesn’t simply keep dogs occupied: In a 2019 study, dogs who practiced nosework showed a more positive judgment bias than dogs who practiced heelwork.
The researchers highlighted two important ingredients: using a natural olfactory behavior and having some autonomy in solving the task.
In other words: giving dogs meaningful opportunities to sniff, search, and make choices may support emotional welfare, not just tire out their brains.
Mental Exercise and Physical Exercise
Dogs absolutely do need physical activity appropriate for their individual age, health, breed, fitness, and preferences.
Physical exercise and enrichment aren’t interchangeable, and endlessly increasing physical exercise isn’t the answer to a dog who seems unable to settle. In fact, it could make things worse.
Exercise produces fitness. If your primary strategy for tiring an athletic, healthy dog (to manage unwanted behavior) is increasingly long runs, walks, or games of fetch, the dog just becomes more conditioned for that activity. Congratulations: you may eventually own a fitter dog who is still bored and causing issues because they’re bored.
Turning your dog into a super-primed athlete who still strategically de-stuffs all the throw pillows before and after their 5-mile hike probably wasn’t what you were going for!
The goal isn’t to exhaust a dog into behaving. “A tired dog is a good dog” is really bad advice masquerading as expertise, and this phrase truly needs to go into the garbage before it damages any more dogs or the people who love them! Exhaustion doesn’t fix understimulation, and a physically exhausted but bored dog can be quite like a human toddler in the same state. Not a good situation for anyone.
Meanwhile, relying solely on mentally engaging enrichments to give your dog a fulfilling life isn’t good for anyone either. Dogs, all dogs, need physical activity in their lives-this post is not claiming or promoting otherwise. It’s simply addressing the fact that pet parents are still overwhelmingly given the poor messaging of more and more and more physical exercise to tire the dog as the solution.
The key is balance. The right enrichment activities for your individual dog are part of that balance.
A more balanced life gives dogs appropriate physical exercise and opportunities to sniff, investigate, forage, chew, solve problems, learn, play, rest, and make choices.
Great news: you don’t have to schedule an hour-long “mental workout” either. Enrichment can even be tucked into the things you’re already doing.
Below are your 10 quick and easy ways to start!
# 1. Scatter Feeding
Alright, this might be the easiest enrichment activity in existence! Ready for the steps?
Take a handful of your dog’s kibble or small treats.
Scatter it.
That’s it. No, really, that’s it!
A portion of your dog’s daily kibble meal or small treats dropped or tossed onto grass, the floor, a rug, etc. for your dog to excitedly sniff out and gobble up. That’s all Scatter is!
Outside, scatter food through clean grass and let your dog use their nose to hunt down individual pieces. Indoors, you can use an appropriate rug, snuffle mat, or another safe surface where food can be spread out and searched for.
Start with a small, obvious area. Once your dog understands the game, spread the food farther apart or use slightly more challenging terrain. Your dog will figure out the game very quickly! And, this game comes with a bonus.
Make it easier: Scatter food in a small visible area.
Make it harder: Use a larger grassy area or hide pieces among safe objects.
Bonus: Teach “Scatter!”
Say “Scatter!” immediately before tossing the food.
With repetition, the word itself can become a useful cue telling your dog to put their nose down and search.
That can have applications far beyond enrichment. A well-practiced scatter can redirect attention, create distance from something happening nearby, provide a generous reinforcement event after something difficult, and become one useful tool in a larger behavior plan.
For dogs who struggle around triggers, food scatters can sometimes be useful as part of carefully planned positive-reinforcement behavior work—but they aren’t a substitute for addressing significant fear, anxiety, or reactivity with an appropriately qualified professional. Coydog further urges guardians to always engage a qualified professional if there is any doubt as to the severity of their dog’s behavior condition.
#2. The Rolled-Towel Sniff Game
How to set up and give the Rolled-Towel Sniff Game:
• Lay an old towel flat.
• • Sprinkle kibble or small treats across it, then loosely roll the towel up.
• • • Put it on the floor and let your dog figure out how to unroll, nose, paw, and manipulate it to retrieve the food.
There you go, and not only is it quick and easy, but it’s also a beginner food puzzle without any additional cost!
For large, experienced, or particularly determined dogs, this may last just a few glorious seconds, but that’s okay! It’s still enrichment, which is more about the engagement than lasting long enough for the dog to become bored with it.
And this game is a great way to tell whether your dog will enjoy treat puzzle-style games before investing the money in the many excellent and increasingly challenging puzzles available to buy. Enrichment and a try-before-you-buy!
Safety note: Supervise dogs who are inclined to eat towels rather than solve the puzzle made from one. Use a towel that is an appropriate size for your dog, and though old towels are recommended, ensure the dog’s towel is in good condition. Don’t use towels with holes, strings, or fraying. Enrichment stops being enriching when the puzzle becomes gastrointestinal surgery!
# 3. Muffin Tin + Ball Puzzle
Muffin Tin + Ball Puzzle How To:
• Drop pieces of food into several compartments of a muffin tin.
• • Cover the compartments with appropriately sized balls or other dog-safe objects.
• • • Present your masterpiece to your curious dog.
Your dog now has to determine where the food is and how to move the obstacles to reach it. This engages senses and your dog’s cognition, a step up from the Rolled Towel game with the addition of obstacles to manipulate. That’s a useful cognitive skill that carries over nicely if you move up to commercial puzzles!
Tip: The guardian controls the difficulty of the puzzle; stay mindful of that! At first, leave some compartments uncovered so the objective and solution is obvious and obtainable. As your dog gains confidence, cover more of the compartments.
Remember that the objective isn’t to make your dog fail. Good puzzles provide achievable challenges! If your dog seems frustrated (walking away, otherwise not engaging with the puzzle, frustration vocalizing, etc.), make it easier and increase the challenge slowly. Consider your choice of ball/toy as well-your dog might not be able to properly manipulate it, leading to frustration.
Safety note: Many guardians use tennis balls for this DIY puzzle, but take care! Standard tennis balls for human use are not safe, they can contain dangerous materials on the inside. Always be sure that any ball, toy, or other object used is dog-safe, intended for use with dogs, and used under supervision first to ensure safety.
# 4. Snuffle Mat
What is a snuffle mat?
You can think of a snuffle mat as Scatter Feeding: Optimized Indoor Edition. Fabric folds, strips, pockets, and other hiding places create a miniature foraging environment. Sprinkle kibble or treats throughout and let your dog search.
How do you get one?
There are two ways to get your dog a snuffle mat:
You can make a simple DIY version by securely tying strips of fleece through the holes in a sturdy rubber sink, anti-fatigue, or drainage mat. Make sure the finished product cannot be easily dismantled and swallowed; remember, your dog will be sniffing, pawing, and pulling at the strips!
Or you can buy one. Buying enrichment instead of crafting it does not make it less enriching for the dog. On the contrary, commercially available snuffle mats can give your dog a more enriching or longer-lasting experience due to the wide variety of sizes and challenge styles for sale.
Commercial snuffle mats are also often designed with busy households in mind. Most mats fold or roll up for storage, are machine washable, and offer different hiding areas and difficulty levels.
I love DIY when it’s applicable, and because it often saves money, I enjoy recommending safe and fun pet DIY, but sometimes commercial products are just undeniably awesome. In my opinion, once you’ve done DIY tests like #2 and #3 on the list to guage your dog’s potential snuffle mat interest, checking out purchasable options is a great idea. Unless you’re skilled and confident about your sewing, it would be quite difficult to create the safety, complexity, and durability of a commercial snuffle mat at home!
Check out some snuffle mats you can buy here for a quick start!
At Coydog, we love snuffle mats! All three resident dogs- two large/XL and a medium heeler- cannot get enough of their many snuffle mats, and their guardians enjoy the quick and easy enrichment (and clean-up).
What’s additionally cool about this enrichment is that it’s also an excellent place to use part—or even all—of a dog’s normal kibble meal instead of adding extra treats. This lets you give your dog their meal in a more fulfilling way, and prevents overfeeding of treats.
# 5. Lick Mat
What is a lick mat?
A lick mat is a soft, flexible mat with various textures, such as grooves, meant for dogs to lick an edible spread from.
How to use the lick mat:
• Spread a thin layer of dog-safe food over a lick mat and hand it over for your dog to enjoy!
Lick mat tips:
For longer-lasting enrichment, prepare it ahead of time and freeze it. This also makes it ideal for the ultra-busy because you can prepare one (or multiples) in advance, quickly grabbing a lick mat from the freezer when your dog could use some quieter, calming, sensory enrichment.
If you’ve seen lick mats on social media before, you’ve most likely seen them used with peanut butter. There’s nothing wrong with a little peanut butter, but there are many other options and combinations to explore that your dog might love and could even be healthier.
Try ingredients such as:
• plain pumpkin puree
• plain unsweetened Greek yogurt
• dog-safe wet food
• soaked or mashed kibble
• a small amount of unsweetened applesauce
• mashed dog-safe fruits or vegetables
• a thin smear of dog-safe peanut butter
You can combine ingredients, add small pieces of kibble or dog-safe produce, and freeze the whole thing. Tater, blog mascot, particularly enjoys frozen blueberries and plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt!
Why the Coydog Crew & I love lick mats:
Licking activities can provide a quieter form of occupation than exciting physical play, making lick mats particularly useful when you want to encourage a lower-arousal activity.
I like to use lick mats as a settling activity. Like sniffing, licking is a big deal for your dog, but unlike enrichments that are more stimulating (engaging seeking and foraging, or play and predatory sequence outlets), licking is a naturally calming activity for dogs.
Engaging this naturally calming outlet with a lick mat is helpful in getting puppies to settle in for naps, teaching dog life skills like comfortably self-occupying, and keeping things positive during handling. When using appropriate methods, lick mats can be extremely helpful in working with dogs on tolerating grooming and handling, something I’ve used this awesome enrichment for often in the past!
It is important to note that if you want to use a lick mat for any of the purposes I mentioned above, you should be employing positive, appropriate methods. Lick mats shouldn’t be used just to occupy or distract your dog while you force them through nail trims or leave your puppy alone in a crate, for instance. It’s a helpful tool, a part of an overall teaching and behavior plan, not a magic problem solver.
Safety note: Lick mats should be licked, not gnawed and shredded. Supervise until you know what your dog does with one, please!
# 6. Stuffed Food Toy
Longer-lasting, classic for a reason!
A classic stuffable rubber toy can turn a portion of food into a fun project for your dog. And you can make it as complex or simple as you wish and have the time for!
For the beginner version, put a bit of kibble inside and loosely plug the opening with something soft.
That’s it, you’re ready to give it to your dog!
Once your dog understands the concept, experiment with soaked kibble, wet dog food, pumpkin, yogurt, vegetables, or other dog-safe ingredients. Freezing the stuffed toy can dramatically increase how long it takes to empty.
AAHA specifically includes stuffed and frozen food toys among recommended forms of canine enrichment for this reason.
Beginner tip: Start slow and simple! Your dog will pick up the idea quickly, but they do have to figure out that the weird rubber thing you handed them has tasty things inside they can lick, chew, toss, and otherwise manipulate to obtain. Start with the beginner version for your beginner, don’t make a complex frozen puppy parfait. One of the best attributes of this enrichment is how incredibly flexible and customizable it is.
What the dogs of Coydog enjoy:
The Coydog Crew is well-versed in this enrichment activity, so my stuffing is a bit more complex than beginner level. It could give you some creative ideas for the future, or for unique items to include, though. Also, Tater insisted that I share his stuffing mix!
I use an appropriately sized Kong toy. I use frozen blueberries, frozen peas, and little bits of freeze-dried meat or other treats, shaking them up with my hands covering the holes so that they’re all mixed up. I seal the end with a bit of Greek yogurt (unsweetened, plain) or dog-safe peanut butter, sometimes a mixture of those for thickening. Once “plugged,” I lightly roll the plugged end in our collection of “crumblies,” the crumbs and tiny bits of dog cookies left behind in packages and/or the cookie jar, to give it an extra seal and appeal. Then, I place the stuffed Kong into the freezer. Ideally, the stuffed Kong is in the freezer for an hour or more, and typically, I premake them so that they’re ready to go for longer-lasting enrichment on poor weather/temperature days, extra busy days, or days where Tater cannot accompany me for a few hours consecutively.
It sounds like a whole big ritual, right? I can prepare all three larger-sized Kongs in under 5 minutes, including wiping up the inherent peanut butter, yogurt, or pumpkin counter smears! Once your dog has the enrichment down and you’re ready to get more creative with the stuffing, you get the stuffing down very quickly, and making them ahead of time means you always have one ready to go-because we often cannot predict the events of a day in a busy life.
Important safety notes: Part of the enjoyment of food stuffed toys is the novelty of taste and texture in the stuffing. At Coydog, we don’t really like the phrase “people food” because food…is food. That said, no, not all food is appropriate, safe, or healthy for dogs. Please choose your ingredients with care, avoiding salt, sugar, chocolate, onions, garlic, and other notably unhealthy or dangerous items. Always check for Xylitol in ingredients like peanut butter; this is a sugar substitute that is deadly to dogs, and can go by the name “birch sugar” as well. Ensure this is not in your peanut butter, and that if you use the dog’s favorite blueberries, they haven’t had any sugar added, for example. Always monitor your dog at first to ensure safe use of the toy. No matter what kind of stuffable toy you choose, no toy is 100% safe for 100% of dogs 100% of the time-play it safe.
# 7. Store-Bought Dog Puzzle
Remember….you don’t get Dog Parent Bonus Points for making everything yourself!
Commercial puzzles can be fantastic enrichment, and companies such as Nina Ottosson/Outward Hound make puzzles at multiple difficulty levels.
Depending on the puzzle, your dog may need to slide pieces, rotate compartments, lift covers, pull drawers, or complete several actions in sequence to reach the goodies.
Multiple levels mean you can pick a beginner-level puzzle for your dog, then increase the difficulty as they advance in their puzzle-solving skills. When you choose puzzles like those from the Nina Ottosson and Outward Hound partnership, increasing levels are also more cohesive for your dog. It’s easier for your dog to take what they’ve learned and apply it to the next puzzle when that puzzle has similar elements and has been designed for them to keep advancing.
Initially, do start with a beginner-level puzzle! A puzzle should be solvable at first, not an impossibly frustrating experience. Remember, if your dog has never worked with a puzzle before, they have no learned skills or context. It would be like ordering furniture that must be assembled with no directions in the boxes!
Once your dog understands how puzzle toys work, though, increasing the difficulty provides new challenges and mental engagement. Puzzles are great for memory and learning, as well as the fun of manipulating the environment for a reward.
How to:
• Load the puzzle-place bits of treats or kibble in the openings for such.
• • Place the puzzle down for your dog.
Congratulations, fellow busy dog parent, you can now return to what you were doing while your little genius works their brain!
There are many dog puzzles out there, see our favorites here!
# 8. The Two-Minute Treat Hunt
How to:
• Take a handful of food/small treats and hide individual pieces around one room.
Tip: For a beginner, make the hiding places laughably easy: beside a chair leg, near the edge of a rug, beside a doorway.
• • Release your dog to search.
As they learn the game, make the hides gradually more challenging, so that they’ll need to do more sniff-searching to find the prizes.
This is such a fun game, but you’re also doing a lot with it for your dog, too. You’re beginning to introduce the basic concept behind scent-searching activities. The concept: there is something valuable in this environment, and your nose can tell you where it is.
Considering the evidence we have suggesting olfactory activities can positively affect canine welfare, that’s a remarkably good return on two minutes of human effort!
More on that payoff: Searching gives your dog an opportunity to investigate the environment, make decisions, solve a problem independently, and then have their decisions pay off. That helps build confidence while exercising both senses and the mind.
If you and your dog enjoy this enrichment activity a lot, you can keep increasing it almost exponentially. This is the same principle that many Pro Sniffers start with. Pros like: competition scentwork, search and rescue, and dogs that detect everything from drugs and contraband to explosives and diseases. You’re probably too busy to go into nosework trials as a hobby or become a search and rescue team with your dog, but this field of enrichment is growing rapidly among dog parents, making it ever easier to advance.
This enrichment activity lets you get started and try nosework out without having to purchase a scentwork training kit, go to classes, or have any knowledge of formal scentwork. If you want to take it further, there are great products to buy, classes, and entire online communities dedicated to nosework as enrichment for your dog and a hobby for you!
Additional tip: To make things as easy as possible for beginners, it’s alright for your dog to watch you hide some prizes. Your dog will get the idea very quickly, especially if they also see you placing treats around in easily accessible places. Once they’ve gotten it, have your dog wait where they can’t see you hiding the treats, even if you’re still hiding them in very easy locations, then bring them into the search area. Give them a cue for the activity starting to help out, like “find it.”
Coydog Experience:
While not all dogs are as good at or into this game, most are naturally inclined towards it. After all, we know that dogs “see” the world with their noses, and that engaging this sense is deeply rewarding and comes naturally. What’s the first thing that most dogs do when entering a new area, meeting someone new, or checking out an object of interest? Sniff!
Because of the natural inclination and inherent reward in getting dogs to sniff, I’ve long used this enrichment with pet-sitting dogs. I’ve never lived anywhere with more fair outdoor days than poor ones, making fun indoor activities a necessity in my commitment to giving my sitting clients a true “staycation” full of fun. And the same is true of the Coydog Crew!
I’ve played this game with dogs of all sizes, ages, and breed types-I’ve never had any dog not enjoy the activity yet! Again, some are better at it than others. The most talented participants I’ve had were a pet-sitting dog named Remi, who was a Labrador Retriever mix, and my last Pomeranian, Vitaly. That’s a significant size and breed difference that should help demonstrate how widely canine-applicable this game is!
On nicer busy days, playing the game outside is just as much fun, too. In some environments, it can be even more fun and challenging.
In both cases, be sure to reasonably assess potential hazards in the environment or that could be caused by your dog searching out and getting to their prizes. Both can also be done with your supervision or not, once you know how your dog will react. Personally, if you have the ability, watching and helping your dog if needed, as well as teaching them a cue for searching, is highly recommended as a fun break for yourself!
Safety note: It is not recommended to play this game with multiple dogs at once, tempers can flare, and things can quickly sour when more than one dog is in a race to find all the treats first!
# 9. Long-Lasting Chews
Don’t be fooled by the difficulty rating, something can be cognitively simple and still provide very worthwhile enrichment! Remember how I talked about enrichment as an important aspect of welfare? One of the keys of enrichment is allowing an animal to engage in normal, species-typical behaviors. This enrichment activity really brings that home with the near-universal canine love of chewing something tasty!
Enrichment really can be as simple as:
1. Obtain a chew.
2. Give your dog the chew.
Appropriate long-lasting chews give dogs an outlet for chewing without requiring you to actively participate.
For households bothered by odor, staining, grease, or mess, products such as yak-style cheese chews may be worth considering. Different dogs have different chewing styles, however, so there isn’t one universally safe, desirable, or otherwise perfect chew.
Choose a product that’s appropriately sized for your dog and supervise them, particularly with something new, to assess how your dog engages with it first. Remove pieces that become small enough to swallow, and chews that wear down to have rough or sharp edges should be replaced.
Also consider hardness. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association cautions against excessively hard chews such as antlers and hooves because of injury risk. Long-lasting does not automatically mean “extremely hard!”
Assess size, chewing style, dental condition, and digestibility to find the appropriate chew for your dog. If you’re unsure whether a chew is appropriate for your individual dog—particularly a powerful chewer or a dog with dental problems—ask your veterinarian.
Dog Note: Most dogs will have a chew they’ll be interested in, but not all dogs are as in love with chewing. It’s alright if your dog seems interested, sniffs a little, then wanders off to other pressing dog business-that isn’t abnormal! You might need to experiment with different chew types, flavors, and textures to find what does captivate your individual dog. Or you might have one of those dogs who simply isn’t all that impressed by this activity. That’s alright as well; there are enough enrichment types that you’ll find the right one for your dog!
Why Coydog loves this: This enrichment is as close to effortless as possible, while the dog enjoys quality enrichment through natural behavior. And the enrichment is a naturally calming one!
I love this enrichment for helping our mascot Tater settle in for quiet time, and I love it even more for how it helps to manage his potential for fixations and anxiousness. It’s absolutely one of my favorites, and if you’d like to know some of Tater’s favorite chews, check them out here!
A NOTE ON RAWHIDE: Rawhide is a popular long-lasting chew, but it isn’t appropriate for every dog. Dogs who tear off or swallow large pieces can be at risk of choking or gastrointestinal obstruction. If you offer rawhide, choose an appropriate size for your dog and their chewing style, supervise chewing, and remove it if your dog begins consuming large pieces rather than chewing it gradually. The ASPCA provides additional guidance on choosing and using dog chews safely. Rawhide doesn’t have to be something like…The Forbidden Cow Skin for all dogs, and I especially want to make that distinction because there are some rawhide-based oral-hygiene chews that can make a big difference in the challenge of pet dental health. Like pet obesity, oral health for pets is a frighteningly understated problem that’s a real health crisis. It’s reasons like this that Coydog Blog feels it is imperative to give pet guardians the facts, guidance, and resources necessary to make better-informed choices for their individual pets!
# 10. Cardboard Foraging Box
My personal low-cost favorite!
Do you have a delivery box?
Yes, you almost certainly do! Which means you’ve got the biggest part of this enrichment activity already.
Next, you’ll need some loosely crumpled packing paper, safe toys, cardboard tubes, or other dog-safe items.
Place those items into the box with kibble or small treats, and let your dog rummage, forage, and tear away!
This is one of mascot Tater’s favorites because he loves to shred and tear! If your dog is forever dissecting toys and paper towels (that they mysteriously somehow always find-don’t ask me, I don’t know how this one happens, either), they might love this enrichment as well. It’s a great way to engage this natural shredding need in a more intentional, contained way. In other words, a way that doesn’t result in a four-foot-long Lambchop toy’s insides spread all over the house for you to keep finding for days (thanks, Tater).
Shredding and tearing things apart isn’t inherently bad or “naughty”; it really is one of your dog’s natural impulses! It’s understandable that we neither want nor can allow our dogs to go on a destruction tear in our homes, but for many dogs, the need to tear things apart isn’t just natural, it’s strong.
Some dogs are not as into the destruction aspect, but this activity is a great one for them as well. Whether finding toys, treats, or a combination of both, this enrichment is a rewarding foraging and problem-solving activity. One that you can do easily and quickly with materials you already have around the house, adjusting the difficulty as your dog needs.
AAHA also suggests treat-filled foraging boxes as an easy form of indoor enrichment.
Safety note: For dogs who might eat cardboard, paper, tape, or other non-food objects, choose a different activity! Supervise your dog first to be sure they’re engaging with the activity safely. Remove tape, staples, labels, plastic packaging, and anything else that could pose a hazard.
BONUS: Do you have cats, too?
If you’re also a cat parent, the Coydog Crew cats cannot recommend this enrichment activity enough, either! The setup is exactly the same; simply use cat treats, toys, and catnip or silvervine instead to make it feline-friendly. Observe the same safety rules-believe it or not, some cats do shred and might ingest cardboard or paper. Coydog Cat Mascot Sixlette and her related housemate Grey are both utterly in love with shredding boxes and cardboard tubes, while our other resident ladies and some petsitting friends get hours of fun enrichment from treat and toy hunting amid paper and cardboard layers sprinkled with catnip. This quick and easy enrichment can be a hit for birds, reptiles, and small animals as well! This is one enrichment that’s just an all-around win.
Ready to start, but thinking that’s a lot of food? What about calories?
Food-based enrichment is popular for good reason: eating and foraging are biologically relevant behaviors, food provides immediate feedback for problem-solving, and meals are already part of your dog’s day.
Enrichment shouldn’t become a whole extra meal, though! Pet obesity is a significant health concern, and calories from treats count even when your dog solved a puzzle to obtain them.
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommends that treats account for no more than about 10% of a dog’s daily calories, with the large majority coming from a complete and balanced diet. (Yes, just like your own nutrition, calories are part of a genuinely balanced diet!)
Fortunately, food enrichment does not have to mean adding lots of calories. Below are some ways to manage the situation without cutting out enrichment!
Use the Food Your Dog Was Already Going to Eat
This is the easiest solution! For example, if your dog normally receives two cups of kibble per day, take enrichment kibble from those two cups.
After all, breakfast and dinner are not required to arrive in a bowl; nothing about putting those two cups into your dog’s bowl makes them any more or less of a meal!
You can use portions of normal meals for:
• scatter feeding
• snuffle mats
• puzzles
• treat hunts
• stuffed toys
• training
Doing this is simply giving the same amount of daily food you would anyway instead of adding anything extra. No extra effort or time required to make a healthier choice for your dog.
Not feeding kibble? Many dog guardians opt for diets that either combine kibble with other food forms or use those other forms exclusively. Raw diets, mix-ins/toppers, and cooked fresh foods are all increasingly popular choices-and we’re not going to get off track and into the quagmire of discussing this often heated topic here. The point is that you can use these forms of your dog’s regular meals in many enrichment activities as well! Soft foods are especially useful for lick mats and stuffed food toys, and freeze-dried meal toppers, for instance, are great out of the bowl and in puzzles and hiding spots.
But there are more solutions, too!
Think Small When Using Treats
Dogs generally care much more about receiving another reward than whether each and every reward itself is supersized. An ultra-tasty treat that’s half the size of a pea is just as amazing a prize for your dog, according to your dog and the powers of Dog Logic. That might be especially true when it comes to high-value rewards. You know the kind…they’re probably on the stinkier, grosser end according to humans, like dried fish and organ meats. I’m pretty sure that according to Dog Logic, a tiny piece of dried sardine meant for dogs is equal to a whole bowl full of kibble!*
Simply break or cut treats into tiny pieces, or intentionally purchase treats that are tiny to begin with. Speaking of purchasing treats, being intentional about the treat ingredients should play a role as well. Making smarter buying choices toward transparent ingredients with healthier contents is always a win.
Single-ingredient freeze-dried meats can be extremely useful because many dogs find them highly motivating, their ingredients are simple and transparent, and wide varieties can easily be broken into tiny rewards. Just remember that “single ingredient” does not automatically mean low-calorie or low-fat; check the nutrition information for the particular product.
Dogs with allergies, medical conditions, gastrointestinal problems, pancreatitis histories, or prescription diets may have special restrictions, so check with their veterinary team before introducing new foods!
* As someone who is deeply averse to the stinky fish treats myself, don’t feel like a terrible person for keeping the fish or whatever perturbs you most to a minimum or the bowl. I’ve found that freeze-dried bison, water buffalo, or beef lung “steaks” are just as fanatically beloved by not only the Coydog Crew, but our extended family of petsitting and grooming dogs (and cats) as well. You can check out this Tater Approved and much less gross offering, along with others here!
“People Food” is Just Food
As humans, we create a lot of problems for ourselves with our need to categorize things positively to death, and that includes food. The ingredients in a bag of dog treats or dog food are, simply, food. They’re the same things that are in your food-“people food.” In fact, a lot of marketing work goes into reminding you of that by placing pictures of appealing cuts of meat and boldly colored, fresh vegetables and fruit on the packaging you buy for your dog.
Coming from the pet supply store, dog aisle, or pet aisle in the grocery store doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the food is safe for canine consumption and is appropriate for your individual dog. When I give Tater a baby carrot from the fridge, it isn’t less appropriate or safe because it didn’t come out of something labeled “dog treats!”
Some dog-safe foods many dogs enjoy:
• carrots
• green beans
• peas
• blueberries
• strawberries
• cucumber
• plain pumpkin puree
• plain unsweetened Greek yogurt
These aren’t calorie-free, and individual dogs have individual dietary needs, but some can be useful lower-calorie additions to enrichment. They can add to your dog’s enrichment experience with unique textures and flavors, and might even add something of nutritional value while they’re at it.
So, instead of filling an entire lick mat with peanut butter, for example, try a thin layer of pumpkin or plain yogurt with a few tiny high-value treats embedded in it. The Coydog Crew dogs all love blueberries, peas, or carrot pieces added in!
You can get plenty of interesting licking, smelling, and searching without turning enrichment into dessert, while your dog might certainly feel like it was dessert.
Digestive note: Again, please customize enrichment ingredients to your specific dog! Though most items on the list here are unlikely to cause digestive upset in average, healthy adult dogs when used in moderation, some do contain higher fiber or pro/prebiotics. Plain (unsweetened, no spices, nothing but the pumpkin!) pumpkin puree, for instance, is often recommended to help dogs with better…uh, let’s say “digestive results.” Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt contains helpful probiotics, also for better gut health. Both of these foods are great, but a little bit can go a long way. It isn’t very enriching as a dog guardian to be making bathroom runs to the yard all night; use with a light hand!
A Very Important Warning About Xylitol
Whenever you use a packaged food intended for humans—especially peanut or nut butter and products marketed as sugar-free or low-sugar—read the ingredients carefully.
Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs.
And don’t look only for the word “xylitol.” The FDA warns that it may also appear on labels as birch sugar, wood sugar, or birch bark extract. It can occur in products including some nut butters, sugar-free foods, candy, gum, baked goods, medicines, supplements, and dental products. Xylitol poisoning can cause a dangerous drop in blood glucose and may cause liver failure. This is not one of those debatable, use-with-care sort of things; this is deadly serious!
If you suspect your dog has consumed xylitol, treat it as an emergency-it is-and contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary hospital immediately.
The Secret to Enrichment: it’s not a chore if you don’t make it one
If you remember only one thing from this article, make it this:
Enrichment doesn’t have to mean adding another activity to your schedule. Done right, dog enrichment can be quick and easy for busy dog parents!
Look for ways to enrich things you’re already doing, like…
You’re feeding your dog anyway. You’re giving treats anyway. You have cardboard boxes anyway. You’re going into the backyard anyway.
All you need to do is make a little change in what you’re already doing!
Changing how your dog gets something can create those needed opportunities to sniff, forage, investigate, manipulate, lick, chew, think, and make choices without requiring another hour from you.
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to make it TikTok, YouTube, or Pinterest-worthy. That’s an awesome thought, but save it for when you’re not already too busy. This is about your dog.
Your dog does not know that another dog’s guardian made an elaborate frozen enrichment bowl made to look like a scene from a trending movie fave. (Thankfully.) What your dog knows is that they had the fascinating, fulfilling surprise of sniffing out bits of tastiness in the grass this morning.
That’s enough-that’s actually what the whole point is. Don’t lose track of the real point: little ways to enrich your dog’s life that are huge to them.
Start With One
If enrichment is completely new to you, don’t buy six puzzles and create an enrichment calendar tonight. Tomorrow, take part of your dog’s breakfast or dinner, walk outside, and tell your dog, “scatter!” Then, toss it into the grass and let your dog be a dog.
Being a dog means engaging in a dog’s many astonishing natural abilities and inclinations. Be a dog with Scatter = use their nose.
Did you do it? Well, guess what? You just did it! You just started enrichment activities with your dog!
And it took you about ten seconds.
Dog enrichment absolutely can be quick and easy for busy dog parents.
Quick Safety Note-Reminder
Always choose enrichment appropriate to your dog’s size, health, mobility, chewing style, food needs, and behavior. Introduce unfamiliar toys and activities with supervision, and regularly inspect enrichment items for damage.
Food puzzles and enrichment can be tremendously useful, but a dog experiencing significant anxiety, fear, compulsive behavior, aggression, or another behavioral concern may need more than enrichment alone. Experts agree: distressed animals may require additional behavioral intervention.
Don’t look at enrichment as a standalone treatment plan for every behavioral issue!
That doesn’t make it any less fundamental as a part of giving dogs opportunities to do the things that matter to dogs.
Tater Recommends (Links!)
Throughout this post, I’ve mentioned enrichment items that we love. Below, you’ll find those treats, chews, and other items to help you get started on your quick and easy dog enrichment journey!
As mentioned at the top of the post, this might include some affiliate links. This just means that as an Amazon affiliate, I might receive compensation for items purchased through these links. This comes at no extra cost to you, or additional effort.
Doing so helps support Coydog as a free resource for pet parents like you, by making a purchase you were already going to anyway-kind of like enrichment! Coydog greatly appreciates your support.
Treats
Freeze-Dried Treats
🐾 Tater Tested ✂️ Groomer Pick 🏠 Pet-Sitter Pick 🧠 Enrichment Pick
Buffalo Lung Steaks • Salmon Bites • Beef Liver Bites • Chicken Hearts
Why I recommend these:
• Freeze-dried treats can be easily broken down into tiny portions, reducing intake while still providing a great reward.
•Dogs love these; there is a freeze-dried product out there your dog will be thrilled with (I provided the top ones I’ve experienced multiple positive results with).
•The initial odor of some products can be noticeable, but I’ve not experienced the odor sticking around on items or dogs.
•They’re easy to travel with, in fact, these are my go-to treats for working with Tater and other dogs because they’re high-value to the dogs while being highly portable for me.
•Often a single ingredient; huge if your dog has allergies or sensitivities, making it easier for you to avoid proteins you know trigger itchiness, digestive trouble, and more.
I use them for: Enrichment at home and on the go, training at home and on the go, with pet-sitting dogs, with grooming dogs.
Lower Calorie Treats
🐾 Tater Tested ✂️ Groomer Pick 🏠 Pet-Sitter Pick 🧠 Enrichment Pick
Skinny Mini Fruitables: Pumpkin & Berry • Apple Bacon
For lower-calorie treats that are commercially available, Skinny Mini Fruitables are my go-to pick for several reasons:
• They stand out for being:
-under 4 calories per treat
-no artificial colors or flavors
-made in the USA
-no corn, wheat, or soy
• Dogs love them! There are multiple flavor choices, and all contain flavor profiles dogs love-yes, dogs do actually enjoy fruit! Berries, mango, apples, and various beef, pork, and chicken flavors.
• Ingredients can contain healthy elements, such as pumpkin and berries.
• Tiny and soft, these training treats are great for easy, quick enrichment! You can make them smaller.
• Great price point. If you’re a busy dog parent and one that’s financially maxed out, these treats are a budget-friendly option without being wildly unhealthy.
I use them for: training, enrichment, grooming dogs, pet sitting dogs.
Long-Lasting Chews
🐾 Tater Tested
🧠 Enrichment Pick
Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews for Dogs
Why I love these: Oral hygiene is such a critical and overlooked health issue for our dogs, but I think we all know that oral health with pets can be challenging. While nothing totally replaces regular brushing, these chews are absolutely amazing. I began getting them for my late Pomeranian around 2015, when I began noticing buildup on his teeth (amazing, since he was then 7 years old-most dogs show this by 2 years old). A puppy mill rescue, I knew there was no way I was going to get Vitaly to go for brushing, and I looked into other options. I tried these, and the difference was extraordinary. You shouldn’t expect identical results, but Vitaly lived to be 16 years old, and until the final year, I got constant compliments on his dental condition from his vets. These kept the Tater down to an extreme while giving a natural enrichment activity!
I use these still today with Tater and the rest of the canine Coydog Crew with positive results. It’s a great way to give them chewing enrichment while providing a marked benefit.
I have very selectively used these with grooming and sitting dogs: because they are rawhide strips, these require approval and close monitoring. They’re not for all dogs!
Yak Cheese Chew
🐾 Tater Tested
🏠 Pet-Sitter Pick
🧠 Enrichment Pick
Eco Kind Large Yak Cheese Chews • Devil Dog Pet Co Himalayan Yak Chews (Small)
The humble Yak Cheese Chew is my overall winner because:
• Indeed, long-lasting! In a review done with Tater’s first trial chew, I was blown away by how this single chew lasted my alligator puppy weeks instead of seconds. At the time, Tater was about 8 months old and was at peak chew determination; I couldn’t believe what this puppy could annihilate in no time. Not the yak cheese!
• Hard, but not outrageously hard. This is a hard chew, you do need to use it with caution, but it isn’t rock hard-there are also ways to soften it a bit for puppies and seniors.
• No smell, minimal mess! I love giving the dogs chews, they get so much enrichment out of this activity that is, simply, being a dog who is doing Dog Things. However, I don’t always love the smell, stains, and cleanup. Like everything on the list, your results may vary, but I’ve found these chews to be remarkably low-smell/no-smell, not typically staining, and easy to clean up after…if there’s even anything to clean up.
• Interest might differ, and they might lose interest if available at all times, but I’ve not met a single dog yet who was not interested in this chew initially.
• Simple ingredients. Good Yak Cheese Chews are just yak or cow milk, salt, and lime juice. They’re made hard using a Himalayan process of drying, folding and pressing, drying, folding and pressing, etc. The milk has not upset anyone’s stomach, and the salt is/should be so minimal as to be negligible.
I’ve used them: obviously, with Tater and Coydog Crew dogs Vesta and Chad. Because they’re less gulpable and so simple, I’ve also brought an extra for Tater’s (appropriate) friends during sitting stays, and used them to help out grooming dogs who need breaks and some enrichment to settle again.
Neither of my top picks get your interest? I’d also suggest checking out collagen chews, braided bully sticks, and “backstrap” tendon chews.
Fillable Toys
🐾 Tater Tested 🏠 Pet-Sitter Pick 🧠 Enrichment Pick
Kong Classic Stuffable Rubber Chew
Though the “classic” is a style, this toy itself is now a classic! And for good reason.
Why I love the Kong: Sized correctly for your dog and their chewing style, this is a remarkably durable toy whose design makes it roll and bounce about while your dog works to retrieve the goodies you’ve stuffed inside. Because you control the stuffing, you control what ingredients your dog will consume and how much. Tolerates freezing!
I use this: with the Coydog Crew, and several petsitting dogs have their own Kongs that they enjoy enrichment time with regularly.
Kong Classic comes in a huge variety of sizes and colors, making it possible for everyone from puppies to seniors and tiny to giant sizes to enjoy this stuffable toy.
I also suggest you check out the official Kong cleaning brush or a small silicone bottle cleaner! The cleaning brush appears to be low-stock and high-priced currently, but is usually worth it: it’s sized and shaped specifically to get the interior grooves where nasty food particles and bacteria hide. However, an appropriately sized silicone bottle brush works pretty well, too. (Especially if paired with Dawn Powerwash, in my opinion and experience! For real, this stuff is my secret weapon for all manner of pet cleaning.)
The Pupscicle
🧠 Enrichment Pick
Pupscicle – WOOF Starter Pack Dog Treat Toy for Large Dogs 25-75 lbs
Alright, full disclosure, we haven’t gotten to try this one out yet. Why? Because we have two large dogs and one medium Tater Tot. That means, to be fair to all, I would need to buy three of the Large Dog size balls and either a pack of the premade inserts or a silicone mold. The biggest downside to this toy is the price. The price seems absolutely worth it, and the investment in a starter pack or your desired combo of items will be the biggest investment; after that, you can use the mold to make your own or buy premade packages. With this in mind, this toy has the possibility of being cheaper in the long run with its durability and long-lasting enrichment.
Choose from a variety of premade inserts, including a calming one I’d love to try, to place into the Pupsicle ball. Place it down for your dog to enjoy a rolling, fun, lickable, and chewable enrichment.
Sounds like an awesomely quick and easy enrichment activity to me!
Lick Mats
🐾 Tater Tested ✂️ Groomer Pick 🏠 Pet-Sitter Pick 🧠 Enrichment Pick
We don’t have this exact item, but I wish I’d have seen it when I was buying the lick mats! This one comes with three lick mats (with suction cups on the back) and a set of spatulas for spreading your desired lickable food onto the mats.
Some reasons I love lick mats:
• They’re quick and easy! Spread the ingredient(s), stick it to the floor or an appropriate surface for your dog to lick, and you’re done. Buying multiples means you can freeze them for even quicker use and longer-lasting enjoyment.
• The material is dishwasher-safe and freezer-safe!
• Licking is a top-tier enrichment activity that releases endorphins and is a great calming enrichment.
• You decide the ingredients and amount.
I’ve used lick mats for everyone. No, really! They’re great calming enrichment for the Coydog Crew, and they’ve been excellent for giving petsitting and grooming dogs a positive, calming enrichment to keep things positive and calm. I can’t recommend lick mats enough!
Snuffle Mats
🐾 Tater Tested
🏠 Pet-Sitter Pick
🧠 Enrichment Pick
Vivifying Snuffle Mat for Dogs • AWOOF Snuffle Mat Draw String • Vextronic Snuffle Mat for Dogs, Large Breed
I really can’t say enough good things about snuffle mats, and am amassing a collection of them! The above are three unique styles and sizes, with more options on their individual pages as well.
Why I love them:
• Portable enrichment. Snuffle mats roll up or can be drawn up with a drawstring for travel and storage.
• Engages the ultimate Dog Thing of sniffing…sniffing out tasty rewards, no less! Very enriching.
• Nearly all are machine washable. Be sure to check!
• Quick enrichment. Easy enrichment. This is like Scatter, it’s just that you’re scattering the rewards in the mat.
• Easy to increase difficulty by burying treats deeper, varying depth, and selecting products with pockets and other puzzle-like pieces.
How I’ve used them: I’ll admit, I can be challenging to use these with Tater and Vesta, at least any that are not of the drawstring type or not made for very large dogs. Both of them get so into finding the rewards that they’ll start pulling and tearing and pawing at the toy, destroying ones that aren’t durable enough. However, when they’re the right ones, this enrichment is so fulfilling. It works the mind, motor skills, and senses, while allowing dogs to reward themselves. Many of my sitting dogs also have these at home, and they’re so great for boring bad weather days, especially!
Nina Ottosson/Outward Hound Puzzles
🐾 Tater Tested 🏠 Pet-Sitter Pick 🧠 Enrichment Pick
Level One • Level Two • Level Three • Level Four – Expert
There are a lot of great dog puzzles out there today, thankfully, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the Nina Ottosson – Outward Hound puzzles are my absolute favorites. As I said in the post, they can make it easier for your dog to keep “leveling up” their skills, as those skills are often transferable to the next level.
Above are level examples, but these puzzles come in a variety of styles for each level, so take a look!
I love them because: They’re a great busy-person enrichment; your dog can go on a learning adventure and reward their own genius while learning from it…while you’re busy writing a pet blog article, for instance. They’re all pretty easy to clean, and all very easy to set up by placing rewards in the obvious locations.
I’ve used them with: The Coydog Crew, especially Tater, and many of my sitting dogs also have these puzzles at home to enjoy. They’re another great pick for days when it is outrageously hot or cold, raining, storming, or snowing.
Tip: No matter what puzzle maker you go with, try to look at the puzzles from your dog’s perspective before picking one. Ask yourself if the actions needed to solve the puzzle are actions your individual dog already does when interacting with objects. A dog who doesn’t readily use their snout to nudge things might prefer a puzzle that they could paw at, for instance. Considering your dog’s inclinations while remembering to start very easy will help you make the best choices!
