As a dog owner, we all know that keeping our furry friends entertained and mentally stimulated is the key to their happiness and well-being. We've been exploring some of the best innovative and engaging enrichment activities and products that are available online in the United Kingdom that can help us all provide the best for our dogs. This blog post will explore some of our favourite enrichment activities, featuring popular products that you can incorporate into your dog's daily routine, as well as some fun activities you can DIY in the comfort of your own home.
Why Enrichment Activities Matter
Enrichment activities are designed to stimulate your dog’s mind and body, preventing boredom and promoting overall health. These activities can help reduce anxiety, improve behaviour, and enhance the bond between you and your pet.
Here are some of our favourite enrichment activities for your pooch in 2024:
1. Interactive Puzzle Toys
Interactive puzzle toys are fantastic for keeping your dog’s brain engaged. These toys challenge your dog to solve problems and often involve finding hidden treats, which makes the experience rewarding.
Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel Squeaky Puzzle Plush Dog Toy
This is one of our dog's favourite toys. We hide treats in the tree "trunk" and they'll both snuffle and play a fun game of hide-and-seek together. It's perfect for dogs who love to dig and search for their "prey".
Click here to view the Hide-A-Squirrel!
Pets at Home Treat Tube Tower Dog Toy Yellow
We recommend this puzzle toy for smaller dogs only, as the base is not quite heavy enough to withstand the nudging and pawing of our giant breed, and sometimes our smaller breed Shiba Inu manages to topple this puzzle over. We've placed the Pets at Home Treat Tube Tower on this list as it's a cost-effective puzzle toy that has withstood months of chewing and pawing from our dogs.
2. Snuffle Mats
Snuffle mats are designed to tap into your dog's natural foraging instincts. These mats are made of fabric strips where you can hide treats, encouraging your dog to sniff and search.
AWOOF Snuffle Mat Pet Dog Feeding Mat
Holy smokes, our dogs love this thing. It's durable, machine-washable, and perfect for slow feeding or hiding treats. Not only does it stimulate your dog's sense of smell, keeping them occupied for potentially hours, but the ease of use and set-up for this snuffle mat makes it one of my favourite things to bring out during feeding time.
Click here to view the AWOOF Snuffle Mat Pet Dog Feeding Mat!
LAMTWEK Snuffle Mat for Dogs
Another option that we love is LAMTWEK's snuffle mat, which features a simpler design with edging that makes for a 'cleaner-looking' snuffle mat. The mat itself consists of long piling that imitates thick grass so that your dog can enjoy snuffling as it would in the outdoors. Similar to the AWOOF, we use dry kibble and some other dry treats sprinkled throughout and it keeps our dogs entertained for sometimes hours.
3. Treat-Dispensing Toys
Treat-dispensing toys challenge your dog to think and solve problems to get the rewards hidden inside. This mental exercise is so important for dogs, especially for breeds known for their intelligence, such as Border Collies and Poodles. We have a Shiba Inu and truth be told, it's difficult to find a treat-dispensing toy that challenges him enough! However, the process of figuring out how to manipulate toys to release treats keeps his mind sharp and his attention focused for up to an hour, which we love!
KONG's Wobbler™ Interactive Treat Dispensing Dog Toy
The KONG Wobbler is a staple for so many dog owners and us! It's durable, can be stuffed with a mixture of treats or your dog's dinner, and is excellent for keeping their attention. The wobbler is bottom-heavy and can be used on laminate, hardwood, and carpeted floors - which makes it a dream for any home. We also love that it can be hand-washed easily and comes in both small and large sizes.
Click here to view the KONG Wobbler!
KONG's Classic Dog Toy
Again, I think you can probably find KONG's Classic Dog Toy in any pooch-loving household, as it's another staple for many dog owners. Being another KONG product, it's durable, can be stuffed with treats or peanut butter, and is excellent for chewing and playing fetch.
You can get a double-pack from Amazon here!
4. Agility Training
I wish we started agility training earlier with our dogs because it truly is a great way to provide physical exercise and mental challenges for your pooch. Setting up an agility course in your backyard is not only fun for both you and your dog, but it helps establish a stronger bond when you're having fun, providing instructions for your dog, and rewarding them for completing physical challenges. Outward Hound has a Zip and Zoom Outdoor Agility Kit on Amazon, which we personally haven't used, but think looks great for establishing the basics. Once you're past doing backyard agility, we strongly recommend finding a dog training facility nearby your home that offers agility courses (either individual or group classes), for that extra bit of fun.
5. DIY Enrichment Activities
In addition to store-bought toys, you can create DIY enrichment activities. For example, use cardboard boxes to make a treat-dispensing puzzle or freeze treats in an ice block for a cool, fun challenge. We love freezing different treat combinations for our dogs, particularly for use on warmer days. Our normally reactive dog who barks in the garden loves licking at her ice-cube treat while lying in the grass, and it helps her establish better routines for when being outside and hearing the sounds of the world.
Tips for DIY Enrichment:
- Treat Tubes: Hide treats inside toilet paper rolls and fold the ends.
- Frozen Treats: Freeze your dog’s favourite treats or kibble in water or broth inside a silicone mould or a container.
- Scavenger Hunts: Hide treats around your home or yard and let your dog sniff them out, use "Find It!" as a command to normalise this routine.
Conclusion
Enrichment activities are essential for keeping your dog happy, healthy, and well-behaved. Incorporating interactive puzzle toys, snuffle mats, treat-dispensing toys, agility training, and DIY activities into your dog's routine will provide them with the mental and physical stimulation they need. With the right tools and creativity, you can make every day an adventure for your furry friend. Establish a routine that incorporates feeding your dog its dinner via one of these techniques, so that you can combine mental stimulation with feeding time. Doing this has helped us with ensuring our dogs don't go crazy-hyper late at night and it gives us peace of mind that they're happy and exhausted.
Remember, the key to successful enrichment is variety. Rotate toys and activities regularly to keep your dog engaged and excited.
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