How to wear out your high energy dog
DIY Dog Enrichment
This week’s mantra: Life is a chew toy - find the joy in the playful moments, even the messy ones.
This week we’re talking about some (potentially) messy moments that can help keep the joy (and a little bit of peace) in your home. We’re moving past the antiquated notion that a long walk, play time in the yard and rigid training is all you need to keep your dog happy, and out of trouble. While some dogs may be perfectly content with just that, a lot of them need more.
Enter the concept of enrichment. Enrichment is essential for a dog’s mental and physical well-being. It provides them with mental stimulation, helps them expend energy in positive ways, and can even strengthen the bond between you and your pup.
If you Google “dog enrichment” you’re bound to be flooded with articles, opinions and product. For the sake of this week’s post, I’m going to keep it simple-ish and focus mostly on my enrichment DIY go-tos. Because enrichment doesn’t require fancy toys, tools and training. And because this post is long enough without getting into those!
First up is a towel snuffle.
Snuffle mats, balls and toys are really popular right now and can range in price greatly. But, at the end of the day they all work towards the same concepts: mental stimulation, slowed eating (for those gobblers), reduced anxiety, burned energy and an improved sense of smell (or at least an opportunity to work that sense). You can absolutely create a snuffle toy of your own with just an old towel and your dog’s favorite kibble or treats.
Grab a towel of any size. Lay it flat on the floor and sprinkle kibble or treats across the towel. Scrunch the towel together (accordion style) and then roll the ends in. Or, after sprinkling the towel you can roll it up. Maybe even tie it in a big ol’ knot. What the final product looks like is up to you and can be adjusted to make it easier or harder for your dog. The video below shows how I modify for the pups of House Chaos.
Deliver to your dog with all the enthusiasm of a DIY doggie enrichment genius (it’s a thing!).
Have a shredder? Cardboard boxes are gold in this house.
Hear me out. When I first got Cola and her foster mentioned letting her shred cardboard, I likely smiled and said something like, “oh great idea!” All while thinking to myself no way in hell am I letting this dog think it’s ok to rip apart boxes. But here’s what I’ve learned, shredding is an innate behavior for dogs. Providing this outlet and guidance helps meet that need and can help prevent unwanted shredding, ripping and chewing.
Fast forward to me looking for any way to keep Cola occupied that didn’t break my bank and out came any and every toilet paper or paper towel roll, paper bag and cardboard box I could find! The box your garbage bags or Ziplocs come in? Perfect! Soda boxes? Gimmie! Toss kibble or treats on in, tuck the flap closed and magic - DIY treat dispensers! With the bonus that she could destroy them, and they hadn’t cost me $20+.
Need to make it a little harder? Take a box with flaps, add the kibble or treats (you can try using a variety of low and higher value treats), add some toys. If you have actual treat toys (Kongs, balls or little rubber animals with holes in the bottom meant for shoving treats up in there, etc.), fill those up and toss them in the box. Consider adding balled up paper bags. The more they need to snuffle through and pull out of the box to get to the goods, the better.
Deliver to your dogs with the confidence of an evil genius and stand back to watch them use their innate senses to find those delicious treats!
Make nature your snuffle mat.
There are a couple of different ways you can look at this. The first is that allowing your dog to sniff til their heart (or nose) is content on a walk can help burn more energy than your average long walk. Experts now say that letting your dog sniff for just 20 minutes is equivalent to an hour-long walk, in terms of enrichment.
The second is literally to use your yard, or another safe patch of ground, to sprinkle food or treats. It’s a great way to help burn off some energy in a calmer state. It also works well as a distraction to keep your dog from barking at other dogs, loud noises and neighbors. I do know dog guardians who have used leaf piles in spring to help make it a bit more challenging. Just be mindful if you have a dog who will eat more than just the treat they’ve sniffed out.
I have also seen more and more dog guardians designating a spot in their yard for a dog sensory garden. By offering a variety of scents, textures and even sounds, these gardens encourage a number of your dog’s senses in an environment they’re already comfortable in.
Teach them to be a different kind of nosey.
Playing “find it” or nose work games at home is another great way to help put their natural skills to work. It’s essentially a delicious version of hide and go seek. This can be done indoors or outside. I have always started this by having the dog sit and then tossing or placing a treat where they can see it. Then releasing them to go get the treat, essentially finding it. As they get more engaged, I’ll start moving the treat to spaces that are a little harder to find, gradually working up to spots they’ll truly have to search for. Start at ground level, but as you advance, you’ll be able to leave the treat in higher, or lower, placements around the room or yard. Watching them work through finding the food source can teach you so much about their body language. Be sure the celebrate the hell out of them when they do find the target.
If your dog isn’t really food motivated.
There are still a number of ways you can create enrichment opportunities with items in your home, or at a lower cost. For the de-stuffers, stores like PetSmart regularly carry plush for under $5. Knowing mine burn a lot of energy destuffing, I’ll stock up on cheaper plush toys and pull a couple out at a time to let them have at it.
If your dog is a digger, you might want to consider dig pit. This could be a space in the yard allocated for digging or you can even fill an old sandbox with dirt to let your pup dig to their heart’s delight.
Things like flirt poles, which activate prey drive and provide an outlet for chasing, and agility equipment can also be DIYed. Before I purchased an agility kit, Cola was jumping over an old broom stick balanced between two folding chairs and through a hula hoop twist-tied between two crates.
Let me know what your favorite enrichment activity is, or if you try any of these for the first time!
And as always, tell your dog(s) I said hi!
Mary-Agnes