There are many ways we can enrich our dogs lives, and one of them is by the way we feed them! Part 1 of this blog will focus on food related enrichment activities you can do with your dog!
If you are a client of mine, odds are one of the first things I suggest you do is start utilizing Kongs or Puzzle toys to feed your dog.
Why should you do this?
Enrichment! Many of our dogs spend most of their day napping (or they live the other Tahoe lifestyle where they are out running around all day), and we want to give their brain something to do.
Eating out of puzzle toys often adds a chewing, foraging, or thinking process to mealtimes and can help reduce unwanted behavior such as demand barking, boredom chewing, and boredom barking (ie- staring out the window and waiting for something to bark at).
Besides, odds are you plan on feeding the dog anyways, so might as well use that food to tire out your dog! What are some of my favorite puzzle toys?
Kongs, Kongs, and more Kongs!
Slow Bowls
Kong Wobbler
Bob-A-Lot
IQ Ball
Snuffle Mat
….And so many more!
Kongs are great because you can fill them with all sorts of things. Kibble mixed with something soft like canned food, yogurt, mashed sweet potato, etc can be great. You can also use dehydrated foods such as Honest Kitchen or raw food. In the summers, I especially like to layer Kongs with all sorts of goodies— mashed banana, yogurt, peanut butter, broth mixed with meat, canned fish, etc. Then you can freeze them for a long lasting treat!
Just a few of my Kongs….
My husband may get annoyed with finding these everywhere, but the dogs love them! My dogs only eat out of a regular bowl if they are sick or we are traveling. Otherwise, its Kongs, Slowbowls, and Puzzle toys!
Don’t own Kongs or puzzle toys? There are lots of other fun games you can play at home with your dogs food!
Food Pit Box— Sprinkle your dogs food into a box, then add other things into the box so you dog has to dog though and search! You can add dog toys, scrap paper, old paper towel rolls, other boxes, and more! Just make sure the things you add are non-toxic as your dog will be chewing on them.
Food Trail— This can be done inside or outside. If you have more than one dog, alternate which dog plays so there is no fighting over who gets the food. Take your dogs food, and make a small pile. Create a “food trail” leading from that pile and around the house (as small as one kibble at a time!), upstairs, into other rooms, around furniture, outside, and then end with another pile! Once you set the “trail” bring your dog to the start pile and let them follow the trail to the end!
Homemade Food Toys— You can use old soda bottles (caps removed for safety), boxes, Tupperware, etc to make your own food toys! Take something laying around the house, and create some openings that will allow food out. Then add food and you have a toy! One option is old paper towel rolls. Fill with kibble, then stuff the ends with scrap fabric or newspaper. Allow your dog to pull it out! With soda bottles, add a few hols, fill with kibble, and watch your pup push it around so kibbles come out!
Do you have a favorite food toy? Have you created a fun food game for your dog? Share in the comments, or on our facebook page!