Enriching Our Dogs Lives

A toilet paper or paper towel tube with some kibble put in it and the ends crumpled allow the dog to tear into a toy. A clean milk jug with the top off and kibble dropped in lets the dog throw and tear and tackle.

Buster Cubes and similar toys have various compartments inside that kibbles rolls about in. Sometimes the kibble comes out. Feed your dog one of his daily meals or even both in this fashion (works better if you have a single dog, for multiple dogs I use stuffed bones).

Games of hide and seek are wonderful! One person hides and another gets the dog to go find. Once the hiding person is found, a toy gets tossed for the dog. Or hide a toy for the dog to find.

Start simple (behind a chair in the same room) and build up the complexity (up the stairs and down the hall and under a box in your room). Take a bunch of plastic or paper cups and lay them out mouth down. Put a treat under just one cup and encourage the dog to find the treat.

How about enriching our yards for our dogs? A strong rope tied to a tree with heavy bungee cords lets the dog pull and tug. Big boxes make great tunnels and many dogs will fit through the play tunnels sold at many human toy stores. Small logs and lengths of PVC pipe (4" and 5" diameter) can be laid down for the dog to walk and jump over while playing. (For safety, dogs under 12 – 18 months of age should have all jumps very low).

Make a digging area for your dog! Lay down a 4'x4' box and fill it with a soft sand and dirt mix. Encourage your dog to dig here and not in your garden. Use landscaping timbers to mark off the dog's digging box.

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