10 DIY Enrichment Ideas for You and Your Dog!

Easy-Peasy enrichment activities you can do with your dog at home, with supplies you probably already have on hand.

Just in case you've ever felt stuck in a rut when trying to think of quick and easy enrichment activities for your dog, I have put together 10 of my favorites in one video for you. 

Remember, enrichment should never be optional for our companions. It's a necessity for their well-being and mental health, just as it is for ours... But that doesn't mean it has to be hard or just another thing to "add to the list" of all the other things you have on your task list.

​There are many ways to enrich your dog's life that don't require much work on your part. It might only require a mindset shift or a schedule adjustment. If your dog is having behavior problems, they are most often due to unmet needs. Those needs can often be met through enrichment exercises. 

One of my favorite resources for my clients (and myself) is "Canine Enrichment for the Real World" by Allie Bender and Emily Strong - you can check out their book or their podcast. They have a wonderful way of breaking down what can feel overwhelming into bite size pieces of content and ideas that feel much more practical for the pet parent.

Watch the Video Medley:

Please remember that not all of these ideas will be appropriate for all dogs. If your dog ingests non-food items, you'll want to be extra careful. All enrichment games should be supervised!

#1 Treat Roll Puzzle Toy

#2 Snuffle Box

Grab a paper towel roll. Fold up one end. Add food and treats to the other end. Fold up that end, leaving a little opening if your dog needs some extra temptation. Give it to your dog to shred for access to the treats. 
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Get a box shallow enough for your dog to easily dip his head into. Add some tissue paper, towels, blankets, etc. Scatter food and treats throughout. Let your dog snuffle his way through to get to the treats!

#3 Grocery Check

#4 Yard Snuffling

This one is simple. Get in the habit of letting your dog sniff through the groceries when you get home. Keep watch, to make sure he doesn't get into anything dangerous or easily edible. Choose your bags with intention but this one can be really good for your dogs - they get very curious about all the new smells.

Here's another really simple one that only requires us to slow down and let our dogs take in the scents. Scatter treats throughout the yard and encourage your dog to go snuffling. If you have multiple dogs and there is risk of possessiveness, please bring them out one at a time to start with. Most dogs don't worry about guarding when they're busy sniffing but there can still be a risk. Use caution as needed.

#5 Destroy the Toy

If you have a dog who likes to destroy toys to get to the stuffing or squeaker, that's okay. As long as your dog doesn't ingest the pieces, I would encourage you to occasionally allow for complete toy destruction. It meets their need for shredding and while it can make a mess, it's often worth it. But don't toss that toy or that stuffing afterwards. Save it for the next game!

#6 Re-Destroy the Toy

Use the stuffing from the destroyed toy in the last game to re-stuff the toy. Add some treats for some extra incentive and watch your dog recycle that previously destroyed toy. Again, this should be supervised but most dogs will get the stuffing out of the toy, in order to get to the food.  

#7 101 Things to do with a  Cup

You can replace the cup with any dog-safe item. This game really helps your dog learn how to experiment with his behavior, creating some good flexibility in behavior. You can put treats under the object to get him started or you can just reward any or all interaction with the object. See how many behaviors you can shape in your dog!

#8 Up to Off Obstacle Course

Grab some objects, pieces of furniture, obstacles, etc for your dog to go up, on, or under. Create a homemade obstacle course. This is not only a great way to practice the "off" cue but it's also a great way to get your dog stretching his body, gaining confidence with different types of surfaces, and building awareness of his own body size. Try to do this on non-slip surfaces so that you don't risk injury to your dog during his enthusiasm!

#9 Raid the Recycling

Don't recycle your stuff until your dog gets to take full advantage. This is a great game to play with safe, rinsed items in a box. Just throw a bunch of recycled items in a bin or box. Toss some treats in and let your dog navigate through the items to find the treats

#10 Christmas Tree Piñata

Ok, so this one take a little more advanced planning but you can make any similar variation. The key components are that the item is made into a pinata. The added movement is a nice mental challenge but the goal is not frustration, simply just some thought on the part of our dogs and a nice way for you to see how your dog solves problems. This is also a great activity for kids!

Enrichment is a great way to create behavioral flexibility in our dogs and optimism around novelty. I highly encourage you to try some of these ideas as a practical start to enrichment and once you see how much your dog enjoys it, I hope you'll continue to seek out more ideas or resources

Want to learn more?

You can join us in the Pup Parents Group on Facebook to share how things went or any of your favorite games or if you want to step up your pup parenting even farther, I invite you to check out the Canine Homeschooler's Membership where we dig even further into healthy ways to parent your dog, get behavior support, and have a community of others doing the same thing!