How to Meet Your Dog’s Needs to Prevent Problem Behaviors
An important part of raising a well-behaved dog is keeping their brains busy! Obviously teaching basic obedience behaviors such as sit, stay, and coming when called are important, but mental stimulation & enrichment is so much more than that. Working your dog’s brain can mean anything from teaching fun tricks like roll over or play dead, to playing a few scent games, or giving them a treat dispensing toy or edible chew such as a bully stick or raw bone to work on. All the most popular breeds out there- Labs, Goldens, German Shepherds, Beagles, the various terriers, etc- were all bred to do a job. That means that they all have some amount of working ability inherent in their genetics. If you do not provide them with adequate mental stimulation and enrichment, they are going to be more likely to engage in undesirable behaviors such as excessive barking, destructive behaviors, jumping, or just being generally obnoxious. Trust me- if you do not give your working dog a job, they will assign themselves one and it’s probably going to be something you don’t like! It’s much more productive to make sure we are giving our dogs a “job,” which can be anything from structured training to getting involved in a dog sport (agility, scent work, rally obedience, barn hunt, etc), or just giving our dogs lots of enrichment toys and things to chew on.
Variety is the Spice of Life. Yes we all love our routines, but make sure you switch things up for your dog so they don’t get bored. Invest in several food dispensing toys, and rotate through them regularly. Also make sure you incorporate a variety of the suggestions listed below!
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Nosework games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qhqEZwxGnk&t=2s
This is my favorite way to provide enrichment for my dogs because it allows them to engage in a behavior that they are VERY good at, foraging! Dogs are natural scavengers, and when left to their own devices would naturally forage around looking for food (the domestic dog isn’t a great hunter by and large, they evolved to coexist with people so they are far more likely to scavenge for scraps than they are hunt for live prey) rathis than eating out of a bowl. Using their meals as an opportunity for them to search for their food is an excellent way to provide them with mental enrichment, allowing them to burn off some energy without over exciting them.
Ditch the dog bowl:
One of the easiest ways to provide our dogs with mental enrichment is by giving them their meals in fun and interesting ways. Investing in a few treat dispensing toys or food puzzles will be well worth the money! For more information on store bought and DIY options, please see the “Enrichment Toys” section.
DIY enrichment:
From easy braided toys made from old t-shirts to more complex projects like snuffle mats, there are tons of ways to get the whole family involved in the responsibility for caring for a pet. One of the easiest DIY food puzzles you can make is to take a muffin pan and fill some of the wells with your dog’s favorite treats or kibble. Cover all of the wells with tennis balls and then give to your dog! They’ll have to move the tennis balls around to get at the food underneath. For a few easy to DIY dog toys, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4L8s1PI7pg
Sniffer Walks:
Grab yourself a long line and head out to a quiet park or hiking trail. Follow your dog, allow them to sniff and explore to their heart’s content! It will be easier to keep the leash from getting tangled in their legs if you use a harness with a back-clip attachment. Ideally, a harness with both an attachment on the chest area and the back will be best, as the front-clip attachment is perfect for helping dogs with a tendency to pull on leash. The Freedom No-Pull Harness is a good one, as is the Balance Harness.
A shorter walk where they are allowed to sniff and follow their nose will actually tire the dog out more than a longer walk where they are moving at a quicker pace. Why? Because they are using their brain more!
Tricks:
A great way to provide both mental & physical stimulation is teaching your dog to perform tricks. There are endless YouTube tutorials available for free to show you how to teach your dog virtually any trick you can think of (you can start with the videos on my channel: YouTube.com/PupToPerfection if you’d like!) from simple tricks like shake a paw or roll over to more complex tricks like play dead or a “rear leg hike.” Your hard work teaching your dog to perform tricks can also pay off for you! The more behaviors you teach your dog to perform, the more tools you’re adding to your tool box to get and hold your dog’s focus.
Chews: Dogs love to chew, and providing your dog with appropriate items to chew on is a great way to provide enrichment. Brands like Benebone, Nylabone, and Petstages make long lasting chews (the Petstages Dogwood Sticks have been a hit with my dogs) but my favorites are edible chews that are meant to be ingested. Please check out the list below for some more ideas- you can find these items at most pet stores!
Enrichment Toys for Feeding Meals & Keeping a Dog Busy
Treat dispensing toys and food puzzles are a fun, easy way to give dogs a great mental workout. Eating a meal out of a bowl is simply not that interesting for a dog, but knocking around a treat dispensing toy or solving a puzzle is great enrichment for them! There are loads of different options available online and in stores, but here are some of my tried and tested favorites.
Kongs
Mix your dog’s kibble with peanut butter (all natural is best and make sure there’s no xylitol in it), non-fat plain yogurt, canned pumpkin, or even baby food! Fill up the Kong with the mixture and keep it in the freezer until needed. You can even ditch the kibble and just use a soft food if needed. Kongs are also dishwasher safe and come in three different levels: puppy, standard, and extreme for the most voracious chewers. Kongs are easily available at any pet store. Kongs should be big enough that your dog cannot fit the entire thing in their mouth! As a general rule, the larger the better. We don’t want anyone choking!
Toppl Toys
These can be used the same way as a Kong, but the opening is much larger. Some dogs find the Kong toys a bit frustrating because the opening is a bit small, so these are a great option if that’s the case for your pup!
Kong Wobbler
The Kong Wobbler is a more interactive treat dispensing toy. Remember Weeble Wobbles- they weeble and they wobble, but they don’t fall down? The Kong Wobbler does the same thing! It has a weighted base with a rounded bottom and a hollow top with a hole for the food to come out of. Dogs have to knock the toy around in order to get the food to come out. This one is great for hyperactive pups! Kong Wobblers are available at PetSmart and other select pet stores or can be purchased online.
Starmark Bob-A-Lot
This toy is very similar to the Kong Wobbler, but can be made more difficult. The bob-a-lot has a sliding door that can be made smaller or larger to let less or more food out each time it’s knocked. This makes it great for dogs who need more of a challenge!
PetSafe Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom
The Magic Mushroom is a more difficult treat dispensing toy which makes it wonderful for extremely food motivated dogs or dogs that find most treat dispensing toys too easy. It is similar to the Kong Wobbler, but the mushroom cap on top makes it more difficult for the treats to come out. It’s also a little quieter than the Wobbler if that’s a concern.
PetSafe Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug
The Tug-A-Jug is probably the most difficult treat dispensing toy on this list, but it’s great for dogs that like to pick up and toss their toys around. The bottom of the bottle-shaped toy unscrews and can be filled with any kind of treat or kibble. The dog has to pull on the rope and shake the toy around to get the food out, making it a great mental enrichment item for active dogs that are highly food motivated.
Jolly Pets Teeter & Toppler
These two toys are on the easier end of the spectrum. Both can be filled with any kind of treat or kibble; the dog then has to knock the toy around to get the food out, but the larger openings make this easier. These are great options for dogs that aren’t as food driven or to introduce the concept of a treat dispensing toy. You can find these toys at online.
Omega Paw Treat Ball
This is probably the easiest treat dispensing toy out there and is easily available at Walmart or online. A perfect introduction for dogs who are new to treat dispensing toys!
Lickimat (<- click here to learn more)
The Lickimat is a great option for those who feed wet or raw dog food. Simply mush your dog’s food into the Lickimat and let ‘em at it! You can also freeze the mat for an added challenge. Silicone ice cube & cookie molds available at most department and dollar stores also make great improvised Lickimats.
DIY Options
Snuffle Mat (<- click here to learn more)
Giving your dog the chance to dig and forage for their food is incredibly stimulating. These easy to make mats enable your dog to use their sense of smell to find the bits of food hidden in the fabric of the mat. These are great options for dogs that eat too quickly!
Spin The Bottle Treat Dispenser (<- click here to learn more)
This is a great option if you’ve got some scrap wood lying around- or if you don’t, it can be cheaper to DIY this one than purchasing some of the food puzzles! Fill empty bottles with their food or treats and let them work to spin the bottles!
There are also endless other treat dispensing toys and snuffle mat options available online! Have some fun searching for options on Google or spend some time browsing Amazon or Chewy.
Other Enrichment Ideas
Enrichment is not one size fits all. Each dog will have different activities that they find enriching. Variety is also important to a dog! Having lots of ideas that you can rotate through will help prevent boredom and frustration with your dog. Here are some other ideas:
Create a dig pit
Scatter feeding (literally scatter some treats or their kibble in the yard or in the house)
Going somewhere new for a walk
Giving your dog a new toy (or a few…)
Trying your hand at more conceptual training such as “Do As I Do” or teaching your dog how to read
Foraging puzzles such as a kiddie pool filled with plastic balls and scattering treats or kibble in for your dog to find. You can also use their toy basket! Place all your dog’s toy’s in a basket or bin and scatter treats or kibble throughout for your dog to find. They will have to pull toys out of the basket to get to the treats, so this can also satisfy the need for dogs to shred things.
Feed meals in empty cardboard boxes or packing paper. Your dog will need to shred the box or paper to get to the food, a great activity for dogs who can be destructive or like to chew to give them an appropriate outlet for those types of behaviors (meaning they’ll be less likely to chew/shred up inappropriate things).
The Hollee Roller ball has lots of applications for enrichment
Movement Puzzles & indoor dog-safe obstacle courses
