Five quick & easy indoor enrichment activities with everyday objects

1: The Tea-Towel Roll

Grab an old tea-towel, sprinkle some treats, roll it up and let the dog enjoy

Or make it slightly more challenging

2: Chucking Kibble

Chuck one piece at a time

3: Toilet Roll Tubes

Place them on the floor, place a piece of kibble (or whatever you are using) in every other tube (half of them) and let the dog find them all.  It takes a while to save so many tubes (patience is a virtue), but you could ask friends to save them for you too or you could use your imagination and substitute the tubes with something else.

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4: Box Recycling

Use an old food box (dog-biscuit box, cereal box, burger box), place some dog food inside and give it to the dog.  NOTE: There have been some reports of the glue on boxes causing problems so I advise that you ensure the dog is not spending time chewing on the cardboard rather than merely ripping it to get the treats out.

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5: Tea-Towel Layers

Sprinkle kibble (or whatever) over a tea-towel, lay another tea-towel on top, sprinkle more kibble and add a third tea-towel.

When we’re using food to give our dogs something interesting to do we should ensure we are not overfeeding them.  I always use the dog’s daily food allowance for such activities to protect against overfeeding.

Shay Kelly is the author of Dog training and behavor: a guide for everyone and Canine Enrichment: the book your dog needs you to read