The Ultimate Enrichment Guide for Dogs

Do you have a bored dog? For many dogs, just going outside for walks is not going to cut it. Here is a list of enrichment ideas that can help satisfy your dog’s natural desires and instincts–written by a professional dog trainer–including behavioral and safety considerations when relevant. 

How do you know what activities your dog should do, and how do you know when you’ve done enough? 

If you know what breed(s) your dog is, a helpful place to start can be learning about the “job” your dog’s ancestors or family was made to do, such as hunting, retrieving, working independently, herding animals, etc. 

You can also think about what your dog is prone to doing when trying to entertain themselves and work from there. For example, a dog who wants to stop at every bush and fire hydrant to check their Pee-Mail may enjoy nosework. A dog who steals shoes and runs around with them may be taught to retrieve toys. Or a dog who tries to gnaw on the leg of your couch may be seeking an appropriate chew item. 

Observe your dog’s behavior to judge how fulfilled and satisfied they are. An under-enriched dog may show signs of restlessness or anxious behavior such as pacing the home, whining, barking, or other “nuisance” behaviors. Sleep is also very important for dogs’ health, and oftentimes dogs who do not get enough regular enrichment will not sleep enough, since they aren’t exerting themselves enough to become tired. On the other hand, it is of course possible to overdo it to an extent that also interrupts their need for sleep. 

Every dog is different, so you have to experiment to find the best routine(s) to overall meet your dog’s needs. 

But without further ado, here is the list: 

• Store-Bought Puzzle Toys and Food-Holding Toys

Why feed out of a bowl when that kibble can be used for enrichment? 

• Kongs and similar toys (Stuffing can be frozen for longer-lasting licking!)

• Lickimats (Stuffing can also be frozen)

• Wobbler toys that dispense treats when moved

• Other puzzle toys 

• Snuffle mats 

• DIY Puzzle Toys

• Wrap kibble/treats in a towel

• Hide kibble in a closed box 

• Use a muffin tin cover in tennis balls to hide kibble

Safety Note: Always monitor your dog when using these toys, especially when first introducing them, to ensure that they do not try to eat the toy itself.  

• Food scatter: “Lazy mode nosework”

Dump a bunch of kibble in your house or outside so the dog has to work harder to find every piece while eating. (This only works well if your dog is motivated enough to find every last piece of food! If that isn’t the case, try the below games instead.) 

• Formal nosework-style search 

Hide food or toy(s) in certain spots of the house for your dog to find. There can be a learning curve involved here, so check out the videos below to see my specific technique of teaching this game. 

Instructional video with toy hidden: https://youtu.be/587y_ssAbgo

Example video with food hidden: https://youtu.be/5Hg13vCmfcA

• Alternative nosework search: Find it in grass

Ask your dog to sit and stay. Hide a single treat in a patch of long grass, and then move your hand around so your dog isn’t sure where you put it. You can also toss the treat sneakily to achieve the same result. Then, release your dog to find it. 

• Shell game

Take 3+ bowls, hide a treat under one of them, and have your dog watch you switch them around. Then, let them guess which bowl has the treat in it!

• Consumable chews

Head over to your local pet boutique to ask about their natural chew selection. Tell the shop keeper about your dog’s size and chewing habits (fast/aggressive chewer versus a delicate chewer) and let them suggest which chews would be best for them. 

Safety Note 1: I personally do not recommend buying chews from “big box” stores because of the higher likelihood of chews including potentially harmful ingredients. This is a complicated subject worth doing further independent research on. 

Safety Note 2: Though chewing on bones etc. is a natural behavior and for many dogs is essential enrichment, chews (and toys in general) can be choking hazards and can lead to potential health issues such as broken teeth, digestive upsets, and intestinal blockages. Talk to your vet to learn more. 

• Hide and seek

With two or more people, you can all hide in different spots in your house and alternate between each person calling the dog. With a single person, you can put your dog in a stay, hide, and then call them. (A good excuse to work on out-of-sight stays!) If you have a good hiding spot, it’s okay to continuously make noise so that your dog doesn’t give up on finding you.

• Shreddables

“Sheddables” refers to an object that your dog can rip up for fun, without eating it. Stuffed toys, cardboard, and papers can all be fun, shreddable entertainment. 

Safety Note: Monitor your dog, and be prepared to end the activity if they want to eat the object. Some dogs have fun shredding things, but for some dogs, the obsession with eating the object makes this activity not feasible. 

• Dig pit

Try burying your dog’s toys under blankets, in a box covered in paper, or in a kiddie pool filled with (specific kinds of) sand. 

Safety Note: Read more about sand dig pit safety and maintenance here. 

Behavior Note: For dogs who dig in unwanted areas in the backyard, dig pits can be an alternative to ruining your grass. However, dogs still need to be taught that they are supposed to dig in the dig pit and not anywhere else, which requires supervision and guidance from the owner. 

• Throwing treats down a long hallway

Simple but effective. Get your dog running by tossing treats for them to chase. 

Safety Note: This can cause injury if done on non-slip floors. Add a carpet with grip pads if you have hardwood floors, etc.

• “Sniffari” walk

While walking for exercise can be important, if you are speed-walking, your dog might be losing out on nature’s best, free enrichment activity: sniffing! Try a walk where you let your dog sniff fully, to their heart’s content, the entire time. You may go no further than one block for that walk, but your dog may be overjoyed. 

• Long-line walks: Hiking or at the park

Letting your dog stretch their legs and explore further than a standard six-foot leash can enable nice enrichment, and being in the great outdoors does wonders for many of them (and us!).

Professional Tip: Many professionals offer training adventures or hiking services! 

• Running or jogging together 

Maybe your dog wants to run, and they can be your motivation to exercise yourself. 

Professional Tip: There are some professionals who run with dogs, too! There’s no link here, because my knees could never. 

• Canicross

Canicross is like running with your dog, but they wear a special harness to pull you. There may be a club near you that meets as a group to do this! Learn more here. 

• Weight pulling

Some dogs love to pull, and weight pulling can be a healthy form of exercise. Learn more here. 

Safety Note: It is IMPERATIVE that your dog does not have an existing injury and that your harness is perfectly fitted if you are to have them practice pulling weights. Practice in moderation. Consult with your vet.

Behavior Tip: If you are worried about your dog pulling on leash, you can teach them that they are only allowed to pull with their special harness on when you’re cheering them on. On a collar and normal walk, you can maintain no-pulling rules. 

• Running next to or pulling something on wheels

For the brave who live in an area where this is feasible, your dog might love to run as you bike, skateboard, rollerblade etc. 

Safety Note 1: Again, pulling weight safely requires a perfectly fitted harness. 

Safety Note 2: Obviously there are about 10,000 things that can go wrong in this activity. Even if your dog is on a leash, if you are on wheels, I would recommend that your dog be completely responsive and reliable off-leash, in case you fall. I practice dropping my leash and screaming “lie down” to prepare my dogs for that inevitable moment. 

• Weighted vest

There are companies that design weighted vests for dogs for exercise. 

Safety Note: It is IMPERATIVE that your dog does not have an existing injury as weighted vests add physical stress to the body in a way dogs were not bred for.  Practice in moderation. Consult with your vet.

• Obstacle course

The world is an agility course for those with eyes to see it. Teach your dog to jump up and off benches on cue or balance on a fire hydrant on your walks. Build an obstacle course in your house with brooms, chairs, etc. 

• Fitness training

Yes, puppy push-ups are a thing! Canine fitness is a growing field, and many trainers such as myself offer fitness group classes. Check out The Penn Vet Working Dog Center Fit to Work Program: A Formalized Method for Assessing and Developing Foundational Canine Physical Fitness.

• Tug

The tug-of-war game can be an essential outlet for certain types of dogs to express their natural predatory instincts. 

Professional Tip 1: Prevent your dog from ripping up the toy by keeping certain toys only for play time and putting them away before any ripping starts. 

Professional Tip 2: Is toy play too chaotic for your dog? A trainer can help you in a private lesson, or some online dog training schools have classes about structured toy play. 

• Spring pole

This refers basically to a toy that is attached to a mechanism that has “give” to it such as a spring or bungee, which is then attached to a ceiling or tree. 

Safety Tip: Make sure your dog is not stupid enough to try to bite the metal of the spring. Spring pole used to be my shepherd’s favorite game, until he one day decided to grip the metal, and he lost a tooth over it. 

• Flirt line/flirt pole 

Flirt poles make the game of tug more fun, because you can make the toy “run away like prey.” You can make a homemade flirt line by tying a tug toy to a leash (by the opposite end of the metal leash clip). 

• Fetch

A game as old as time! Fetch can be a great form of enrichment. 

Behavior Tip: Does your dog kind of fetch, but won’t drop the toy or bring it all the way back? A professional trainer can help teach your dog to retrieve! There are many different techniques to train fetch. 

Safety Tip: Teach your dog to hold a sit-stay while you throw a toy, and then release them to get the toy. Not only is this a great impulse control exercise, but it is also a physically safer form of fetch than slipping and flipping for the ball while it is still moving. 

• Adding training to toy play

If your dog loves to fetch and/or tug, in addition to teaching your dog to drop the toy when asked, you can add other skills into the routine such as having them perform a sequence of tricks before playing again. 

• Personal play

“Personal play” refers to play between a human and dog that does not involve a toy or food. Some dogs like to wrestle, run with you, etc. Dr. Amy Cook’s work focuses on using this kind of play to help dogs with behavioral issues. 

Behavior Tip 1: People are often concerned that encouraging a dog to use their mouth during play will cause them to be inappropriately mouthy in other situations. If your dog lives in a house where it is absolutely imperative for them to not jump on or mouth people, such as a large dog living with children or elderly people, it may make sense to never encourage this behavior. However, in lower stakes situations, you can make the rules of this game clear by only playing this game if you initiate it. You can also help differentiate context by getting on the floor with your dog when they are allowed to wrestle with you. 

Behavior Tip 2: Sometimes when trying to play with our dogs, they vocalize a lot or give mixed signals. If you’re asking yourself, “Does my dog really like this? Are they about to bite me for real?” it is worth it to consult with a professional. 

• Playing with other dogs

Not every dog enjoys playing with other dogs, and it is not always logistically possible to find your dog an appropriate playmate. These dogs can still live happy and healthy lives. 

However, some dogs love to play with other dogs, and it can be great enrichment. Consider booking a playdate for your dog with a friend. Read my article about dog body language and socialization here. 

• Treadmill or slatmill

Some dogs love to walk, trot, or even run on treadmills that are powered electrically or powered by the strength of the dog. 

Professional tip: Some dog training centers, stores, or even mobile businesses have treadmills and slatmills to rent by the hour. 

Safety Tip: Human treadmills are largely considered to be unsafe for many dogs because of their need for ample length to accommodate their four-legged stride. 

• Swimming

Some dogs love to swim or play fetch in the water, either outdoors or in dedicated canine aquatic centers. 

Safety Tip: Check for water quality alerts before swimming your dog outdoors, as they often accidentally swallow water when swimming–and depending on the dog, sometimes quite a bit of it. 

• Underwater treadmill

If your dog is injury-prone, using an underwater treadmill at a rehab vet can be a great alternative to hard exercise. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, their insurance may even pay for these sessions. 

• Trick training

Many dogs LOVE to train and learn tricks, and there are thousands of video tutorials online for trick training. Once your dog has mastered the basics, you can work on harder sequences such as “put your toys away,” “roll yourself into a blanket,” or even a freestyle dance routine!

• Training field trip

Having your dog practice their manners and skill in dog-friendly public areas–like sit-stay, come, and heel–can be great mental enrichment. 

• Space rental 

Some businesses have rooms that you can rent to exercise and/or train your dog in. Additionally, apps like Sniff Spot allow you to rent outdoor space to exercise your dog in–from enclosed backyards in the city to multi-acre properties with private trail systems. 

• Consider joining a dog sport

• Agility 

• Nosework 

• Tracking

• Competition obedience

• Rally

• Canine freestyle dance

• Herding

• Earthdog

• Barn hunt 

• City sniffers 

• Dock diving

• Disc

• Flyball  

• Carting

• Mushing

• Weight pulling

• Lure coursing 

• GRC 

• IGP/Schutzhund

• PSA

• French ring

• Mondioring

• Field and hunt tests

• Water rescue training

• Water retrieval/courier training

• RH (Rettüngshunde) (Search and rescue sport) 

Hopefully that’s enough to keep you busy for the rest of your life!

Did I forget about something, or do you have your own unique game that you play with your dog? Comment below!