Canine Enrichement
It is TRAINING TUESDAY!!!!
With all this crazy heat in So Cal, I thought it would be a good option to talk about "enrichment". The idea being that you give you dogs something to do while cooped up in the house, so they do not drive you crazy.
Now, maybe you are blessed with the little angel that will just hang out all day....but maybe life is not that simple. This post is for YOU.
I wanted to share some of my favorite options outside of the "norm" (you know...chewing on a bone ect).
Here are some options, some free, some not so much.
Petmate Diggin Diner is a fun interactive food bowl for your pup. This helps decrease eating time, making them "work" for their food.
You can also make the homemade version with some scrap wood, wooden dowels and some empty 2 liter bottles:
If your dog is not into pushing things around, you can always go with the "Licki Mat". This is a great option to smoosh banana, canned food, peanut butter ect into the grooves for some quiet licking time. Note, this is a smaller item, dogs should be supervised. You can also freeze it for those that are a bit more over the top. In addition to the mat, a good old fashion stuffed Kong is a great option.
For our ball loving dogs, as stuffed Kong or the Hol-ee Treat Ball this is one of my favorites, can be filled with treats for the more "advanced" version of play. This treat dispensing toy gets shoved around until the cookie fall out. There are many on the market such as this, my other favorite is the Kong Wobbler.
Water play is also a great option on a hot day. Be it from the hose, mister, kiddie pool, or plastic tub. Throw in some toys (try some ice cubes, mine love it) and your water dogs will be happy campers.
Last but not least, I am a fan of Snuffle Mats. These can be made at home with old shirts of purchased online. These are great to hide treats, allowing your dog to use his nose to find the jackpot buried in the bottom.
For more interactive toys check out our
