Boredom Busters

We are back with more boredom busting enrichment games and toys.

If you missed our first post on enrichment ideas for pets you can find it HERE

Let's get going with round two!

Paper Stuffed Box

Stuff a box with crinkled paper and scatter treats. The treats will get trapped in the folds. 

Your pet will love snuffling through to find all the treats.

Nesting Boxes

Advance the stuffed box game by placing boxes inside other boxes. 

Your pet will have to snuffle through paper and remove different layers of boxes to find all the treats. 

Stuffed Egg Carton

Stuff an egg carton with crinkled paper. Scatter through treats. 

Your pet will have open the box and search through the paper inside to find all the treats. 

Muffin Tin Game

A favourite enrichment game, the muffin tin game challenges your dog's nose. 

Place treats in each muffin hole and cover with tennis balls. Tennis balls are the perfect size to fit in a standard muffin tin. 

Your dog will have to remove the tennis balls to get the treats.

Over time you can lessen the number of treats on the muffin tin, challenging your dog to sniff out which tennis balls are hiding treats, and which aren't. 

If you don't have a dozen tennis balls to work with, simply use a variety of your dog's toys. 

Bowl Stacks

Throw a small number of treats into four or five stackable bowls (not breakable bowls) Stack them together and let your dog nose around and separate out the bowls to reveal their food. 

Bowl Trail

Create a snuffle trail throughout your house and garden using upside down bowls or pots. 

You can vary play by placing treats under a few of the bowls or hiding the odd high value treat under one bowl and a lesser value treat under the others. 

Tops

Use them as a trail game or play the magic "where is the treat hidden game"

This game does utilise small parts so be sure to watch your dog carefully. 

Enrichment games and toys are a great way to engage your pets' natural instincts, ease boredom on slow and rainy days, and allow owners and their beloved animals to connect and have fun. 

Always supervise your pet and do not leave them alone with materials they could ingest. Take into consideration the age, breed, species, and general nature of your pet when deciding which games and toys would benefit your pet best. For example, brachycephalic dogs can damage their eyes on objects that have hard edges, and dogs that get frustrated easily shouldn't be left with anything that it is too difficult as this will only frustrate them more.