9 Free & Easy Canine Enrichment Ideas

This post is all about cheap and easy ways we can enrich our dog’s lives. Enrichment doesn’t have to be expensive and there is no need to spend money on new puzzle toys! We can use things we already have in different ways to offer our dogs some extra mental stimulation…

Remember to supervise your dog while they are engaging in these activities.

Two dogs sniffing around a grassy field in a park

1. Scatter Feeding

We feed our dogs twice a day, so why not add some enrichment to this activity which we are doing anyway!? Instead of feeding them from their bowl, try scattering their food around your home and garden. This encourages natural foraging behaviours and encourages them to use their nose to find their meals.

2. Teach a new trick

There are so many things we can teach our dogs so why not teach them something new? This is a great way to mentally stimulate your dog and it increases the bond they have with you at the same time. You can teach simple tricks or complex ones. Search on youtube for inspiration!

3. Hide the toy/treat

Hide a toy or treat in your home or garden and encourage your dog to look for it. Make it easy to begin with, then you can start making it more tricky by hiding the treat/toy behind or under things.

A black spaniel sitting beside a cardboard treat puzzle on the floor

4. Cardboard boxes

Instead of putting empty cardboard boxes in the recycling, let your dog have some fun with them first! Hide treats or toys in them to encourage your dog to explore and play.

5. Muffin trays

Put some tennis balls in an empty muffin tray (they fit in the holes perfectly!) and hide some treats under the balls. Your dog needs to life the ball to find the treats. Start by hiding treats under every tennis ball, then make it trickier by only hiding treats under some of the balls.

6. Work on tricks your dog already knows

We don’t need to teach our dogs new tricks to provide canine enrichment, we can also work on tricks they already know. Think about the three Ds: Distance, Distraction and Duration.

For example: How far away can you be when you ask your dog for a sit? What else can be going on in the environment when you ask for a sit. How long can your dog sit for?

7. Using play as enrichment

Playing with your dog is a great way to add enrichment and increase your bond. Rather than playing fetch repetitively, try to change up the games. Add commands like ‘wait’ and ‘drop’ into the games. Use different toys in different ways so the game is less predictable. Practice adding calm time throughout play time so your dog doesn’t get over-excited and learns some self-control.

A black spaniel looking at a plastic box with dog biscuits inside

8. Plastic tubs

Plastic tubs are great for enrichment! You can put them upside down on top of a treat so your dog has to work out how to get to the treat. Or you can put a treat inside the tub with the lid on gently. Or you can stack several tubs with a treat at the bottom of each one so your dog has to work out how to separate the tubs to get the treats.

9. Hide and seek

This is exactly how you would play hide and seek with children, but instead we are playing it with our dog! One person waits with your dog in one room, then you run off and hide somewhere else. Call your dog’s name and see how long it takes them to find you! Get creative with your hiding places- hiding behind the shower curtain is a good one!!

I hope this has inspired you to have a look around you and raid your recycling to see how you can add some extra stimulation to your dog’s life without having to spend a lot of time or money!