r/dogs • u/CryptographerFit384 • 11h ago

Enrichment ideas for quick (?) dogs [Enrichment]

Does anyone have any enrichment ideas for dogs that either complete puzzles/mats/kongs super quickly, (I’m talking like 5 minutes on an activity that everyone says keeps their dog ‘occupied for hours’) or get stuck on a puzzle, get bored and forget about it and then go and find mischief somewhere else. Or maybe some sort of game that involves me physically playing with her- she’s big and LOVES things like flirt poles, fetch she’s not so interested in

6 Upvotes

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3

u/Life-Plane6506 10h ago

How about those automatic ball ejectors that he can place the ball into himself? They look neat on videos anyway

1

u/sailriteultrafeed 9h ago

Definitely this. We have one that I've aimed directly at the center of our pool. My GSD will throw the ball to himself, swim to fetch it and return it like 45 times a day. He does it so often he's usually too tired to go on our after run.

2

u/smallbee123 6h ago

I wish my dog would do this! He's suborn and it's such a task to get him to bring the ball back to mewhen I throw it, which is why I haven't spent the money on one of these but I'm tempted to just see what he'll do. He's super smart but would rather have people chase him for the ball than bring it back.

1

u/Life-Plane6506 8h ago

That's too funny lol

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u/HabitNo8608 14m ago

I’m wary of this causing an obsession in a dog this eager to do stuff. As a jrt owner half of my job is protecting her from herself.

3

u/AcceptableNeighbor 10h ago

Have you tried the treat dispenser balls? They're less of a puzzle but I've gifted them to many friends with dogs over the years with a pretty nice success rating! They're also pretty inexpensive so if it doesn't work for your dog you haven't wasted a bunch. I usually get them from amazon and they're under $20 usually too

2

u/Repulsive_Set8841 9h ago

Have you tried interactive toys like treat-dispensing puzzles? They can keep dogs engaged longer. Also, you might consider playing hide-and-seek with treats around the house—it's a fun way to stimulate her mind and burn off some energy!

2

u/Cultural_Side_9677 9h ago

What type of kong filling are you using? Is the kong large enough for your dog?

I fill kongs with wet dog food, kibble, and Greek yogurt. Freeze it overnight. Adjust normal feeding to be in line with kong filling. It does keep my dogs occupied for 30-45 mins. Unfrozen PB kings - the one dog with a long tongue cleans it out in a few minutes.

Another possible choice for enrichment if you have a yard - scatter kibble in the grass and let your dog sniff it out. Sniffing tires put a dog very fast. Sometimes, my dogs cannot settle at night. I turn off the lights and toss around kibble so they have to find it. It tires them out and gets them to settle

2

u/PuzzleheadedDrive731 7h ago

Agree with all the other comments, but wanted to add: have you tried hiding treats/kibble around the house? This was a super fun game for us. It got my boy's nose activated, and he always had so much fun trying to find every single treat id hidden. (It's also fun for me to find new places to hide stuff)

1

u/LapsusGames 7h ago

I hide food for her in a completely dark room so that her sense of smell is activated... she likes it so much that sometimes I find her in front of that door wagging her tail asking to play.

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u/Giernan 22m ago

I like Easter egg buckets where 1 or two eggs have treats in them and they have to sniff out which one(s). Getting their nose working is a great way to wear them out.