3 Enrichment Games to Play with Your Dog

Providing your dog with different forms of enrichment is important. Not only does it keep them healthy and happy, but it also increases the bond between the two of you. Regardless of where you live, incorporating different enrichment games and activities can be done with just a few items: some toys and some treats!

Here are 3 enrichment games you can play with your dog at home:

Find The Treat

Using treats can be a great game for mental and sensory enrichment for your dog. It allows them to use their nose for something they do best - sniff! Start out by simply hiding treats in easy places, and then add a puzzle toy to make this game more challenging and enriching. Here’s how to play with a puzzle toy:

1. Grab your dog’s favorite treats and place them in a puzzle toy
2. Let your dog sniff the treats in the toy so he knows they’re there
3. Have your dog wait while you hide the toy with the treats somewhere in the house
4. Tell your dog “Find the treats!” and release him
5. Once he’s found the toy with the treats, praise him, and let him play with the toy to get the treats out

Continue to make the game more exciting by hiding the treats in more difficult to find places and more challenging puzzles.

Tug and Fetch

Yes – playing tug-of-war or fetch is a great and simple form of enrichment for your dog. You can play both games indoors or out, allowing you and your dog to spend some time bonding.

For tug-of-war, grab an appropriate toy used for tugging and initiate the game with your dog. Be sure to have a release command for your dog to be able to end the game on your terms. Tug-of-war is a great form of physical exercise, and the goal should always be to have fun safely.

Fetch can be done with any ball or toy with a lot of bounce. To make it more enriching, utilize different obedience cues such as sitting or getting eye contact with your dog before allowing them to fetch the ball. This helps them use their brain and get the physical exercise from retrieving the toy. Once they’ve brought it back to you, praise them and repeat!

Trick Training

Training not only keeps your dog’s mind entertained, but it can also be a great confidence builder for them. The best part about trick training is that you can build on existing tricks or make them more challenging as your dog masters more.

Tricks can include anything from teaching your dog to lie down to teaching them to stay. All you need are some treats or even some toys!

Enrichment games are an excellent way to incorporate different forms of stimulation for your dog. Remember to always keep games positive for both of you and tailor games to match your dogs breed and playstyle.

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