My dog isn't getting nearly enough enrichment, my family does our best to cuddle and spend time with her, but she just isn't spending as much energy as she should. She's a double coated dog and we live in a tropical region (not very responsible, I know, but we adopted her while we lived in a very northern region of the US) so it's hard to walk or play outside with her for long periods. I would set up a sprinkler or something in the backyard for her, but she doesn't like playing in water.
She enjoys treats, of course, but isn't especially food motivated. What should I try? I was thinking about starting with a lick mat or something similar just to see what she thinks of it. She enjoys chewing things, but after a stressful vet trip caused by a bone we were told wouldn't splinter, I'm hesitant to give her chews again.
Indoor activities for my dog?
[Enrichment]Was here to say these first two! I make mine wait while I hide treats in all parts of the apartment, think high reward treats like tiny pieces of bacon or cheese! Then I tell her to find it! It’s cute watching her use her nose so well and she’s so proud when she’s done. ☺️
This! Make your dog stay. Drop the treats and say "Find it." Then stay, hide them where she can't see, Find it! Make it harder and harder. My dog excelled at this and was so excited by the praise when he found it! It was like his secret superpower, lol. If we were a little younger, we would have enrolled in a search and rescue course!
Do you think I could train mine with my cell phone? Find it!
Bahaha. Now I'd pay for that!
my dog isn’t super food motivated so i do this same thing with a special toy. for him he loves soft stuffed toys. he loves this game and it really wears him out.
Another is getting a box full of papers like newspapers or tissue paper and hiding treats in it so they have to use their nose to find it: that's my rainy day go to for my boy.
These are great!! Putting my answer here, as it pertains to the high energy Norwegian forest cat I had, and my basengi/blue heeler/pibble I have now. I have MS, fibro, RA and reg arthritis which makes it hard for me to keep up.
Wegies are double coated cold cats, my boi was a feral rescue kitten. Feeeeral!!! So we learned each other. Many of these i also used for our Napdog when she was just a young puppy to about 5 years old, a foster fail. My boi loved me above everything, so i heloed during vet visits and loading him and retrieving him when we vet boarded. He wasnt inherently violent, but he did not like being handled by anyone but me. He would avoid as best as he could, but....I had him from undergrad to grad to beyond through 4 states. These are things I and our gets had to learn. Once y'alls have established the rules, whatever rules works best, for each game you can add some elements. I found the best is adding some commands and working on them. Sit, stay, freeze, lie down, come, go (a bit more complicated when asking your animal to walk or run a certain distance then wait - accidents happen like dropping a glass and being able to ask your baby to get itself to a safe zone and wait while cleaning it up is epic. Particularly if you drop a dinner plate with delicious food, etc.)
I used boot strings to walk around and pull behind me on the carpet which made it twitch fun ways for doggos and cats. Fun to pounce on, or do a running swipe as I would also pull it out to see if they were fast enough to grab it. Huge fun!! Sometimes I would tie a smol plume feather to the end for some spicier and more enticing grabbing. I clipped the bottom of feather off, so the quill end wouldn't poke through gums or lips. The feather, or crinkle dangle cat toys are very epic for cats and dogs. I tied together a few boot laces so I could slowly toss it in front then behind or side to side of me, great arm exercises and great running back and forth for cat and dog. Fetch with both down a hallway with whatever toy they will fetch with. There are some ultralight Frisbees for ultimate Frisbee games that can be used indoors without much fuss. The packs are available on Amazon. There are some that light up for nighttime play that are great in a yard at night. Sometimes I will spin in a slow circle, laughing, and toss in any direction, huge fun for the doggo!! Right now we live in Northern NV which is very hot and during summer months gets down to about 80ish at 3 am. So this is a tiring activity for all. I will also use a red dot cat toy for all the animals to chase!! The loves it! Make sure it's a red dot cat toy and not a laser pointer. We also play hide and go seek, slowly introduce components of this then put them all together. Take turns sneaking up on the other, lots of joy and laughter makes sure they know this a game to enjoy and have fun with. It will evolve to something with its own rules that your both having fun with.
I also play 'all the balls/mice,' and would gather up the lightweight balls in an armful or small hand towel, then gently toss em at the ceiling and the doggo and my cat boi looooves this game!! To this day and she is 12 but gets that puppy energy going for it. Then we go for her fav ball at the same time, I let her prounce around with it, have her drop it, then begin anew. Napdog taught herself to put a ball on my dangly leg, if my legs were crossed and let it go to roll down and launch off my foot to fetch. She loves it when I roll the ball down as well and trying to figure out if it will make it to foot launch or if she can stick close and catch it off either side of my leg. There are quite a few variations of toys now, that will launch a ball 5-20 feet and dogs learn to do this or hand to you so your involved in their play and bonding time, and you put the ball in to be launched, which adds bonding time and emotional interaction, dogs and domestic cats are pack animals, and playing together makes them expend more energy having fun with you.
When they were babies, I would do the dispersed dinner time. This gets that extra bit of energy out for bedtime. You can just hide all their kibble randomly, or use smol tupperware/lids with the same number each night, or however it works. First I showed the babies I was placing their kibble around random hiding places, all in places there are allowed to go, go into, snuffle about in, then have them be in the closed up bathroom while I hid their kibbles, then released them. Sometimes they wanted to find them by themselves, other times they liked me seeing them find each smol stash and cheering them on. I taught them that they each had their own dinner hiding time so they weren't frantic about anyone else getting their food. When we first got married, we each had cats and cats and dogs. The cats and dog who weren't into it, ignored it as they were busy with their own dinner I gave them before releasing the one looking for their dinner. Or kept them in another room with their dinner so there wasn't any food anxiety while seeking for the seeker. Another vein of this is hiding a specific toy then having them find it!! They love when you come with them while they are seeking and cheer them on!!
Having frozen treats during the day is key during hot and humid months. From frozen yogurts to big ole ice cubes with treats in the middle. There are also some great dog and cat friendly recipes for frozen treats online for variety. My cat boi loved them dropped in his water bowl so he could bat it around some and watch it thaw while trying to see if it was smol enough to eat yet. My doggo loves this too!! I would also freeze a bigger ice cube using various Tupperware or 'disposable' food dishes, like yogurt cups (cut the lipped top off for ease of getting it out), cool whip, whipped butter/honey containers and drop food/treat items in during various times of the freezing process. Like one does with jello. Pop it out and have a washable potty blanket down if indoors or a regular outdoor blanket for outside and sometimes up to an hour of fun, excitement and getting some ice and coooold water down them. I also will freeze some sodium free chicken broth, beef broth and bone broth in these containers sans treats on days when they aren't eating as much due to heat. Helps get calories down and keeps em cooler. Make sure the treat items are smol enough not to cause choking hazards. A couple tiny bits of apples or one or two kibbles are great!! Or just a giant ice cube to enjoy. We have a doggie pool that we grab a couple bags of ice for and dump in for napdoggo outside. She hates getting wet but loves the ice bath and rolls around in it getting cool. We do this a couple times a week if we can't keep playtime to night time or its a particularly terribly hot day.
There are a ton of great ideas on this thread!! Oh, of course there is the daily brushing out that my wegie loved. It was a bit of a cuddle, bonding time just for me and him every day. Man he had a lot of fur!! That inner coat just shed like crazy during summer months. There are brushes you can mount on a corner of a wall your baby can brush themselves on as well as the daily brushing. We used the soft rubber brush as that doesn't cut at the skin like the wire brushes do. The same type is now being sold for human scalp stimulators, so however you find it, that's the one!! A bit of a massage, no pain evers and your baby will be down for daily brushing time. :)
“Scavenger hunt” is our favorite game with our dogs! Our husky/lab mix LOVES it
We play retrieve in the house down the hall
Some other ideas we used particularly while our boy was recovering from knee surgery and couldn’t be retrieving…
Those puzzle things you can hide treats in where they have to slide things with their nose etc to find it
Hiding toys and sending him to find them… he was good. Didn’t matter if it was in a closed drawer, inside a backpack etc he’d find it and he wouldn’t give up. I think the longest I clocked him before he found it was 45 minutes - thats determination! It was on top of the hot water tank. Usually though he had it in under 2 minutes. Can do treats if that motivates them more too…
Basic obedience training
Can do little cavaletti, weaves, back up (we moved the coffee table closer to the couch as a squeeze so he couldn’t turn around) or other “light” agility type activities
I'm curious how did you communicate to them that you wanted them to go find an object?
Oh goodness, we’ve been doing it with him for 12 years now. If I recall we started with just retrieving…. Then sit stay, put it somewhere he could see it, ask him to go get it… Then sit stay, put it just out of sight… Then just increasing the difficulty. In the end nowhere was off limits. If he couldn’t reach it he’d just bark at it to let us know he found it. On top of a bookshelf. Inside a filing cabinet. Etc.
Okay actually that should totally work for us. We have a 7 month old golden who is a quite good retriever and I've been steadily working in the sit stay before retrieve. Thanks, I'll work on this with her.
Good luck! It’s a handy game to have, especially with a retriever (we have a Chesapeake) who like to be occupied. Once they know the game if you hide it well enough and you might be able to sit and have a coffee in peace while they search! It’s also good if you ever need a lower impact activity for them (injury, arthritis, recovery from surgery etc)
Oh wow she caught on in just a few minutes!! I always assumed this kind of game would be very hard to teach, thank you!! Very gratifying to see her get it out from between couch cushions and bring to me in the kitchen. She looked very very pleased with herself too.
They love to play. Make something a game and I swear they learn it 10x as fast. Glad to hear she’s having fun with it!
I'm in central Texas (a subtropical region) and have a high energy puppy (9 month old Doberman) and I live in an apartment. My boy loves playing "find" for his meals (while he is sequestered in his crate, I take a stack of ~15 plastic lids and hide them around the apartment, placing kibble on each lid then let him out of the crate and have him "find lunch").
His two other favorite activities for indoors don't require food: playing with a flirt pole and playing with our automatic ball launcher. I live alone with him in a 2-bed, 2-bath apartment so we have a relatively large carpeted living/dining space so we have room to play.
The flirt pole tuckers him out the quickest (~20 minutes of play) and to keep it interesting I rotate out different toys attached to the flirt pole (small plushy toy, a small normal rope, long braided fleece rope, a soft squeaky ball with a tie-on spot, etc.). The automatic ball launcher took a while to teach him to use by himself, but usually I sit with him and hold the launcher because he gets excited and tips it over pretty often.
By far his favorite exercise is playing fetch at one of our apartment's off leash parks but it is getting too hot to do during the day for very long so recently I've been relying more and more on our indoor activities for daytime. Tomorrow I'm taking him swimming at a big creek though for a fun hot weather activity :)
We do have a scent work kit but I've yet not begun to use it with him regularly although I do plan to.
i like that u use 15 specifically. cause i'm always worried i'll leave something out/behind and the dog wont find it but other pests will. Activity isn't done til he finds 15.
You nailed it! I count the stack specifically so I know when we're done.
Lick mats are nice and offer some soothing stimulation. They don't tire your dog out, however. Maybe you want to look into scent work? That's what I do with my very high energy dog when I need him to get happily tired indoors. And also just for the fun of it.
What’s scent work?
Badically any work where the dog is required to use its nose to find a scent. It doesn't matter what scent. Whether you train the dog to find teabags, bed bugs, explosives or copper coins doesn't matter. You can also train to find people by following their scent that is lingering in the air (mantrailing) or by finding trails of footsteps on natural ground. In the US they also have barn hunts. This isn't a complete list.
How do you do scent work? I have a shepherd boxer mix who loves sniffing out anything
It would probably be more beneficial to search up a video on youtube about training scent work than listening to a youtube comment. But basically start by grabbing boxes or containers and putting a treat in one of them. Have your dog go sniff it out and keep moving the boxes around. Pair this with the "find it" commang. Thats the budget friendly option. The next step (if you decide to do that) is get a scent kit off amazon and put the scenting oils it comes with on a cotton ball in the jar then start easy. Put it in front of your dog and if they interact with it, reward and say the marker you've trained "find it". Then progress to putting it in a box. Once you do that it's best to move the boxes around instead of the jar as the scent may linger. Then you can progress to hiding it around your house, like in a cupboard, under the couch, on a table, etc. Make sure to reward after every find and use your marker "find it" when they find it.
I've explained one way of doing it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/s/FsLA4dslLK
Let me know if the link doesn't work.
How do you feed then food? If it’s in a bowl that can be easily changed to provide enrichment. I feed my dog in a different enrichment toy everyday. It can be either a slow feeder, a puzzle, a snuffle mat, etc. Sometimes I even just toss her kibble on the floor for her to sniff around while eating
Tossing the kibble on the floor is what we often do, and our dog loves it. One for one. She loves going after them. We have hard floors, so it makes a sound . She immediately looks for it 😁.
I do this, too! Have to call it “scatter feeding” so I don’t feel like a terrible person for just dumping the dog’s food on the floor 😂
I make heavy use of scatter feeding too and this cracked me up bc you're totally right 😂
Sometimes it’s just too much work to dig a puzzle feeder or snuffle mat out of the closet when the puppy is wilding out at 6 am. Dump a scoop of food on the floor and go wild- let me sit here and inhale coffee, please.
Same, but luckily my kelpie is a bit of an idiot so breakfast and dinner out of the same wobble kong makes him work hard enough to be settled for a bit after.
Haha I have the opposite problem with mine. She’s too smart. She’s work hard for a few times on a new feeder (and we switch them every time) and then it gets too easy
Going to piggy back off your comment:
Toys that you put your dogs food in are great if you do any amount of kibble feeding! We've got 3 different various of balls/toys that our dog has to push around the house to make them roll and dispense her breakfast every morning. Sometimes we split up her breakfast between a couple of toys and a snuffle mat if the weather is poor and she can't be outside. We also keep cardboard around and sometimes I'll fill a big box with other smaller cardboard trash and sprinkle her kibble or treats in it and she has to dig and shred through it. Toilet paper rolls/paper towel rolls, and pasta boxes make great debris for her to have to dig through. If you've got room for it maybe even keep a plastic kiddy pool in the garage and fill it up with your cardboard so they can really dig around and look for things. It makes a mess but nothing 5 minutes with a broom won't clear up. I've got an 8 month old mixed breed puppy who has heaps of energy and these things do great to really keep her busy.
do you have home depot or lowe’s close ? i love doing obedience there when it’s hot as hell outside
Me too, but some Home Depots don't allow dogs so it's Lowe's for us.
Is that just your location? I bought my dog to Home Depot yesterday and it was fine. One of the workers wanted to play with her even!
Yeah, I think there was an incident so they stopped it there and I have heard of others. Best to check the sign on the door for any of them. Lowe's ended up being a big winner in my purchases because I could bring my dog. Lol
I 2nd this. I bring my dog on Home Depot runs, she loves going up and down the aisles smelling all the smells. I think she prefers Petco though.
Funny - my dog prefers Home Depot over petco. She’s definitely more of a people dog than a dog dog
So is mine. I definitely don't let her greet other dogs in Petco, but she's okay to see them in passing. It's good practice for her to observe them in an environment she's comfortable in too.
Our dog is obsessed with bubbles. Bubble machine hung on the washing line will keep him entertained for ever.
Scent work!!! They sell cheap kits on Amazon.
A flirt pole is a blast for them (basically a toy on a stick like a cat has but stronger).
My husband is hilarious and lazy so he took a toy and tied it to the end of a retractable leash and then he will throw the toy to the dog and then fish it back lol
love the idea of tying a toy to the retractable leash and gonna use with my great dane.
Scent work saved my sanity in the winter with my extremely active American Bulldog. She seems invincible to everything except temps below ~50f and will not tolerate a jacket or sweater. Her first winter with us I questioned all of my life choices and she ate a sectional... then I found out she can get even more energy out by sniffing and subsequent winters have been much more tolerable (especially since I replaced the couch...)
Is there a neighbour's/friend's dog that your dog likes? If yes, you could try 'borrowing' the dog for regular play dates.
Take a course or watch YouTube to learn scent training. That can be done in house. Practice obedience, learn tricks.
When my two pups were younger and it was the middle of winter here, I would put training treats (the super small ones) in a cupcake tins and put tennis balls on top of it. The mental energy they would spend trying to figure out how to move the tennis balls was great. Tired them out for sure. Of course, eventually it became a no brainer so I did buy one puzzle that was more demanding. I noticed the sit/staycome commands tired them out mentally, as well.
In regards to the heat, do you have a cooling mat? Those might help if she is still feeling too warm inside the house. Dogs who are too warm might be more tired and play less. A dog pool to fill with ice cubes can also be a good option for her to play outside some days while still keeping cool. Frozen Kongs or freezing treats or toys in ice might also be a good way to give her enrichment and keep her cool at the same time. And maybe placing some sunshades outside. Oh and there are other chews available than bones. Go for bully sticks, they last a while usually and do not splinter. Yak cheese chews are good as well but make sure you buy the right size.
It’s really simple, but I get my dogs toy basket, put the high value toy on the bottom & they dig around for it. They rediscover toys in the process
Hobby Lobby and JoAnn are dog friendly and great places for training. Pet Smart and Petco are as well and they are full of distractions. If there is a Zoom Room near you, check it out; they have lots of classes and activities and the training is all positive reinforcement based.
Spread out a blanket you don't care about, start at the edge and put a line of treats, then start rolling up the blanket up little by little and putting more lines of treats. When you finally finish rolling, tie the blanket in a knot and stick more treats in. Dog has to be food motivated and treats have to be smelly enough
Wow I've done this countless times with little microfiber rags but it never occurred to me to do it on a larger scale! I'm going to do this today, I have the perfect blanket for this 😊
Do you live near a Petco or Petsmart? It gets over 100 degrees here for months, so I usually take my dog there to walk around for an hour or so. It's very enriching because there is SO much stuff to sniff, and you can buy treats there and hide them under shelves etc to make it a little scavenger hunt.
This is pretty easy for me because I live in a more rural area and the store is never busy, the workers love playing with her too.
I live in the desert so I feel you about the heat.
We take our dogs to pet stores or other stores that allow dogs (out here that’s typically hardware/home improvement stores. Hobby Lobby also allows well behaved dogs, as does my local Michael’s, and some independent stores - we have a used media store that’s really big and welcomes dogs for example). They are just as happy walking around a store, sniffing everything and greeting people, as they are on a walk.
My ACD mix loves sniffing out treats. We hide them in random places for her to find. My French bulldog is a rescued breeding mama who doesn’t really do anything other than watch what’s going on so we talk to her a lot, and show her things, kind of like a baby. If our ACD is playing, she loves watching that even though she won’t join in.
I didn't realize that some Hobby Lobby's allowed dogs, I'll definitely look into that since I go pretty often :) thank you.
Give her a Nylabone. Won't splinter bc it's not an actual bone. Won't get gross like raw hide. They last FOREVER. And my dogs have always liked them.
Not good for their teeth unfortunately, the VOHC say not to use nylabones
I just went through this with my 1 year old husky. She had surgery on a broken leg and was in an external fixator for 14 weeks where we had to keep her as calm as possible. Obviously, we sedated her, but she still needed mental stimulation.
There are mats that have little pockets, and folds where you can hide treats. I don't know the exact name of them, but they're similar to lick pads except bigger and made of a felt type of material. I'll try to find a link for one. I saw someone suggested hiding treats around the house, but this is a good starting point for making it a bigger game around the house.
Also, FROZEN BEEF BONES. I know you said you had a bad experience, but I assure you these are safe. These are great treats and can take an hour or more for your dog to chew thoroughly. I've never seen my dogs splinter these bones. They've broken off small pieces, like the size of a small pebble, and eaten it without any issues. Our oldest husky almost had surgery once to remove a rawhide, so I know the feeling!
Any extra training you want to work on is a great way to engage the mind, and get your pup tired. Mental stimulation is just as good as physical sometimes.
Snuffle mat
A snuffle mat or a DIY one is great!! Google DIY snuffle mat with towels. My dog freaks out every time I grab a towel now because she thinks I’m making one for her 😝 I’ve read before that 20 minutes of sniffing for a dog is equivalent to like 1 1/2 hours of exercise. Also a bell pepper stuffed with pumpkin, broth, peanut butter, treats, and then frozen will keep them busy for a long time
Interesting because I know an older out of shape husky that does better on hot hikes than my younger short hair (very athletic) dog The xtra fur acts as insulation from the heat/sun Maybe your dog can handle longer walks than you think? Walking is best when it’s hot…… not running or playing catch. Also I always walk dogs after sun goes down when it’s hot
Also you can bring water bottles and collapsible dog bowls
Snufflemats are good for doggos.
Nose work is fun. Snuffle mat. Puzzle toys. Lick mat. Kong. Set up a cooling mat for her. Or a cooling vest.
While all these suggestions about lick mats and puzzles are great, this dog needs actual physical exercise. Is there any place you can take dogs to thats still indoors? Or at least in the shade? Is your house big enough to at least let her run around a bit or goof around? Dogs get so depressed so quickly unless they get to run off some of their energy.
In all honesty i dont think its a good idea to own a cold weather dog in a tropical climate. I get that this is a dog purchased before you lived there, but its still very cruel to force a dog to barely move. Unless you can provide actual exercise for her I really think you should look into rehoming to a responsible home that can give her what she needs in terms of physical exercise. Its a shitty situation but you guys shouldve really considered this before moving somewhere hot with a dog that cant handle it.
I understand the concern! But, we're a military family so we don't have much control over where we move, and when. We rarely live in one state for more than two years, and this will likely be the last place we're stationed before we settle into the midwest again. I can assure you she is loved and cared for, taken on walks and to the park whenever we can, and is well monitored when we do take her out to avoid risk of overheating. She enjoys running and we do let her sprint around in the backyard, or lay in the shade, but we can't do that all of the time.
Early before sunrise long walks without leash; Late at night when the temperature is a little cooler do the same again. Two times a week hanging with other dogs off the leash. No house activities can replace what I just wrote.
You could try a different feeder, there's one on Amazon that makes the dog work a bit for their food. Though I'm not sure how to describe it lol.
My dog loves hers - it's called a "Buster Cube".
there's a dog toy on amazon where your dog uses a button to dispense the food and you can put the dispenser wherever you want in the house. I don't have it personally, but I do know of folks who have it and it was a game changer for them
I use things like a toppl (block big hole with ball to make more challenging) and another contraption from west paw I can't remember the name of, where it dispenses food as your dog rolls it around more. and that works great for me! and of course it takes up more space if you have it, otherwise my dog is happy doing it just in a room
I have an Australian shepherd fyi
EDIT: I see now that your dog isn't super food motivated – you can replace mealtime with this activity if that helps! otherwise treats will do :)
If you have a bit of indoor space that's not slippery, you can play tug or play with bubbles. (I created a nonslip indoor space using those foam interlocking anti fatigue mats).
I love a frozen probiotic yogurt if you can find them at your local pet store. That usually will last 10-45 minutes depending on the size.
We use these flavoured bubbles they make for dogs and she absolutely LOVES THEM! Endless fun, from the sofa. She just bites them out of the air and generally goes a little mad (in a good way)
Our area has an indoor dog swim place that has an indoor play area and doggy treadmills. My dog loves his visits and gets excited everytime we get his life vest out. Perhaps there is something similar in your area?
The play mats with treats are supposed to be really good. Apparently if they sniff in the enrichment toy it’s like a 45 min walk or something wild.
Yak cheese is a good chew that can’t splinter!
Flirt stick!
Find the treats was like an Olympic level sprinting event for my border collie when he was a pup.
Scent work exercises can be a great way to tire out a dog mentally without the need for intense exercise. Try hiding some favorite toys and treats around the house and let her get to sniffing.
You can play hide and seek with her! That’s what we do with our double coated girl. It’s just my husband and I, but one of us or both of us will hide and call for her. She’s figured out all of our hiding spots but she still loves it. It could even be laying on the floor under a cover.
I like those interactive dog toys. Puzzles are my favorite.
Hide treats all over the house and have the dog look for them!!!
Train her on new commands or tricks, or take her to walk around a store that allows dogs. I’m constantly Googling stores near me that allow dogs. You might be surprised at what stores let dogs in!
We would cut up an apple or whatever your dog likes. Give everyone in the house a couple of pieces. Then, each person would call the dog & treat her. We live in a split-level home, so she's running up & down the stairs, and it trains her to come when called. For the chewing, buy a couple of the kong cones & fill them with peanut butter, banana & treats. Pop them in the freezer. Definitely helped with her anxiety. Play hide & seek, but the dog cheats. Good luck & have fun.
If you have a set of stairs and your dog is small enough, you can get them pretty well exercised by throwing a ball up the stairs and having them chase it. Even my really hyperactive dog gets exhausted after ~15-20 mins of constantly sprinting up and down the stairs.
If you have another person around, you can also pass a ball back and forth between you and have your dog in the middle try to catch the ball as you throw it.
In addition to hiding treats, you can have them search for people in the house. Our dog has gotten really good at finding individuals based on names / hand signs.
I also like wrapping up bigger treats in a bunch of layers of thick socks so my dog has to spend time chewing through them to get to the treat. It's easier and safer IMHO than a kong. The only downside is potentially getting some threads stuck in their teeth which is easily remedied.
I live in TX, so we've had to come up with lots of indoor games to play during the summer months when it's still 100+ degrees out until like 9 pm every day. So I feel you on this!
And early step in teaching a dog to scent track is to hide a toy somewhere in the house and have them find it. My lab absolutely LOVED this. She used a ton of energy and it was great for days that going outside wasn't a great idea.
My dog is newly obsessed with the Tricky Treat ball!
Does your dog watch TV or interact with the TV? My older dog doesn't play ball much anymore so we put "dog beach day" or "dog day care" YouTube videos on TV for him. We also have toys that only come out after work and get put away again before bed, it adds to the excitement when they see them again.
I made a “snuffle box” and my dog loves it. Used a shorter cardboard box and folded in the top panels. Then I filled it with cut up pieces of cardboard egg cartons and toilet paper rolls. I sprinkle treats in there and let him snuff them out. Sometimes I will hide treats in the toilet paper rolls or put some in a paper bag and hide in the box.
A busy box…. I save all my small boxes that food/cosmetics come in. I put a few pieces of kibble in each and close them back up. I put all the boxes, toilet paper rolls etc. in a large open box and let them go to town. They love shredding the boxes and finding the treats. Keeps them busy for quite a while
Definitely lick mats! I would also recommend frozen treats or toys for the hot summer months (just freeze their favs in a block of water). You can either take those outside, place in a plastic tub/pool, or bathtub.
He needs a playmate... everyone should have at least 2 animals...
It's awesome that you're looking for ways to provide enrichment for your pup, especially considering the challenges of living in a tropical region with a double-coated dog!
Since outdoor activities might not be ideal due to the heat, focusing on indoor enrichment is a great idea. A lick mat is a fantastic option to start with! You can spread some peanut butter or yogurt on it for her to enjoy, providing mental stimulation as she works to lick it clean. Plus, it's a cool treat for her without the need for water play.
If she enjoys chewing but you're worried about safety, there are plenty of alternatives to traditional bones that might work well for her. You could try durable rubber chew toys or puzzle toys that dispense treats as she plays with them. These can keep her mentally engaged and satisfy her need to chew without the risk of splintering.
Another idea is to engage her in interactive games or training sessions indoors. Teaching her new tricks or practicing obedience commands can help tire her out mentally, which is just as important as physical exercise for keeping her happy and healthy.
Additionally, you could explore sensory activities like scent games or DIY puzzle feeders to keep her entertained and mentally stimulated. These activities tap into her natural instincts and provide a fun way for her to use her brain.
Overall, the key is to experiment and see what activities your dog enjoys most. Every pup is unique, so try out different options to find what works best for her. Keep up the great work in providing her with the enrichment she needs to thrive!
We use licki mats, he loves them. We use things like fruit, dog safe pate, dog safe peanut butter, lactose free cheese spread, flavoured sprinkles. Sometimes we feed him his dinner in licki mats. We also feed him 50/50 fresh food and kibble, but we keep the kibble and put it inside kongs mixed with a cheese spread or something, sometimes frozen sometimes not. He also likes the yak bars so we got a yak chew kong thing (shaped like a yeti) that you put the yak chew in and microwave it and it puffs up inside the kong thing. Yeti yak thing We do training at home eg at the moment we are working on ‘place’. Oh and we got an automatic dispenser puzzle thing that we put kibble or treats in and he has to press a button and it dispenses the treats. That keeps him entertained for ages. Someone else mentioned bubbles, we got dog safe bubbles they’re like meaty flavour. If your dog is a foodie I’d recommend the big size tracheas, they keep him going for like an hour.
[for context I have a 7 month old American bully]
So, OP. Cooked bones are very prone to splintering, so never feed your dog a bone that says "cooked, roasted, smoked, etc." The only bones you'd ever want to feed them are raw meaty bones. But great alternatives are bully sticks, pig ears, anterlers, etc. Just make sure if they like to swallow the small piece left on the chew, to take it away when it gets too low so they don't choke.
I have two huskies, we live in Texas, ours are very high energy and they will play outside but are mostly indoor dogs. They love their Kong toys that hide treats, it keeps them occupied although you said your pups aren’t food motivated. For exercise you can try basic training, or a clear floor you can play fetch in, I know this depends on the space in your home. We sometimes just get on the floor and play with them, I wouldn’t cut out walks or parks even if it’s hot, try going on walks early when it’s cooler or later when the suns not at its highest.
We like to play hide and seek with our dog when it's storming or too hot/cold outside for her to be out there playing.
We grab a handful of small high value treats (boiled chicken, hotdog bits, or her favorite dog treat). Have her sit and stay somewhere, then go hide somewhere in the house. Command her to "come" and she darts off on search for her people. Praise and treats when she finds either of us. We usually incorporate going up or down stairs to have her get some actual exercise out of it.
Additionally, just general training can be very stimulating for dogs. If we don't get on a regular walk, ours tends to get a bit vocal and constantly brings toys to play, tries to herd us, etc... Doing 15-30 minutes of behavior and trick training usually gets her to a point where she can wind down and relax for a while - certainly not as long as a walk, but enough to stimulate at least.
Finally, freezing a treat in water/peanut butter in a training toy is also useful for giving them something to work on for a while. Or just shoving a treat that's too big into a toy that's too small for the treat is useful for getting them to work their brains a bit on trying to get it out. Ours gets frustrated after about 15 minutes and will just bring the treat to one of us to help her with. I'll usually break off a small chunk of the treat in the toy so she gets a reward next time she tries working on it.
I hide kibble all around the house and make my dog (find it!) during rainy days when we can’t go for walks.
Look up trick dog training on YouTube. Free training.
I like to throw treats/kibble down the hall and then recall after they ate the kibble. I always give multiple pieces of treats/kibble when he comes back to me to make sure he values the recall highly. Gets them running back and forth and has improved my pups recall a LOT
We have a double -coated dog in a hot climate too. Some things that have worked for us or we've looked into are:
-Walks/play early in the morning or at night when it's cool enough
-going to the river or lake to walk/play so she stays cool
-we found a doggy daycare that's all inside and climate controlled. We haven't actually signed her up for this yet, but you could see if there's something similar in your area
My mum and brother play this game with our dog where they throw a cushion to each other, showing them to him whenever it’s in one of their hands and he usually runs behind the cushion.
When it was really hot last summer and the dog was only getting potty breaks outside I rolled his favorite treats into a small clean towel and let him go to town learning how to unravel it to get them out
I toss my entire dogs morning kibble into the grass for him to scavenge. It wears him out a good bit.
My advice is honestly a lot of training. Mental load often wears out dogs a lot more than physical, but the best is usually a combination of the two (I like doing some training on our walks).
Put treats in a plastic container. Fill with water and freeze. Give it to them outside.
We bought PVC pipes and made little jumps like an indoor agility course. We would practice 1-2 times a day for 15 minutes.
We also played search and rescue which is actually looking for treats in the house. We timed our dogs, and one is clearly smarter than the other one.
Snuffle mats/ toys and Lick mats/ kongs filled with peanut butter, baby food or treats have worked wonders for us.
I play Frisbee with my dogs while watching TV in the evenings. It's not a very big area, but they'll go for entire duration of a movie if I let them
Get some old socks and cut a hole in the tip, take a low calorie treat and wrap it in multiple socks and throw it for her. She’ll enjoy chasing it and digging out the treat.
Can you get your dog out very early in the morning and at night for play time when it's not as hot?
Do you have a hallway? Toss a ball or toy down it for her to run after? Squeaky balls? We had an American eskimo that loved the cooling mats. She also loved bully sticks, tripe (gag) and kongs that had the fitted slots for treats. They roll around and she could hear the snacks in them but had to work to get them out. Or! The kong treat dispenser w the ridges outside so we could slather on some peanut butter between the crevices and stuff in some charlee bears. She loved it! Home depot or lowes for air conditioned outings for some socializing and change of scenery too.
There are some great canine enrichment pages on Facebook. Check them out and join a few.
Enrichment stick from Tractor Supply
A bucket of tennis balls and throwing and rolling them in the house and yard. Daily walks on a leash where she is not rushed. You may consider a summer haircut with a professional groomer. Hot, miserable dogs are not going to be playful.
get her groomed shorter regardless
This isn't true at all.
There is a study that showed the top coat temperature to prove that it didn't but, did the study show the temperature under the coat? Of course not. The fur acts as insulation and traps heat in.
please provide the source of the study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31128646/
This is the study that the temperature myth is based off of.
It's poorly done and doesn't show the temperature under the coat, just the surface temperature.
My dog is also not food motivated at all so any sort of puzzle toys that are even a little difficult to get treats out of, she gives up on immediately. She also doesn’t like any sort of hard plastic or heavy rubber toys, she likes balls and plushes mostly. Tried a snuffle mat, again she gets bored and isn’t that interested in finding all the treats. So, I started her with a lick mat, which she loves. Peanut butter shouldn’t be given to her every day so I either do every couple days or swap it for pumpkin puree occasionally. Then, I got her a hole-ee roller ball (I wanted something she couldn’t choke on, not like a tennis ball) and I stick soft dental chew sticks in it (I break them in half if I’m home, quarters if I’m leaving the house bc again, scared of choking lol) and she loves it. the ball is light and squishy so she’s able to push it around, paw at it, chew on it etc until the chews fall out and she can eat them, which is also good for her teeth 🤷🏼♀️ and they won’t splinter, I use the purina dental life ones and they’re pretty chewy compared to a bone. It seems to have made her very happy! We leave her home alone during the day (I come home at lunch to walk her) out in our living room bc we feel bad caging her all day, and she’s stopped chewing things out of boredom since we introduced the lick mat, the ball with the chews, and lots of toys lol. I will say the roller ball is not super sturdy it’s pretty soft rubber/foam so if your dog is a destructive chewer he might tear it up quickly.
Consider a dog daycare once a week. It makes a big difference for my guy. He gets plenty of dog playtime, which I as a human cannot provide. He runs and plays all day! Happy and tired when I pick him up. I budget for it because it helps us both. $32 .
For your dog who enjoys indoor activities and needs to stay cool, there are several creative ways to keep her mentally stimulated without relying on intense physical exertion. Consider introducing her to lick mats and puzzle feeders, which provide a calming effect through repetitive licking and challenge her mind. You could also engage her with short, regular training sessions to teach new tricks or reinforce old ones, helping keep her brain active.
Additionally, snuffle mats are excellent for encouraging natural foraging behaviors by hiding treats within, requiring her to use her keen sense of smell. Interactive toys that move unpredictably or make noises can captivate her attention and satisfy her curiosity without the need for vigorous activity.
For her chewing enjoyment, opt for durable rubber toys that are safe and can be filled with treats or spreads, which are perfect for extended play without the risks associated with bones. Setting up a simple indoor obstacle course using household items can also provide light physical and mental stimulation.
To help her stay cool, incorporate cooling mats in her rest areas, ensuring she remains comfortable after play. Lastly, treat-dispensing toys offer both mental stimulation and a fun challenge, keeping her engaged as she works to release the treats. These activities can effectively use up her energy and keep her content indoors.
Doggy day care
https://www.aspca.org/news/heat-wave-approaching-should-you-shave-your-pet
Have a professional trim the long hair and groom frequently to manage the short hair. You can make brushing a family type game as part of the cuddles to keep it constant (she'll shed profusely regardless, so try to get some fun out of it). Evening/night walks and early morning walks are great. A cooling mat is helpful for a quick cool down. Bubble machines, flirt sticks can keep her exercised. If you have the yard space, an RC tumble car or a cheap drone to chase can wear her down quickly. Get cheap drones and fly a few feet above her reach, otherwise they get destroyed quickly. You'll need to practice, so go cheap. Tumble cars can be pretty rugged, but cheaper is better. Frozen treats work well with cool down, too.
Fwiw, dogs with a top coat and undercoat should not be shaved - the undercoat actually keeps the dogs cool (this is why husky’s and GSDs can live in very warm climates and do just fine).
Understood, no issue. ASPCA says they can be trimmed, per the article. They may or may not be a reliable source. Thanks!
My two LOVE snuffle mats. I got one off Amazon and they go til they’re exhausted. And then go back over and over for the rest of the day just to make sure they didn’t miss something.
Can you buy a nerf gun? My dog LOVES chasing the ball from this toy and it tires her out after about 10 shoots and then we sit in the grass and shoot again after a rest.
I usually do this around 12 after her walk and then she takes a 2 hour nap after that.
Lots of toys. Play with them common sense.
Honestly, I'd continue to work on finding some safe chews, and just get her outdoors for walks or exploring at night or first thing in the morning.
You can try hiding treats around the house and have her sniff them out. Start with letting her see where you are placing them and then progress to hiding them. You can also order enrichment puzzles on Amazon (or make them yourself, there are plenty diy TikTok’s). Snuffle mats as well could be good.