Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise to keep your dog healthy. Just 15 minutes of mental work can tire your dog out as much as a 30 minute walk. But how do you keep your dog mentally stimulated? Dog enrichment toys can help.
What Are Dog Enrichment Toys?
Dog enrichment toys are toys that let your dog use their senses and brain to achieve a goal. This can include puzzle games, hiding food or toys they need to search for, or just making them work to get treats out of a dispenser.
The point is to let them mentally figure out how to solve a problem. This will tire them out, just like physical exercise and will make them happy because you are stimulating them as well.
This in turn leads to a less bored dog who may otherwise be more inclined to get into trouble chewing up the house or digging up the yard.
Enrichment toys also provide you and your pup with a way to bond, as your dog watches you prepare the toy as well as noticing your scent while they try to complete the task.
What Are Examples Of Dog Enrichment Toys?
Dog enrichment toys come in many different forms and levels of difficulty to suit individual pups.
For each of the enrichment toys listed it is important to always supervise your dog while they use it. If your dog is an aggressive chewer, some toys may not be appropriate.
Here are just a few examples of enrichment toys for your dog:
Puzzle Toys
Puzzle toys usually involve hiding food or treats in some type of device. The levels increase in difficulty. The easiest level may include treats put into a ball where your dog will move it around and the treats will come out if it.
Medium level puzzle toys may include food put into different compartments, which your dog has to figure out how to open to obtain the treats.
Difficult level puzzle toys are similar to those of the medium level toys, but now they may have to do things in a certain order to get the compartments to open.
Pros Of Puzzle Toys:
- Keeps dogs busy for minutes to hours, depending on their skill level as they try to solve the puzzle.
- You can increase the difficulty level of the puzzles as your dog advances.
- These can also act as a slow feeder for your dog. Put your dog’s kibble in the puzzle and they will slowly eat their meal.
Cons Of Puzzle Toys:
- Some puzzles have separate parts which may be choking hazards.
- Once your dog figures out the puzzle, it is no longer challenging for them and they can then solve it right away instead of the puzzle keeping them busy.
Best Puzzle Dog Enrichment Toys
Nina Ottoson by Outward Hound Dog Treat Puzzles
Features:
- This comes in a variety of different puzzles and difficulty levels.
- Cleans with soap and water.
- BPA, PVA, and phthalate free.
Easy Level: Treat Tumble
Fill the ball with treats and your dog pushes it around to release the treats.
Intermediate Level: Dog Brick
This contains 3 types of treat compartments: Your dog will need to either flip the lid, slide the lid, or lift off the lid to get to the treats.
Advanced Level: Challenge Slider
Fill the compartments with food and your dog needs to slide the puzzle pieces to retrieve them. *This toy does NOT contain any removeable parts*
Expert Level: Multipuzzle
This requires your dog to complete a series of steps before being able to get their treats.
Trixie Dog Activity
Features:
- Non slip bottom to keep in place.
- Includes a booklet to give you tips to use the product.
- Products are dishwasher safe.
Easy Level: Flip Bone
This contains 2 cones and slots for your dog to find food.
Intermediate Level: Poker Box
Contains 4 compartments that have different ways for your dog to get to their treat, including lids, flaps, drawers, knobs, and rope that your dog needs to push, pull or lift.
Advanced Level: Chess Game
This game encompasses 4 levels of play: lifting cones, moving sliders, additional sliders that move in the opposite direction of the other sliders, and using the cones as a stopper to make moving the sliders more difficult.
Yoboeew Dog Puzzle Toy
Features:
- Contains no removable parts.
- PVC and phthalate free.
- Good for small dogs.
- Doubles as a slow feeder.
- Dishwasher safe.
This is an Intermediate to Advanced Level toy. It contains 15 compartments to put food into. Dogs can just move the sliders to get to their treats or they may have to perform steps in the correct order to get them, depending on which level you choose.
Leaps & Bounds Ponder & Puzzle
Features:
- Non-slip bottom.
- Cleans with soap and water.
This is available as an Intermediate Level toy. It contains 10 sliding doors, 2 pull out drawers, 4 flip open doors, and 2 levers that open doors for you to hide treats for your dog to find.
Hide And Seek Dog Enrichment Toys
Hide and seek toys are usually plush toys. They contain a large base, like a tree trunk, igloo, spaceship, etc. with holes in them. There are at least 3 smaller figures like squirrels, polar bears, aliens, etc. that fit into the holes of the main compartment. Your dog has to figure out how to get the smaller figures out of the larger one.
Pros of Hide and Seek Toys
- Dogs love squeaker toys and enjoy trying to get the small toys out of the larger one.
Cons of Hide and Seek Toys
- For some dogs, the smaller toys can be a choking hazard.
- If your dog is a heavy chewer, these won’t last very long.
Best Hide And Seek Dog Enrichment Toys
Zippy Paws Arctic Pals Burrow Interactive Dog Toy
Features:
- This is an igloo plush stuffed with 3 polar bears, which your dog tries to get out.
- Each polar bear has a squeaker inside.
- Good for small and medium sized dogs.
- Replacement animals are sold separately, so you can change up what animals go in the igloo.
Outward Hound Hide A Squirrel Plush Dog Toy
Features:
- Available in 3 sizes.
- This is a tree trunk with hidden squirrels your dog needs to get out.
- Each squirrel has a squeaker inside.
- Animal replacements sold separately, and different animals can be used with the tree.
- Good for all breeds and sizes.
Modern Wave Squeaky Plush Dog Toy
Features:
- For small to medium sized dogs.
- This includes a spaceship with 3 aliens your dog needs to get out.
- Each alien contains a squeaker.
Snuffle Mats
Snuffle mats come in a variety of sizes and usually include strips of felt or fleece arranged into some sort of design, ie. a flower for which you hide food into. It is then up to your dog to sniff out where the food is located using their nose and paws to get into the crevices of the material.
Pros of Snuffle Mats
- Dogs can use their natural instincts to search for food.
- Can be used as a slow feeder to reduce the time it takes for your dog to eat their food.
- They are good for dogs who are blind or have a decrease in vision, as they can use their sense of smell to stay engaged.
- Most are machine washable, making clean up easy.
Cons of Snuffle Mats
- It can take a long time to fill with food.
- If your dog is a heavy chewer, they may try to chew the material the food is hidden in.
Best Snuffle Mat Enrichment Toys
Stellaire Chern Snuffle Mat
Features:
- Available in 2 sizes: 23.6 x 39.4 inches and 39.4 x 39.4 inches.
- Available in 4 colors: blue, grey, pink, and white.
- Made of polar fleece.
- Anti-slip backing.
- Machine washable.
- Roll up to store it.
AWOOF Snuffle Mat
Features:
- Available in 34.6 x 19.6 inches.
- For large dogs.
- Made of felt material.
- Contains a squeaker in the middle of one section.
- Uses crinkle paper on some of the other sections.
- Anti-slip backing.
- Machine washable.
XFDAOPH Snuffle Mat
Features:
- Available in 41 x 29 inches.
- Made of polar fleece material.
- Non -slip bottom.
- Machine washable.
Enrichment toys can provide your dog with mental stimulation equal to physical activity. They provide a way to mentally work your dog while creating a bonding experience between the two of you.
Please check out our other posts on Health, Indoor, Outdoor, and Travel accessories for your dog, as well as Reviews of various products and travel destinations.