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What is Enrichment and Why is it Important?
Is your dog chewing the furniture, digging at the rug, or nudging your arm every few minutes while you’re trying to work or relax?
It’s easy to label that behavior as "naughty", "needy", or "too much to handle". But your dog isn’t being “bad.” Your dog is probably bored.
As a rewards-based dog trainer working with families in the Savannah area, I see boredom as the root cause of many common challenges—chewing, counter surfing, mouthing, and general restlessness or inability to settle. Dogs absolutely need physical exercise like walks and playtime. But many well-meaning owners overlook something just as important: mental stimulation, also known as enrichment.
Dogs are natural problem-solvers. They’re built to sniff, lick, shred, chew, and think. When those needs aren’t met, they’ll create their own activities—and we don’t always appreciate the ones they choose.
Thoughtful enrichment can:
Reduce destructive behavior
Improve focus and impulse control
Lower overall stress
In this post, I’ll share simple enrichment ideas—both homemade and store-bought—that keep your dog’s mind, mouth, and nose busy, leading to calmer behavior and a more peaceful household.
As a note, I am not affiliated with any products or brands. I recommend them here because I have found they work well for my training clients.
Easy Enrichment You Can Do at Home
Find It! Game (Everyday Nose Work)
This is one of my favorite enrichment games because it’s simple, powerful, and free.
Hide treats in easy-to-find places around your home. Walk with your dog on leash, say “Find it!”, and point or tap near the treat. When your dog finds it, mark (“Yes!”) and let them eat.
At first, you’ll guide your dog from treat to treat. After a few rounds, most dogs will happily search independently—giving you a chance to cook dinner, answer emails, or just breathe.
To increase the challenge and the fun: Save your empty toilet paper rolls, put in a few yummy treats, fold over the ends, and hide those. Let your dog shake andpull them apart to get at the treats.
This game works your dog’s nose, brain, and natural foraging instincts, making it deeply satisfying and surprisingly tiring.
Snack Time Enrichment
A stuffed and frozen Kong or Pupsicle is a long-lasting enrichment activity that encourages licking, problem-solving, and calmer behavior. The steady, repetitive action of licking can help lower arousal, making these toys especially useful for teaching dogs how to settle.
Stuff a Kong with plain Greek yogurt, plain unsweetened peanut butter (or mix the two, a humane society favorite) or wet food and freeze it. Freezing is important for it can almost double how long it will last. I also really like the Pupsicle by Woof, which can be easier to clean than a Kong and works well with frozen homemade fillings or convenient store-bought inserts.
These stuffable toys are especially helpful:
During downtime, nap time, crate time
For dogs who struggle to settle
When visitors come over
Puzzle toys from Nina Ottosson are excellent for dogs who enjoy problem-solving. They come in multiple difficulty levels, which allows you to match the challenge to your dog’s experience. Start easy—frustration defeats the purpose. And remember, these are to be used under supervision, as some plastic parts may be removable and easily chewed.
Licki Mats are silicone mats with textured grooves. Spread wet food, pumpkin, yogurt, or peanut butter across the surface and freeze. Licking promotes calm behavior and can be especially helpful for:
Anxious dogs
Crate rest
Stressful situations
Many of my Savannah clients are surprised by how much calmer their dogs become after just a few minutes of focused licking.
Ditch the Bowl: Interactive Meal Times
A meal is a built-in opportunity for dog enrichment and boredom relief that happens twice a day—and most dog owners completely miss it. Instead of feeding from a bowl, interactive meal-dispensing toys turn mealtime into mental exercise by encouraging your dog to sniff, paw, nudge, forage and problem-solve for their food. This kind of enrichment taps into natural foraging instincts, helps slow down fast eaters, and provides meaningful mental stimulation.
The Orbee-Tuff Snoop by Outward Hound is a flexible pear shaped silcone vessel with a large hole at the top. You put kibble or treats inside and fold the top into the bottom. This creates a bowl that the dog much push, paw, or roll to access the food.
Another excellent option for interactive mealtime is a snuffle mat. Snuffle mats are designed with layers of felt, fabric, or silicone “fingers” or flaps that hide kibble throughout the mat. They encouraging your dog to sniff, search, and forage for their meal.
Both options provide a slow, nose-driven activity that taps into your dog’s natural instincts, helps fast eaters pace themselves, and provides calming mental enrichment.
Foraging Boxes are a fun DIY project that can be used with snack treats or an entire meal of kibble. Use a cardboard box or plastic tub, fill it with items your dog can nose, chew, or shred - like empty tissue boxes, crumpled brown packing paper, egg cartons, or empty plastic water bottles. You can also put in some of your dogs soft toys. Then sprinkle kibble or treats at the bottom of the box and inside some of the items and let your dog joyfully nose through the box searching for the food. Always supervise your dog during these sessions. If the dog wants to shake and shred some of the items, great! These are natural instincts and this is a perfect, acceptable outlet for these behaviors that your dog is genetically driven to do. A little owner-approved shredded cardboard to clean up is a small price to pay for a satisfied dog.
Trainer Tip: Don't be worried that Foraging Boxes will encourage your dog to destroy other boxes or everyday items. This is a treat/kibble motivated activity under owner supervision. Remember, a bored dog is a destructive dog. An engaged dog is a calm dog that is less likely to find their own trouble.
Enrichment Works Best When Paired With Thoughtful Training
Enrichment alone won’t fix every behavior issue. If you've tried these enrichment techniques and need more support, reach out to me. I offer group training classes as well as one-on-one in home private lessons tailored for your and your dog. Check out my offerings for puppies and adult dogs here.
I hope these enrichment ideas have sparked some inspiration. Try them and let me know which ones your dog likes best. I'd love to hear from you!
Warmly,
Ruth
Ruth Goldstein Dog Training