I’m a family photographer with a special focus on photographing dogs. And photographing you with your dog. So it comes as no surprise that I follow and am friends with a lot of dogs on instagram. I’ve recently been fascinated how some dogmoms are keeping their doggos entertained at home.
I mean, it’s cold, wet and grey in Auckland at the moment with it being winter, so I reached out to a few of my fav New Zealand moms to see what their top dog enrichment tricks were. If you’re wondering what to do with your doggo, instead of her chewing your shoes (again 🤦♀️ <——— babe, you got to learn to put those things away ), read on.
💝💝 BIG thanks to all the awesome dog moms who helped me with this project and shared their advice so freely. 💝💝
Their go to enrichment idea is trick training - using Hulks dinner allowance. This works his mind, is fun to do and makes his food last longer than 30 seconds.
They also always have a supply of various ears in the freezer (beef, sheep and deer ears normally). They stuff them with wet food and treats, this makes them extra tasty and they take twice as long for Hulk to eat. This idea also works well with Kongs and other stuffable toys.
Danielle’s top tip is to join a canine enrichment group. There are many on Instagram and Facebook.
Bindis bucket list @bindisbucketlist is one of their favs.
Canine enrichment groups show you how to use everyday items as well as toys to keep your dogs entertained.
One of Alyssa & Koda's favourite indoor game is called Hide & Seek. She asks Koda for a sit/down and wait then she goes and hides. When she’s ready for her to find her, she yells 'Koda find me' and we have a huge party when she finds her. She makes it easy first then harder & harder.
Some accounts they recommend is rollo_the_labradoodle and chloe.thelab.
Like to play nosework games around the house. They pop Bosch in his crate, or a room, and then hide the treats around the house. He then has to sniff them all out, and it keeps him busy for ages! You can start small, and just hide them in 1 room to start with! You can also get crafty with how you hide them when they start getting good! I like to hide them inside of toys, under cushions etc!
One of Rosa’s favourites is the JW Holee Molee Extreme toy. Her mum threads fleece through all the holes multiple times until she can pour a meal portion of kibble in and then seal it up! Weave the pieces as thinly or thickly as suits your dog and then watch them roll, shake or “de fluff” the toy for their dinner :)
What is your favourite dog enrichment activity for when it’s cold outside and raining? Leave me a comment below.
If you think you have a tip that needs to be on this list, send me an email with your tip and your insta handle to [email protected]
Main image is Ethically Kate’s Chai - she gives him the empty toilet rolls to tear into small pieces before she puts them into the compost. Read their photoshoot post here.