{"id":183566,"date":"2021-06-09T17:38:06","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T07:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/?p=183566"},"modified":"2025-01-19T15:08:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-19T05:08:06","slug":"enrichment-for-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"What is dog enrichment?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The key to your dog’s happiness and health is regular exercise and enrichment. Enrichment for dogs means to stimulate their brains through problem solving, playing, chasing, smelling, chewing and scavenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toys that dispense treats in small portions as a dog interacts with it over a long period of time are great. These types of dog enrichment toys may require persistent licking or chewing as they are relaxing for dogs and are a great way for dogs to settle and occupy themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Stuffed Kongs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kongs alone are great chews for your dog, but stuffing them with yummy treats makes the activity more challenging and extends the time your dog is occupied. Set a kong in a bowl and plug one end with a thick paste, such as peanut butter. Flip the kong upside-down and begin filling the inside with your dog’s favorite snacks. Pumpkin, sweet potato, and canned dog\u00a0food make\u00a0great stuffings. The peanut butter will prevent foods with thinner consistencies from seeping out into the bowl. Place the treat in the freezer overnight so your dog has to work hard to get everything out. Once the inside has been licked clean, your dog still has the chew to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Download IOS: https:\/\/apple.co\/2PifzXs<\/a> Android: https:\/\/bit.ly\/3aFeK2m<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2) Lick Mats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lick mats are a great option for dogs that are less food motivated or prone to anxiety. The dog has to work hard to lick all the food out of the textured rubber mat. Simply spread a thin layer of wet dog food or yogurt across the mat. On average, these mats occupy dogs for approximately 30 minutes. Lick mats are also great tools to use when clipping your dog’s nails or during bath time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Frozen Treat Toy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most popular dog toys\u00a0are frozen\u00a0Kongs. You plug one end of the Kong with a firm treat and fill the interior with various freezable foods. If your dog finds Kongs frustrating or too challenging, consider a treat toy with a wider opening. West Paw Toppl toys are a great option for an easier, enriching activity. Dog safe fruits and vegetables can be added to your treat toy stuffing for healthier, lower calorie snacks. As a meal replacement, you can also soak your dog’s kibble in water and use that as stuffing. Sticking a chew or treat through the toy before freezing will make the treat last longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Download IOS: https:\/\/apple.co\/2PifzXs<\/a> Android: https:\/\/bit.ly\/3aFeK2m<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4) Food Dispensing Toys<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food dispensing toys require your dog to knock kibble or treats out of a small toy. Many owners replace their dog bowls with food dispensing toys in order to provide daily mental stimulation for their dogs. It is a good idea to first buy easy puzzle toys so your dog can learn how they work and avoid frustration. The Kong Wobbler is often used as an introduction toy because the dog has to learn to bat the toy around to knock out kibble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) Challenging Chews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chewing in itself is a relaxing activity for dogs. However, many dogs plow through chews and have them finished in just a few minutes. Bully sticks are a safe option, but don’t last very long for some dogs. Try stuffing a bully stick inside another dog toy so your dog has to work around the toy and figure out how to gradually tug the chew out. There are a variety of toys designed specifically to use with bully sticks. You can also check around the house for any hard dog toys with holes or openings to use instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frozen treats, lick mats, and food dispensing toys are all great enrichment activities for your dog. They have the added bonus of occupying your dog while you finish chores around the house or just need some time to yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Find local Vets, store your Pet’s Health, etc, download PetCloud today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download IOS: https:\/\/apple.co\/2PifzXs<\/a> Android: https:\/\/bit.ly\/3aFeK2m<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The key to your dog’s happiness and health is regular exercise and enrichment. Enrichment for dogs means to stimulate their brains through problem solving, playing, chasing, smelling, chewing and scavenging. Toys that dispense treats in small portions as a dog interacts with it over a long period of time are great. These types of dog […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":183584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3788,4278],"tags":[1514,3806,1806],"class_list":["post-183566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-dog","tag-dog","tag-enrich","tag-enrichment-toys"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is dog enrichment? - PetCloud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The key to a happy dog are enrichment activities that will stimulate their brain through using their senses. Read on to find out more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Dog Enrichment?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Find out about how you have be the best dog parent around by knowing more about dog enrichment and how to choose the right toys to enrich your dog's senses.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PetCloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/petcloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-09T07:38:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-19T05:08:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/09124348\/dog-enrichment-toys.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"947\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Deb Webber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"What is dog enrichment?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Deb Webber\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Deb Webber\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787\"},\"headline\":\"What is dog enrichment?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-09T07:38:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-19T05:08:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":651,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/dog-enrichment-toys.png\",\"keywords\":[\"dog\",\"enrich\",\"Enrichment Toys\"],\"articleSection\":\"Dog\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#respond\"]}],\"description\":\"The key to your dog’s happiness and health is regular exercise and enrichment. Enrichment for dogs means to stimulate their brains through problem solving, playing, chasing, smelling, chewing and scavenging. Toys that dispense treats in small portions as a dog interacts with it over a long period of time are great. These types of dog […]\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is dog enrichment? - PetCloud\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/dog-enrichment-toys.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-09T07:38:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-19T05:08:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787\"},\"description\":\"The key to a happy dog are enrichment activities that will stimulate their brain through using their senses. Read on to find out more.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/dog-enrichment-toys.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/dog-enrichment-toys.png\",\"width\":947,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Dog Enrichment Dog with kong\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/enrichment-for-dogs\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is dog enrichment?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/\",\"name\":\"PetCloud\",\"description\":\"Pet Care, Pet Health, Pet Nutrition and more\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787\",\"name\":\"Deb Webber\",\"description\":\"About the Author: Deb Webber, Founder & CEO of PetCloud. Deb is a Certified Trainer and Assessor - credentials she has put to use developing professional training courses for pet care providers. A pet owner herself, Deb founded PetCloud out of a genuine frustration with the lack of accountability and safety standards in the pet care industry - and a conviction that pets deserve better.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/PetCloud\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/author\\\/dmorrison\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is dog enrichment? - PetCloud","description":"The key to a happy dog are enrichment activities that will stimulate their brain through using their senses. Read on to find out more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is Dog Enrichment?","og_description":"Find out about how you have be the best dog parent around by knowing more about dog enrichment and how to choose the right toys to enrich your dog's senses.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/","og_site_name":"PetCloud","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/petcloud","article_published_time":"2021-06-09T07:38:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-19T05:08:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":947,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/09124348\/dog-enrichment-toys.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Deb Webber","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"What is dog enrichment?","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Deb Webber","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/"},"author":{"name":"Deb Webber","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#\/schema\/person\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787"},"headline":"What is dog enrichment?","datePublished":"2021-06-09T07:38:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-19T05:08:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/"},"wordCount":651,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/dog-enrichment-toys.png","keywords":["dog","enrich","Enrichment Toys"],"articleSection":"Dog","inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#respond"]}],"description":"The key to your dog’s happiness and health is regular exercise and enrichment. Enrichment for dogs means to stimulate their brains through problem solving, playing, chasing, smelling, chewing and scavenging. Toys that dispense treats in small portions as a dog interacts with it over a long period of time are great. These types of dog […]"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/","url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/","name":"What is dog enrichment? - PetCloud","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/dog-enrichment-toys.png","datePublished":"2021-06-09T07:38:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-19T05:08:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#\/schema\/person\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787"},"description":"The key to a happy dog are enrichment activities that will stimulate their brain through using their senses. Read on to find out more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/dog-enrichment-toys.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/dog-enrichment-toys.png","width":947,"height":630,"caption":"Dog Enrichment Dog with kong"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/enrichment-for-dogs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is dog enrichment?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/","name":"PetCloud","description":"Pet Care, Pet Health, Pet Nutrition and more","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#\/schema\/person\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787","name":"Deb Webber","description":"About the Author: Deb Webber, Founder & CEO of PetCloud. Deb is a Certified Trainer and Assessor - credentials she has put to use developing professional training courses for pet care providers. A pet owner herself, Deb founded PetCloud out of a genuine frustration with the lack of accountability and safety standards in the pet care industry - and a conviction that pets deserve better.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PetCloud"],"url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/author\/dmorrison\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183566"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185560,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183566\/revisions\/185560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}