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ENRICHMENT
sniff out and retrieve.
This is a brilliant activity for dogs as it encourages them to put their
can also help your dog to decompress and calm down. just grab , some scrap paper and some treats/food.
ONE TWO THREE FOUR
Scrunch up your scrap paper into balls
Put them inside your box
Add some treats or your dog’s food and give it a shake to mix them up!
Hey presto, your introduction to enrichment is ready for your dog to enjoy!
Start without the paper and just scatter some treats inside the box
putting their head into the box. You may need to use extra yummy, smelly treats to start with!
Once your dog has this activity mastered, you can make it more challenging. Wrap the treats up inside the paper before scrunching or fasten the box shut, so your dog has to work on opening the box to get going!
SAFETY TIP
Make sure you remove any staples, plastic or silicone sachets from the box before you start.
SIMPLE ACTIVITIES
This game works your dog’s brain and nose a little harder, as they
All you need is a few small boxes or some cardboard cups and a few treats.
ONE
Ask your dog to sit and wait while you lay out your three boxes/cups
TWO
Place a treat under one of your boxes/cups
Release your dog and THREE FOUR
which is hiding the treat
If your dog isn’t able to sit and wait, put them in another room while you set the game up.
Stuff each box with scrunched up paper, but only put treats inside winning box!
activities they enjoy.
For example, terriers love to dig, shred and destuff, hounds love to use their noses to track, and retrievers love to fetch, retrieve and carry items.
to do and look to see how you can incorporate this into your enrichment activities.
ENRICHMENT MODERATE
ACTIVITIES
level and they’re ready for something a little more challenging!
Introducing the neverending box game. You will need: a variety of boxes of different sizes, treats, paper, a tea towel (egg cartons and folded toilet roll tubes are great for smaller nesting boxes).
Repeat the steps for creating for each box you have
one individually.
Nest the boxes inside one another
Take your tea towel and wrap some treats inside it, loosely knotting the towel so your dog needs to work to unwrap it (place it in one of your boxes)
Set your nest of boxes down and let the fun begin!
Close each box tightly and it will take your dog longer to retrieve their treasure from each box!
Treasure hunt
you can create a treasure hunt of boxes full of treats.
This can be played inside or outside of the house. Simply prepare your boxes and set them up around a room for your dog to sniff
Set them up with your dog out of sight so your dog has to search for their treasure!
ENRICHMENT ADVANCED
ACTIVITIES
The following enrichment activities involve more interaction from you! They’re a brilliant way for you to spend time with your dog having fun together and learning new skills.
Teaching your dog new skills really puts their brains to work and helps improve focus too. For this activity, you’ll need two boxes and some treats.
ONE TWO THREE FOUR
Set your boxes down a little way apart from each other
Use the treat to lure your dog to follow, walking around the boxes in a Take a treat in your hand and place your hand by your dog’s nose
As your dog gets the hang of it, you can remove the treat and lure with an empty hand –deliver the treat
eight is complete Rinse and repeat for the pawfect party trick!
Create a DIY agility course
Agility is a super fun activity to try with your dog, which brings together physical activity, focus and balance! Agility courses include equipment such as tunnels, weaves, jumps and even seesaws.
The connection between handler and dog when participating in agility is phenomenal, and you too can give it a try at home with a bit of crafting!
Use boxes to create a weave course and use a treat to lure your dog in and out through the course
Take a big box and cut the ends off to create a tunnel
before bringing them all together!
Make your own hurdles with two boxes and a broomstick (start low as your dog gains
Create a DIY cardboard hula hoop and teach your dog to jump through it!
Teach paws up
Trick training is a lot of fun and engages your dog’s brain as they try
you need is a simple sturdy box, some treats and a smidge of patience!
LET’S GO!
ONE
front of you and make a little fuss about how exciting it is!
TWO
When your dog shows interest in the box, reward them with a treat and marker word (like yes or good)
THREE
After a few repetitions, you’re going to wait for your dog to put their paws on the box –as soon as they do reward and say your marker word
SAFETY TIP
Place your box on a carpeted area, rug or towel to prevent it slipping
FOUR
If your dog isn’t voluntarily putting their paws up, use the treat to lure them into position and reward when their paw touches the box
FIVE
Toss a treat away from the box and repeat the process
SIX
Once your dog has the hang of it, you can introduce a cue ‘paws up’ so they begin to progress to performing their new trick on cue!
www.cognitivecanineco.co.uk
CognitiveCanineCo
@cognitivecanineco
www.cognitivecanineco.co.uk CognitiveCanineCo @cognitivecanineco