Now that the weather is more inclement for the winter, our dogs may be inside more often than they are used to. To help them use their minds, I often recommend that they “work” for their food by using food enrichment toys. The most common food toy is the Kong , but there are lots of other brands too. I also adore the Toppl by West Paw – it’s easy to fill and is less frustrating for some dogs to use.
Not only are these types of toys useful during poor weather, they are a good strategy for energetic puppies to self soothe or for new moms to engage their dogs while you are focused on baby.
Basics of Using Food Enrichment Toys
Tips for Using Food Enrichment Toys
There are some misconceptions about how to use a toy like this and what to fill it with. Here are some tips:
- We need to start off fairly easily, so that your dog doesn’t get frustrated and experiences success getting the food out. Start with loose ingredients, eventually getting more complex with moist food or mixtures with natural yogurt, canned pumpkin, applesauce, bone broth or even canned dog food. Layers are fun too – helping your dog to have surprises as they get deeper inside the toy.
- Peanut butter can be a good topper or “lid” to seal in the food below, but it’s not something you should use to fill the entire toy – or else your poor pooch will have some digestive challenges with so many calories at once.
- Looking for activities for your kids to do? Create an assembly line and have them help you to fill these toys!What are your favorite ingredients to use in your dog’s enrichment toys?
Kitchen Demo: How to Stuff a Kong
In this video, I demonstrate how to use a variety of food enrichment toys for your dog. It covers how to use these tools for beginner dogs, how to increase complexity, types of ingredients to use, and the benefits of using food toys.
In the bottom right corner, you can click the Download button and save the written transcript OR you can download the audio and listen on the go.
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