My Dog, the Vacuum Cleaner (Puppy Enrichment Tips and Tricks)

I'd like to start this post by saying how much I love my dog. Her name is Cassidy and she is an (almost) 5-year-old Belgian Malinois x Standard Poodle cross. This means she is smarter than I am... and THAT means I need to keep her entertained at all times, otherwise she finds ways to entertain herself.

That's where the title of this post comes into play. My lovely Malinoodle likes to find things to eat when she's bored. One of my favourite stories to tell (though it wasn't much fun at the time) is the time I went to work and she ate the arm off my couch... and ate her way though a wooden door to get into the bathroom where she proceeded to empty the garbage and eat all my makeup wipes. Then there's the time my friend and I watched a movie and she helped herself to our chicken skewers in the three seconds we weren't paying attention to her (we swear she swallowed them whole). The stories are endless and I know there will probably be more one day.

BUT that's what we are trying to avoid. Over the last 5 years, I have had to find ways to keep my lovely pup busy to keep her from being destructive and I'd like to share some of the things that I found most successful! 

 1. Get a play pen – When I was working long hours, I felt guilty leaving Cas in her crate all day, but I knew that if I kept her out of the crate, she would find trouble. So I invested in a play pen! This kept her confined to a "safe area" so I had some peace of mind and so she couldn't get into mischief. It gave her enough room to move around and play and also limited the things she was able to get to during the day. As well, I was able to keep her food and water in there with her (which I'm sure she enjoyed).

 2. Invest in a Kong – Kong classic rubber toys are one of my favourite things because options with them are endless. Something I would like everyone to know about Kong toys is that their rubber toys come in 3 different colour categories which correlate with the hardness of the rubber. This is important when thinking of how long you will keep your dog's interest – if it's too hard to chew, they don't get any reward from it (i.e. They don't have the satisfaction of sinking their teeth into it). 

    - The softest is the blue/pink toys (these are great for those teething puppies!). The next hardest is the red Kong which is great for the moderate chewers. The hardest is the black Kong which is for the SUPER CHEWERS. They also come in different sizes because our dogs also come in different sizes! 

    - For my dog, I purchased a medium black Kong and I would stuff it with a whole mixture of things. The majority of the "stuffing" would be her food; I would either use a canned food version of her regular diet or I would take her regular kibble and soak it in water so the kibbles became soggy and I could stuff it in the toy so the kibble wouldn't fall out too easily. In this mixture, I would mix in some other treats. Some of Cas' favourites include flash frozen liver treats (these are fantastic because they are one ingredient and pups seem to love them), a little peanut butter, some apple slices, or a little bit of cheese. Again, the options are endless.

    - Another wonderful trick I learned was to actually freeze the Kong with the stuffing in it. This was great as a sort of soother when she was teething. When she got older, it helped to slow her down so the toy lasted for hours!

 3. Hide the food! – Another way to provide enrichment for your pup is to hide half of their food (or all their food if you need to entertain them for longer) throughout the house so it is a fun game for them to find the food. 

  4. Exercise, exercise, exercise – Keeping your dog exercised helps keep their energy levels manageable. If they have too much energy and no way to express it in a productive way, they tend to express it in a destructive way. Cas and I have always enjoyed our hikes and they have proven to be an excellent way to ensure we both get our exercise. It's also been a great bonding experience for us. We are able to practice our trust exercises and her training. What makes it even better is if you have some puppy friends to play with you!

Cas and I hope these tips and tricks help you as much as they have helped us!