5 Quick DIY Dog Toys to Prevent Boredom

Doggos are super smart and they need just as much mental stimulation as they do physical in order to avoid boredom.

Boredom in dogs can lead to chewed couches, cushions, walls and of course your favourite pair of shoes. There are so many reasons your doggo might be bored.

Check out some ideas on what might be causing their energy drought here.

But if you’re like most humans, you have a job and responsibilities and you can’t spend 10 hours a day training and walking you pooch to keep them occupied… so what can you do?

Giving your dog’s mind something to workout with, like an interactive dog toys can actually burn a ton of excess energy, provide entertainment and prevent your cherished belongings from ultimate doom.

 

What are Puzzle Toys?

Generally speaking puzzle toy for dogs involve hiding treats in the device that requires a degree of problem solving skills to find.

The dog has to use their cognitive skills in order to maybe push levers, slide compartments, open and close flaps or dig the treats out. They must use their nose which also stimulates their natural instincts and encourages positive skill development like tracking, foraging, hunting, sniffing, and chasing.

These awesome toys can not only make your dog smarter, they encourage obedience and can provide stress relief, as well as prevent anxiety and depression.

You can totally grab all sorts of pre-made toys online or in stores, but if you’re like the average semi-obsessed pet parent, you’ve got piles of toys lying around that your fur-child never uses.

So why not do a little DIY and make a few inexpensive ones to test out what your pooch loves best! Not only can you save money, you can tailor the size skill to your dog’s preference!

Here are some easy DIY puzzle toys that will help fire up and tire out your dog’s brain on days when you’ve just got too much to do!

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1. Toilet Tube Treat Dispensers – (Easy and on-hand dog toys)

What You’ll Need:

• Toilet paper or paper towel rolls
• Tasty Treatos
• Dog dish or container or box

Save a couple of your empty toilet paper rolls (small dog) – I know, who doesn’t have these lying around post-quarantine… or empty paper towel rolls (big dogs) and place them in your dog’s dish or a box. Place treats in each roll so your dog has to sniff them out to find the treatos.

You can get my homemade peanut butter yogurt treat recipe for free! These are so darn good your pooch will be howling for more!

Tastier Modification: Place peanut butter on the outside of the rolls so they stay in place and make it more difficult and tastier for your puppers to sniff out the treats. You can also fold down the tops of the rolls so your doggo works harder to figure out which roll is hiding the reward.

Because these cardboard dispensers are destructible, ensure your dog doesn’t eat the bits of cardboard that fall off. As with any puzzle toy, these are meant to be used under supervision. And because these toys were destined for your recycling box anyway, there’s always a fresh box or tube waiting to be filled.

 

2. Muffin Tin Shell Game (Hide and Seek Treats dog toys)

What You’ll Need:

• Muffin pan
• Delicious treatos
• Tennis balls or any appropriate sized ball

This puzzle toy is a great hide and seek of treats. Take your treats and hide them in each muffin cup, then cover it with the ball. Tennis balls are a great size for a standard muffin tin, but different muffin tins might have different sizes.

To help your dog get the hang of the game, leave the cups uncovered at first. Fill each muffin cup with treats or kibble and let your dog lick or paw the goodies out. Once your pup knows good things can be found in the cups, you can cover them with the balls. Your dog will have to remove each ball to get at the treat underneath.

To make it harder: Only bait some of the cups with food but continue to cover all the cups with balls. Now your dog will need to use scent to locate where the treatos are.

 

3. Shoebox Hide-and-Seek (At-Home Scent Work dog toys)

What You’ll Need:

• Shoe box or Yogurt Tubs
• Tasty, smelly treats

Try doing some scent work in the house! Place the containers in a group on the floor and bait one or a few with smelly treats. Then allow your dog to sniff all the containers in a search for the hidden treasure.

In the beginning, you can make your dog’s job easier by poking holes in the tops of the containers. Once your dog has the idea, start increasing the challenge by only baiting one of the containers and spreading them out around the room. The more containers your dog must search through, the greater the effort required.

You can also poke holes (big enough for the treat) in the side of the container and seal the top. Your dog will then have to figure out which container has the treats and also how to get the treat out!

 

4. Tennis Ball of Treats (Simple, yet effective dog toys)

What You’ll Need:

• Tennis Ball
• Kibble snacks or yum yum treats

This easy, inexpensive puzzle will have your pooch howling. All you do is cut a hole (a slit, if you will) in the tennis ball big enough for treats to get out but not big enough for them to fall out, and stuff the thing with your pup’s kibble or tasty snacks.

This can be a great way to feed dogs who tend to gulp their food. It slows them down and provides lots of mental stimulation.

 

5. Tea Towel Snuffle Mat Dog Toys

What You’ll Need:

• Fabric or Old clothing (fleece works best)
• Rubber Sink Mat or Rubber Flooring (with holes)

 

Snuffle mats are great for your doggy friend because they really stimulate the nose! Generally, they are pieces of fabric with lots of loops, flaps, or pockets that can be used to hide treats.

You can get them square or nowadays they make them as flowers, pictures and intense play mats! The point is for your dog to sniff for treats hidden in the fabric. Truthfully though, they’re pretty easy and inexpensive to make yourself.

Take your rubber mat, preferable one with holes, otherwise poke holes in it. Then tear fleece into strips that are six to eight inches long.

Tie a fleece strip through each hole in the mat until the top of the mat looks like a fleecey mess. Once you’ve filled all the holes, toss a handful of treats on the top of the mat then watch your dog snuffle through the fleece to retrieve them.

For even lazier Paw-Parenitng: Just take a tea towel and place the treats in the middle. Then fold the towel longways across the treats. Next, tie the towel in a loose knot so the treats are in the middle. Your dog will have to figure out how to untie the tea towel to get at the treats inside. Easy for you to make, but not easy for your dog to undo!

To add to the challenge, tie several tea towels together in a row with treats in each one.

Whatever the case, just switching things up now and then for your fur-baby can make mealtime fun and engaging.

Make sure whatever products you use are clean and free of any toxins that could harm your pet.

You can check out my free list of household toxins to avoid here.

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Reference Articles: Check these guys out! They’re grrreeat!

https://www.bustle.com/p/7-puzzle-toys-for-puppies-8918546

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/do-it-yourself-cognitive-dog-toys-for-home/