I’ve had my 9-year-old rat terrier mix for years at my mom’s, but she recently moved in with me. She doesn’t chew on anything or play with toys, possibly due to her past in a hoarding situation or just her personality. I want to keep her happy and entertained when I’m away for a few hours. Any suggestions for enrichment that don’t involve toys or chewing?
You can try playing hide and seek with treats. Where you place a number of treats around the room without your dog seeing, then letting her in to find them. This engages both the dog’s sense of smell and their mind.
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OMG! My dog’s obsessed with this game! She gets super hyped when we tell her to ‘go find the treats!’ It’s a very perfect game for getting her energy out and keeping her brain busy. We also hide some bigger treat every night after our play session. She’s getting smart, so we have to come up with new hiding spots. I occasionally put it under my stinky slipper and it turns out to be such a great challenge. Additionally, hiding it in my back pocket or on my back drives her crazy! she’ll sniff around like mad trying to figure it out!
Yeah right…? Your hoodie’s pockets may work just fine as well.
Wow! sounds like a really nice break from chewing and traditional toys… This is a must try with my boys.
If your pup is motivated by food, why not give sensory mats a try? There are tons of different styles you can find on Amazon and similar sites.
Uhmm… I think we should let dogs do what they want to when they want to. They don’t have to play always! Dogs usually decide pretty quickly if they’re into a toy or not, and it’s no big deal. With my dog, I’ll hype up a new toy, cuddle it, and sooner or later, he’ll get curious and want to play with it himself. There’s also this giant Kong ball you can fill with kibble and treats. If your dog is food-driven, it’ll keep them entertained for a good 30 minutes. Moreover, once they get hooked, that ball becomes a favorite, even without treats inside!
You need to try lick mats or snuffle mats…Those ones where you can hide treats in.
Yes! +1 to the snuffle mat. My dog really loves this