Our Favorite Enrichment Recipes, Tips, & Products

Enrichment doesn't have to be complicated, but it can definitely get messy.

In the last blog I talked about what enrichment is, how often enrichment *should* be happening, and different ways you can use enrichment with your dog. Today's post focuses on food-based enrichment and getting our hands dirty. You'll find recipes, tips, and products that I've used with my pack.

Products:

I'm pretty simple in what products I use for enrichment. I rely a lot on Kongs and Toppls in particular. I also have a lick mat, a couple of snuffle mats, and a few puzzles. I went ahead and made an Amazon List of things I already use or want to use so you can look them over and grab whatever you like. I do not earn a commission on any of the items, just want to help people find things to help keep their pups fulfilled.

Be sure to open the items from the list and add them to your cart, if you add them right from the list, I'm pretty sure that means you're buying the item for me and it'll ship to my house. Feel free to DM me if you need help!

Dog Enrichment Amazon List

Tips & Hacks:

The great thing about food-based enrichment is that it seems to pretty hard to mess up. It really lends itself to being messy, fun, and creative. However, over the last year or so of really leaning into food-based enrichment, I've come up with some general things that make my life easier.

1. Don't leave your dog alone with an enrichment toy until you're comfortable with how they will handle it and if they can really be trusted with it. You know your dog best, so use your judgement as their pet parent. I really love the Loblolly Pinecone Toy, but I left it in the crate with one of the boys and it got chewed to smithereens. Be better than me, watch your pups.

2. Lean into using their meals (kibble, raw, homecooked, etc.) as the main part of the enrichment. It can be really easy to start overfeeding your dog without noticing it when you start adding mix-ins and toppers. That's what I did with Grimm. Now he and I have to work on losing some extra weight. It's a lot easier to avoid gaining it in the first place than it is to take it off. It's also important to count the food they're eating in enrichment activities towards their total food intake for the day.

3. It's okay to be messy, or basic, or just straight up unimpressive. Some people are super extra about making beautiful works of art out of different enrichment feeders, and it's really incredible to see. Just because the one you make isn't quite as spectacular as the ones you see online, doesn't make it any less effective.

4. Use what you have. Some of the boys' favorite creations have come from random things I had in fridge or pantry. It turns out that they really like steamed veggies (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, brussels sprouts and cauliflower, so far). One of Grimm's favorite things to do is shred my junk mail or root around an empty box with treats and paper. Our trash can easily be their treasure.

5. Dry fillings are the easiest to clean. They're not necessarily the most exciting things for pets, but if you focus on filling 1/2 or 2/3 of the toy with a dry filling you'll find that the clean out isn't nearly as frustrating. To be fair, most of the toys are dishwasher safe, which would be great if I had a working dishwasher. Wet fillings, especially frozen ones, can keep your pup engaged for longer, so there's some trade-off there.

Recipe Ideas:

I'll be honest, I'm more of a throw-it-all-together type of person. So when it comes to real "recipes" for enrichment, I don't have any hardcore recipes. I have a general formula that I follow though, and that's pretty helpful now that I've fine-tuned it.

The Basic Formulas:

My Go-To Items:

• Their kibble. We're on Purina ProPlan Large Breed Sensitive Skin & Stomach- Salmon & Rice.

• Native Pet Pumpkin. I love that it's a powder so I can mix it into water, yogurt, or their fish oil. Pumpkin is also known for being good for their stomachs when they aren't feeling great.

• Greek Yogurt. I love the semi-neutral flavor of Greek yogurt for mixing it with things like powdered pumpkin, powdered goat milk, powdered peanut butter, etc.

• Peanut Butter. This one can get tricky, because peanut butter can be really high in calories and fat, so I actually prefer to use the powdered peanut butter and mix it with water until I get the consistency I'm looking for.

• Omega Oil. I keep this in the rotation regularly as a way to keep their skin and coat healthy. Some brands also claim to support mobility, so that can be an added bonus.

• Fresh or Frozen Fruits & Vegetables. I roll with whatever we have in the house, but some favorite so far have been pink dragon fruit, frozen berry medley, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. I like them because they're a calorie-friendly way to add some variety and bulk up the enrichment.

Another Way Of Looking At It:

Sometimes I like to think of putting their enrichment together as a bit of a pyramid. The most nutritious things are the base and take up the most space, then they get their mix-ins that are probably still good for them, but they don't really NEED them, and they get the smallest amount of the crazy toppers because they're just for fun.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this tail, and here's to many more!

Danielle & The Pack