How to make a dig box and other indoor enrichment

Discover how to make a dig box and explore other indoor enrichment ideas for bored dogs.

Dogs are social, intelligent and active animals, so they need safe and suitable opportunities to exercise their bodies and minds. Enrichment activities can prevent boredom, build confidence, and teach a variety of skills such as problem-solving, searching and agility. Mental exercise is just as important as physical exercise – and can be just as tiring!

If you’re limited to indoor activities, maybe due to the weather, it’s useful to have some enrichment ideas up your sleeve.

Here are some fun games for your dog you can make easily at home.

How to make a dig box

You will need:

a cardboard box
some scrap paper
your dog’s favourite treats.

Method

Scrunch up the scrap paper and put it inside the box.
When the box is full of scrunched-up paper, sprinkle some of your dog’s favourite treats inside.
Cover the top of the box and give it a shake to spread the treats around.
Put the box on the floor near your dog. Encourage them to dig through the box and find the tasty treats.

How to make a hide-and-seek toy

You will need:

a muffin tin
some tennis balls
your dog’s favourite treats.

Method

Fill some of the compartments of the muffin tray with tasty treats.
Sit a tennis ball on top of every compartment so that the treats are covered.
Put the tray on the floor near your dog. Encourage them to search under the tennis balls and sniff out the treats.

How to make newspaper parcels

You will need:

several sheets of newspaper
your dog’s favourite treats.

Method

Put some tasty treats in the middle of a sheet of newspaper and fold it up on all sides.
Fold or scrunch the parcel up in another sheet of newspaper.
Repeat step two as many times as you like. The more sheets of newspaper you use, the longer it will take for your dog to get to the treats!
Put the parcel on the floor near your dog. Encourage them to search through the layers of newspaper until they find the treats.

How to make a ‘roll out’ treat toy

You will need:

a yoga or camping mat
your dog’s favourite treats.

Method

Roll out the mat.
Scatter treats across the mat and roll it back up into a tube.
Put the rolled-up mat on the floor near your dog. Encourage them to unroll the mat themselves to find the tasty treats.