Enrichment & games
Mental work tires a dog faster than a walk. These games double as training reps.
Other training topics
Enrichment & games: common questions
- How much enrichment does a dog need each day?
- Aim for one deliberate enrichment activity a day — a snuffle mat, a food puzzle, a scatter feed, or a sniff-led walk — on top of normal exercise. Ten to twenty minutes of nose work is enough to noticeably settle most dogs, because sniffing is mentally demanding in a way a longer walk is not.
- Is mental exercise as tiring as physical exercise for dogs?
- It is different, and for many dogs more effective. Physical exercise alone can build stamina, which is why some dogs seem to need ever-longer walks. Problem-solving and scent work produce the settled, sleepy dog owners are usually after without raising the fitness bar.
- What can I use for enrichment without buying anything?
- Scatter part of a meal in the grass, hide kibble around a room and let your dog search, roll treats inside a towel, or use cardboard boxes as a rummage pile. Feeding one meal a day through a searching game costs nothing and adds real cognitive work.
Training works better when it fits your dog's mind
Dognition's science-based assessment reveals how your dog actually thinks across five cognitive dimensions — so you can pick the tips that will land, and skip the ones that won't.