We’ve all been there: excited to test out a new enrichment toy, puzzle, or ball only to find that it lasted your dog five minutes or less of play. So, below I’ve collated my favourite tips to keep your dog busy and enriched for a long time!
If you’re new to my website, I’m Sal the owner of sole-trader Aussie business Dog Games who specialises in high-quality enrichment toys. I have 2 very high drive German Shepherds (well the old boy is much lazier now, no chewing my house apart anymore!) who I have trained and had to learn with them what works and doesn’t work to keep them mentally stimulated!
Freezing Toys – Slow Feeder Bowls & Lick Mats
I recommend that the first step to increasing toy duration is to choose toys that can be frozen with treats, water, or yoghurt or go full fancy with sardines and other yummy snacks. So to start with below are a range of slow feeder bowls and lick mats that work great at keeping your dog licking for at least 15 minutes to 30 minutes. After 15 minutes of licking, I find my dogs are seriously ready for a nap.
ArchFeeder
The Dog Games ArchFeeder is one product I’ve sourced myself, it’s a high-quality silicone with a suction back. Below you can see Ares sitting ready to start licking with it attached to the fridge!
- Lasts my boys 15 minutes unfrozen, 30 minutes frozen using peanut butter or greek yoghurt
- Doubles as a slow feeder bowl for wet or dry food
- Freezer friendly
- Easy to clean – Dishwasher friendly and the large gaps make it better than some hard-to-clean lick mats with small gaps.
- Suction back for Shower glass or fridge
- Comes in 2 colours, Sage Green or Slate Blue
LickEase
If you’re looking for a lick mat, I’ve sourced a high-quality silicone lick mat with great suction back. I find this perfect for smothering in peanut butter to get my boys to chill out before bedtime. It’s become a nightly routine now! They can’t wait for their nightly peanut butter fix!
- Durable Silicone and a good size – 22cm x 14cm x 1cm
- Strong Suction Back: attaches to smooth surfaces like tiles, glass, or fridges for no-slip use.
- Freezer-Friendly and easy to clean (dishwasher safe)
- Available in Peach Pink, Sandstone Beige, and Ash Gray
Nina Ottosson’s Lick’in Layers
If you’re a return visitor to my site you’d know I absolutely love Nina Ottosson’s puzzles. They are always super high quality, very durable and give you the flexibility to make them harder or easy. A couple of years ago she released a slow feeder puzzle called Lickin’ Layers. And it’s fantastic for freezing in summertime for a cool snack that lasts ages. It’s kept Ares busy for up to 30 minutes or more before.
- 3 layers that the dog spins to access food on each level
- Dry food or wet food appropriate
- Top rack dishwasher-friendly
- Freezer friendly
West Paw
West Paw offers an amazing range of toys that are durable and freezer-safe. A couple of my favourites are the Feast Mats (Waves or Bubbles) or Toppls. Now, they aren’t cheap – but they are worth every cent and are very durable. We use them a lot in this household.
The Feast Mats even double as a lickmat on the back too!
- Dishwasher safe
- Super durable
- Made in USA
- When frozen lasts my boys a good half an hour
Long-lasting dog puzzles
When it comes to dog puzzles, they are always a supervised toy. It’s important you choose a puzzle that suits your dog’s skill level as the higher the level the more difficult they are. If you’re finding these puzzles aren’t lasting long enough try smearing some Greek Yoghurt or peanut butter through it to encourage licking as well as foraging.
Below are some of my favourites that will generally suit most dogs:
Dog Worker
This one is a favourite of mine, as you can remove the middle part to make it a level 2 puzzle from a 3.
Hide n’ Slide
This is my best-selling puzzle, its a great starter puzzle for all dogs and teaches the dog the basics of puzzles.
Brightkins DJ Doggo
Brightkins is a newer brand I’m stocking and they’ve got some really creative designs. This puzzle also doubles as a slow feeder bowl!
Here’s an action shot of Ares pulling out one of the draws for treats!
Deer Antlers and Bones
And finally, sometimes you need to just give a dog a bone! My boys get regular deer antlers and beef bones! It’s a great way to clean their teeth and keep them mentally stimulated!
So there’s some of my favourites! Feel free to explore the rest of Dog Games for a whole range of different enrichment toys! I try my best to stock high-quality toys and bowls!
Cheers, and happy playing!
Sal, Atlas & Ares