Boredom Buster Dog Toys & Enrichment Ideas

Written by Australian Dog Lover 16:16:00 - 0 Comments

If you don't provide your dogs adequate physical and mental stimulation on a daily basis, be prepared for them to create their own fun!

Some of the most common signs of doggy boredom include: Digging, Chewing or other destructive behaviours, Excessive Barking or whining, even following you around when you are at home.

Modern dog behaviourists and professional dog trainers recommend not to leave our dogs alone for more than 4-5 hours but when you work full-time, this is hardly possible.

There are however many more options to enrich your dogs' environment offering a choice of physical activities, soft and tough toys, treat dispensers, puzzle feeders but remember to rotate toys and also inspect them for wear and tear regularly.

Instability training is a fun way to bond with your dog, teach them a new behaviour and strengthen the core, which is the powerhouse of your dog’s body.

Fun dog fitness training with the K9FITbone™ is also a great way to reduce stress, burn excess calories, and it’s a healthy “job” for your dog!

Sizes in length: Original 20” (50cm), Giant 36” (91cm) and 2 Minis 11.5” (29cm).

These are available in 3 Sizes (Regular, Giant and Mini) and a range of colours:

✔️ Original: Blue, Purple, Orange, Aqua, Razzleberry, Green
✔️ Giant: Turquoise, Sky Blue or Violet
✔️ Mini: Set of 2 Blue, Mango or Razzleberry

RRP: from $190.00. View the full range at cfraus.com.au

A dog's life is an endless game of exploration - The Curious Box keeps your dog entertained, happy, and stimulated. Keep the fun coming!

With a fabulous new theme every six weeks, and the option to subscribe via Pet Circle's non-committal Auto-Delivery, it's the perfect way to keep your dog's supply of treats and toys fresh and fun.

The Curious Box is packed with a selection of three interactive and occupying toys and two healthy treats, with different boxes to choose from:

✔️ Chewer Dog Box: For bully breeds or any heavy chewers.
✔️ Big Dog Box: For medium to large size dogs.
✔️ Little Dog Box: For smaller stature dogs and other toy breeds.
✔️ Birthday Dog Box: Perfect gift for all dogs on their special day!

RRP: $34.95 (Dog); $24.95 (Cat) (value over $50) from www.petcircle.com.au

Do you have a new puppy but don’t know where to start? 

Bell & Bone has you covered with its Puppy Starter Bundle, the perfect mix of Collagen Chew Sticks and Training & Reward Treats to support chewing, joint, digestive and skin health. The bundle is great for training puppies for two reasons:

Credit (supplied): @buddy.the.toycavoodle

✔️ Rewarding your puppy with Collagen Sticks to chew on is a great way to distract them from chewing on the couch, your arm or your socks; one Collagen Stick a day can help reinforce positive behaviour and promote strong healthy joints. 

✔️ Bell & Bone promotes positive reinforcement as the best way of training your puppy, and the Superfood Dog Treats range contains over 100 nutritious, bite-sized treats inside so you can practice lots of tricks, guilt-free!

Use the promo code DOGLOVER for 20% off this entire range!

RRP: $65.95 (Bundle), from $16.95 (Treats) from the Bell & Bone website 

DoggyTopia Licky Mats are a creative and fun enrichment mat, for your dog to enjoy their food in a new and exciting way!

They help keep bored pets busy, calm stressed pets and slow down those who eat too quickly.

Simply spread soft food, peanut butter, Greek yoghurt, meal topper, kibble, fruit or grated vegies onto the mat. Your dog will have to work to consume every last bit. 

This helps to alleviate their boredom, slow down their consumption time and provide mental stimulation.

Available in two styles (Hexagon and Square) and a variety of paw lickin' good colours.

RRP: $19.95-$22.95 from www.doggytopia.com.au

Meet Zippy Paws. They’re the team at Habitat’s latest obsession! These adorable toys are hours of boredom-busting fun for inquisitive doggos.

Each Zippy Paws Burrow Toy is a soft shell, with three smaller toys inside. Pop the little toys inside the burrow, and playtime is officially GO! 

Your dog will have a blast trying to get to the little squeaky toys, using their nose and paws to reach inside the burrow and pull them out, one by one.

Even better, Zippy Paws Burrows are available in a selection of cute and colourful designs. 

From dumplings to donuts, there’s one to suit every dog. As you can see, Habitat’s littlest team member, Georgie the Chihuahua, can’t get enough of the Milk and Cookies Burrow! 

RRP: from $23.99. Available in-store and online from Habitat Pet Supplies

KONG Tikr delivers long-lasting mental stimulation with a timer activated treat dispenser that sparks intrigue with a varied release of treats. 

The auto-rotating holes control the pace of dispensing and can be set for up to 45-minutes. Once the timer is set, Tikr ticks and rolls time activated dispensing that continues to fuel engagement while rewarding positive natural foraging instincts. Watch this video to see it in action!

You can vary the challenge by adding multiple sizes of treats. No batteries are required.

RRP: $31.49 (Small) - $38.49 (Large) from all good pet stores and online.

Scream has released new products to keep your dog’s and cat’s boredom at bay!

 Their Interactive Feeders and Puzzles will keep your pets minds active and engaged. Perfect for treat time and feed time.

✔️ For dogs: Scream Interactive Dog Flip Puzzle Board and Scream Interactive Fun Treat Barrel

✔️ For cats: Scream Interactive Cat Brain Teaser and Scream Interactive Cat Tunnel Feeder

Learn more about the Scream Interactive Feeders and Puzzles and see the full range at screampet.com.au

RRP: from $24.99 from petquarters.com.au

Made in the USA, this bright and colourful range of fetch toys are made from DOOG’s unique new rubber formula that is not only puncture-resistant but also soft and supple on dogs’ teeth and gums. 

The Fetchables have been designed for dogs that play hard and can withstand rough play on land and in water. The bright colours are easy to spot at the dog park and in the water.

The Fetchables collection includes a frisbee, a high bounce ball, and a tug ball (featured) complete with marine- grade rope. They are BPA and phthalate-free.

RRP: from $16.99 from www.doog.com.au and all good pet retailers.

Our lovable pups love to sniff, scratch, and forage for treats so give your dog the gift of natural foraging fun with this Snuffle & Snout Mat to keep their mind engaged and their IQ sharp, whilst also burning off excess energy!

Did you know that 10 minutes of snuffle training equals one hour of walking exercise?

✔️ Delivers superior mental stimulation and entertainment to help curb separation anxiety

✔️ Four-leaf clover design is not only for good looks but also for better storage

✔️ Large Size (72.39 cm x 72.39cm) yet portable

✔️ High quality, non toxic and durable material plus non-slip base for stability

✔️ Water repellent & odourless material

✔️ Machine or hand washable

RRP: $59.00 special intro offer (free shipping) at snuffleandsnout.com.au

A portion of Snuffle & Snout's profits and company partnership donations support the ongoing work of RSPCA and the Australian Koala Foundation.

The amazing treat chase is on!

The PetSafe® Kibble Chase™ Roaming Treat Dispenser is an interactive dog toy that will get your puppy excited about playtime and meal time.

Simply load it with kibble or their favourite treats, turn it on and watch the battery-powered toy roll around the floor in a random pattern, dispensing treats as it goes.

This treat puzzle is a great way of feeding slowly and can hold up to half a cup (118 ml) of kibble. Tough rubber wheels roll quietly and easily on most indoor floor surfaces encouraging active play. 

This innovative automatic toy will keep dogs of all sizes busy with a game of chase and treat!

RRP: $64.49 from the PetSafe Australia website

Does your doggo mistake furniture or [insert other expensive item] for chews? Or goes through expensive toys too quickly? Does your doggo’s breath stink? Which makes those sloppy kisses less enjoyable!

The longest lasting chews are naturally-shed: Gully Road Deer Antlers.

They will last a few months and are a pawfect treat to clean your doggo’s teeth – finally get those stink-free kisses! And guess what? They’re odourless, so can be chewed in the house or car with no smells!

Deer antlers are highly nutritious and contain many vitamins and minerals too. Some are soaked in Apple Cider Vinegar for added health benefits. The ACV also makes them a little softer, ideal for puppies and older dogs.

Gully Road sells antlers and fallow straps (the softer, flatter part of the antler) in a range of sizes to suit all dog chew habits.

RRP: from $16 at www.gullyroad.com.au

 

DOGTV is a 24/7 digital TV channel with programming scientifically developed to provide the right company and perfect boredom buster for dogs when left home alone.

DOGTV, a scientifically designed canine streaming nirvana, has been developed to enrich our pets’ lives and support the loneliness and isolation they face while at home alone through tailored videos to stimulate your dog’s mind.

DOGTV programs are divided into three categories: exposure, stimulation and relaxation, to meet a dog’s typical daily cycle, enriching their environment by exposing them to new stimuli in the form of images and sound.

RRP: Subscriptions from $8.95/month or $69.95/year, exclusively at PETstock stores or online at www.petstock.com.au
 

The first reason you'd want a wading pool in Australia is to provide your panting pooch with some relief from the heat but a suitably entertaining water-filled dog pool may also be enough to keep your dog from wrecking the lawn or your garden beds! 

It used to be the only pool you could buy for your dogs was the hard plastic kiddie pool but these never lasted long. How times have changed...

Dog Pools Australia pools are designed for Aussie dogs. 

They stock a range of quality dog pools to suit all sizes of dog, all breeds and all budgets: big dogs, chewing dogs, dogs who feel the heat and dogs who just want to have fun! 

Durable bone-shaped, paw-shaped or foldable round pool, there's a pool for every dog!

Dog Pools stock UV and chew resistant pools, and pools that are virtually bomb-proof in a range of colours.

All these pools have drains, except for the paw-shaped dog pools which are small enough to tip over to drain.

When the days of summer are gone, you can turn your paw pool into a doggy relaxation zone with the new paw-shaped plush dog beds that fit inside the ‘One Dog One Bone’ paw pool!

RRP: $149.00 (Foldable Pool); $165.00 (Paw Pool); $445.00 (Bone Pool) from www.dogpools.com.au

If you are back working in the office full-time with unpredictable commutes, the transition will be hard for most dogs, especially those acquired during the pandemic, who have had their loving family on tap 24/7!

Whether they’re cooped up inside all day or have a large backyard to enjoy, dogs left alone will often lack stimulation.

Enlisting a professional dog walker or pet sitter can help prevent boredom from setting in by taking dogs out for walks around the neighbourhood one or more times per day. 

Dogs who are keeping active have a lower risk of developing serious health problems associated with pet obesity, such as heart disease. This has the added benefit of lowering the risk of common behavioural problems that can occur when dogs are restless or bored.

You don’t need a big backyard or a big budget but you do need to design that garden with your own pet in mind.

Start with observing your dog's natural behaviours, where they go to capture the sun, enjoy the shade and the places they like to sniff and explore.

 Shale Hills Dog Park with Canine Sensory Garden - Credit: Western Sydney Parklands 

Provide lots of opportunities for your dog to run around. For example, you could have formal paths and informal trails around the garden creating a circuit to explore. You could also experiment with different objects and surfaces.

For some inspiration on design ideas and what you could include, read how to create a sensory garden for your dogs.

For ideas on plants to include for a low maintenance pet-friendly garden, read these tips from Plants in a Box.

Most dogs will happily sleep 12-14 hours per day (even more for puppies and seniors) so when all else fails, they will go for a long nap so make sure that bed is a very comfortable one!

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