14 Quick and Easy Ways to Keep Your Dog Occupied

photo courtesy Flickr.com/oakleyoriginals

Boredom: The leading cause of doggie destruction in the home. When you don’t have time to entertain your dog, use some of these games and (mostly) homemade dog toy ideas and let him keep himself busy for a while. Most of these can be thrown together on a moment’s notice, but for the toys that require freezing, you might want to make them in batches that will last several days.

1. A kiddie pool filled with sand and hidden dog toys and treats.

2. Paper towel/toilet paper tubes with peanut butter smeared inside.

3. Cottage cheese containers or empty yogurt cups with about an inch of chicken broth frozen at the bottom.

4. Empty cereal boxes with dog treats inside.

5. Put an empty plastic water bottle inside an old sock. When chewed, this makes a crunching sound that most dogs seem to find quite satisfying.

6. Make ice cubes out of chicken broth or water with bits of kibble mixed in.

7. Stuff a Kong with canned dog food, cheese, or peanut butter. Freeze it to make it last longer.

8. Old sock stuffed with kibble and knotted.

9. Make a bunch of these treat-filled toys and hide them all over the house for the dog to find.

10. If you don’t mind a bit of a mess: get a big cardboard box, fill it with crumpled up newspaper. Mix in some treats and dog toys. Tape the box shut.

11. Ultimate ice cube: If your dog works through the regular-sized ice cubes too fast, use a cottage cheese or Tupperware container as a mold. Fill with water/chicken broth and throw in some hot dog/kibble pieces. This one is best enjoyed outdoors.

12. Fill a kiddie pool with water and throw in some of those chicken-broth ice cubes.

13. Cottage cheese or cheap Gladware-type containers. Cut a small hole or two in the container, fill with your dog’s kibble, and put the lid on. You now have a decent treat-dispensing toy that did not cost you $15. You can feed your dog his entire dinner this way.

14. Canine nunchucks: For dogs who like to shake their “prey” to death, get a couple of empty milk jugs and tie the handles together with 6-12 inches of thin rope. For extra fun, put a few pieces of kibble inside the jugs.