Indoor doggy enrichment

It may seem obvious but a safe game with a pull toy can expel a lot of excess energy.

Be careful to keep the balance of not overexciting your dog and to keep it fun.

It’s important to calm our dog down after a high energy game, try some scatter feeding to help them unwind and engage their brains.

Just like us, dogs love nothing more than opening a box filled with goodies!

You can use food or toys. Take an empty cardboard box and stuff it with doggy towels hiding the treats inside. You can roll treats inside the towels but be sure to not stuff the box too full.

Loosely close the box lid and let your dog use their natural sense of smell to solve the puzzle.

One of our favourite games at Bruce’s is a good old fashioned game of hide and seek.

Show your dog some treats and have them wait while you create a trail of scents, get creative with your hiding places to give their curious nose a workout.

Be sure to keep the hiding places accessible and safe. Release your dog and encourage them to “find” as even if your dog does not know this command they will eventually understand the game.

Follow your dog and be sure to make a fuss when they find a treat, you can make the hiding places a little trickier each time you play.

Dogs are natural forages and love to use their noses to sniff out a tasty snack.

Interactive toys, snuffle mats, kongs and licki mats are all great forms of mental stimulation for your dog, allowing them to use their brain and natural instincts.

Its the perfect time to practice those tricks we never quite mastered. The Blue Cross has some great tips and advice on how dogs learn, meaning you will be Crufts ready in no time!