Cardboard box

This one is my dog’s favourite. It happened by accident when she was a puppy and she’s been getting cardboard boxes to destroy regularly ever since. Make sure the box is free of any clips, staples, stickers etc. Put a few treats inside and loosely close it so your dog needs to work to get in for the treats. To make it more difficult, put a bit of scrunched up paper on top of the treats. 

Egg box

Egg Boxes are great for smaller dogs, I think they might be too easy for bigger dogs but give it a go! All you need is an empty egg box and a few treats which you hide inside. Make it easy to start with and don’t close the lid completely. Or if your dog is a ninja in finding treats then close it completely. 

Sniffari (I can’t remember where I heard this word but it’s funny)

If your dog enjoys a good sniff this one's for you! Take a few pieces of your dog's smelliest (yummiest) treats, have your dog wait outside a room or area where you will scatter these treats and have them find it. 

Lickimat / lick mats

An oldie but a goodie. I’m sure you’ve heard of lickimats by now and how they have a calming effect on dogs. Instructions are very simple: take your dog’s favourite spreadable and spread it on the mat and give it to your dog to lick. Evoila! And if you'd like it to last longer, freeze the lickimat for an hour or so.

Puzzle feeders

You can find a variety of puzzle feeders online or in your local pet shop. There are many different levels of difficulty available to keep your dog occupied for a while. If you have a dog that likes to chew, make sure you take the puzzle away at the end. 

Hide & Seek

You can play this one inside or outside in the park and it’s great for recall training too! You’ll need another person to distract your dog while you hide. Once hidden, call your dog with a high-pitched voice and wait. If they can’t find you straight away, call them again in slow intervals. Once they find you, make a fuss and reward them either with treats or playtime, belly rubs etc. 

Make sure you supervise the games at all times.  And even if your dog might not take to all the games, they will definitely enjoy the attention!