A Guide to Dog Interactive Feeding

Is your dog bored? Much like us, our canine companions can get a bit restless when they havent had enough enrichment.

The perfect way to stave off boredom and encourage eating is to make dinnertime more exciting. So how can you make meals more fun?

Ditch the Bowl!

Ditch the Bowl! Did you know dogs have over 200 million odour receptors in their nose? This is in comparison to our rather pathetic 5 million…

Dogs have this remarkable sense of smell and using their nose is both fun and tiring. So, rather than giving them their delicious dinner in a normal bowl, instead make it a more interactive activity.

The Frogg Interactive Feeding Toy range and lick matts/puzzle feeders are easy and versatile ways to make feeding fun. These can be stuffed or smeared with their normal diet, delicious wet foods and pates and even frozen to cool down and challenge your furry friend.

Try Scatter Feeding

Interactive feeding doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply scattering your dogs food on the floor or in the garden is a fabulous way to make dinner more exciting.

The trick is to start slow and increase the difficulty as your pooch gets more confident.  Start with scattering food over a hard surface indoors or outdoors. Once your dog gets better at using their nose, pop out a few piles of food for them to find. Eventually you can really increase the difficulty (and excitement) and hide pieces of food under items such as plant pots or cushions.

Remember for dogs, a game isnt fun if it becomes frustrating. If your dog is struggling to solve the puzzle, bring them closer to the location of the food or throw a couple of treats near by.

Create a DIY Game

Creating some games at home is easy, can be very cost-effective and is a great way to support the environment.

Got a spare cardboard box? Cut some holes in it and hide some treats inside, this encourages your pet to use their impressive nose to sniff out their dinner.

Got an old Yorkshire pudding or Muffin Tray? Tip it upside down, sprinkle on some of their kibble and smear some of their wet food over it. This is a DIY slow feeder and will help excite your dogs senses and encourage them to crunch their food properly. Remember the trick with slow feeders is to alternate the ones you use, otherwise your clever hound works out the best way to speed up their munching.

Discover the benefits of Slow Feeders.

Why not play a game of Hide and Seek? Make sure to have a few tasty treats on you, or their favourite toy for when your dog wins!

Mental enrichment is key to keeping your pet happy and healthy, so get inventive and have fun with their food. Watch our Mental Enrichment video for more information. 

Dont forget to browse our impressive range of toys to get started and for in person advice, head over to your local Pets Corner store.