Sometimes dogs treat meals like a speed eating competition. And sometimes humans need to keep their dogs occupied — and quiet — during Zoom meetings. Either way, we have the solution for you: mealtime enrichment. Pair food with brain work, and you’ll have a tired, happy (and quiet!) dog.
In this video, we’ll show you how to make breakfast in a basket. You’ll need a basket (pick one that’s easy to clean), an old cloth, scissors, and your dog’s food.
- Cloth strips: Cut strips of old, clean cloth that are a couple of inches longer than your basket.
- Food: Add ⅔ of your dog’s meal to the basket first. Be sure to include something smelly/yummy at the bottom so that your dog is motivated to use his sniffer.
- Supervision: After you’ve finished weaving the cloth through your basket and adding the remaining portion of your dog’s meal to the top, it’s time for him to play and eat. Keep an eye on him so that he doesn’t try to eat the cloth strips.
You can easily scale the difficulty level of this activity up or down. If your pup is new to enrichment, only add a few cloth strips at first so that it’s easier for him to find the food. If he’s a seasoned pro, go nuts with the strips, weave them tightly, and make sure most of the food is at the bottom. Have fun!