Are you looking for varied activities for your dog? Whether indoors or outdoors - our tips provide inspiration for playing with your four-legged friend. Plus: DIY instructions for making smart toys for dogs.
Meaningful activities are very important for your dog. This is because four-legged friends are always underchallenged when their needs for physical and mental activity are not met. As a result, the dog looks for something to do - and the owner doesn't always have to like it.
Gnawing furniture, scratching doors and wallpaper and biting cables and shoes are particularly popular. Underchallenge can even make dogs ill in the long term, and boredom can lead to depression, especially in older dogs.
One of the favorite activities for dogs and their owners is playing together. The basic rule is: every dog game needs fixed times and rules. This is because four-legged friends are always up for a bit of fun, but need their relaxation phases to regenerate.
Whether with a ball or a tug toy - as long as you spend time together with your pet, you are giving him the greatest pleasure. Important commands such as "sit", "down" or "fetch" can also be trained in a playful way.
Place some treats in the recesses of the pallet or carton and cover them with kitchen paper, for example. The dog must then lift the paper to get to the treat. On command, the nose can then go for it.
Fun for your four-legged friend! A sniffer carpet for dogs is an exciting activity for them, as it encourages them to concentrate and also stimulates their keen sense of smell. At the end of the training there is a tasty reward. Would you like to make your own sniffing carpet for your furry friend?
You will need the following for a homemade dog sniffer rug:
Step 1: Cut the fleece blanket into narrow strips approx. 4 cm wide and approx. 20 cm long.
Step 2: Now pull a strip of fleece blanket through each of the two holes in the sink liner and knot it tightly. Both ends of the fabric strip should be the same length.
Step 3: Repeat tying with all the fleece blanket strips until nothing of the sink liner is visible. The more fringes that end up on the sniffer rug, the more fun it is for the dog.
Step 4: Hide dog treats - e.g. Meat Chunks pure chicken from animonda - individually in the sniffer carpet between the long fringes.
Step 5: And off you go: The dog can start sniffing!
When your dog uses a sniffer carpet for the first time, you should watch him at the beginning so that he doesn't take the sniffer carpet apart again out of joy and in order to find the treats more quickly. If the sniffer carpet is not used for playing, your dog can lie down comfortably on it.
Another popular way to keep your dog busy indoors is the treat search game, in which chews are hidden around the home. At the beginning, the dog is allowed to watch and run to the treats and eat them on the command "search".
Waiting also teaches the dog self-control and trains its frustration tolerance. More advanced dogs are then no longer allowed to watch the treats being hidden, but only have to find them using their sense of smell.
The ideal treat for playing? The animonda Meat Chunks are particularly suitable for this. The meaty dog snacks contain only one source of animal protein and are gently air-dried.
Available in the tasty varieties chicken, beef, turkey or lamb and adapted to the size of your dog, the delicious chunks have a meat content of 98 percent. Like all animonda products, the snack is made without grain, sugar or soy and is also an ideal reward for dogs with sensitive diets.