Dog enrichment without food or treats
Food games are popular, but they are not the only way to keep a dog busy. These activities use play, sniffing, training and time with you instead, which suits dogs on a diet or with food allergies.
Build a 7-day plan from these →🧩 Puzzle
👃 Scent work
Find the toy
Hide your dog's favorite toy and send them to sniff it out: a scent game that needs no food at all.
Sniff walk
A slow walk where your dog chooses the direction and the pace and gets to sniff as long as they like. Twenty to thirty minutes can tire a dog as much as a longer, faster walk.
🎾 Play
Flirt pole chase
A lure on a rope at the end of a pole that your dog chases along the ground: lots of exercise in a few minutes.
Tug with rules
Short rounds of tug that end on a "drop it", so your dog gets a burst of play and a lesson in self-control at the same time.
🎓 Training game
Cavaletti poles at home
Low poles on the floor for your dog to step over: careful, controlled movement for a day indoors.
Living-room obstacle course
A mini agility course from things you already have: chairs to weave round, a box to go through, books to step over.
Teach your dog toy names
Teach your dog to bring a toy by its name, then pick it out of a pile: a brain game you can reward with play instead of food.
🌿 Sensory
🤝 Together time
Calm massage
Slow, gentle strokes from head to tail: a quiet way to bond with your dog at the end of the day.
Hide and seek with you
Your dog waits in one room while you hide, then finds you when you call. No food or equipment needed.
How we choose these activities
Every activity is written from published guidance — AKC, ASPCA, Cornell University, International Cat Care, Ohio State's Indoor Pet Initiative, the House Rabbit Society and the Rabbit Welfare Association — and each page links to its sources. The safety note says when to stay with your dog, and "what to watch for" tells you when a game is too hard.