Digging pit with buried toys
A kiddie pool or sandbox of clean sand where digging is allowed, with toys buried for your dog to find.
What you need
- Kiddie pool or sandbox with clean sand — shop-bought
- Your pet's favorite toy
How to do it
- Pick a spot in the yard and fill a plastic kiddie pool or a simple sandbox frame with clean sand from a hardware store.
- Bury a few of your dog's toys just under the surface while they watch, and let them dig them out.
- Praise your dog for digging there. If they start digging somewhere else, calmly lead them back to the pit.
- Bury the toys a little deeper, or in new corners, as your dog gets the idea.
- Cover the pit with a tarp when you're not using it, so neighborhood animals don't use it as a litter box.
⚠️ Safety
Supervision: Stay with your pet the whole time.
Use clean sand rather than bark chips, which AKC notes can contain chemicals or splinter. Stay with your dog while they dig so they don't eat the sand.
👀 What to watch for
If your dog goes back to digging in the flower beds, make the pit more rewarding: bury their favorite toys there and play together at the pit.
Try next
Calm massage
Slow, gentle strokes from head to tail: a quiet way to bond with your dog at the end of the day.
Cavaletti poles at home
Low poles on the floor for your dog to step over: careful, controlled movement for a day indoors.
Delivery box search
A few empty delivery boxes spread around a room, some with treats inside. Your dog searches them all by scent.
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.
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.
Frozen stuffed toy
A rubber toy stuffed with part of your dog's meal and frozen. It takes much longer to empty and keeps your dog busy and calm.