What you need

Muffin tin
Tennis balls or other balls
Small treats
Your pet's regular food or kibble — optional

How to do it

Start with the cups uncovered: drop a few treats or pieces of kibble into each cup and let your dog eat them out.
Once your dog gets the idea, put the food in the cups and cover every cup with a ball.
Let your dog nudge or lift the balls out to reach the food. Praise each find.
To make it harder, put food in only some cups but still cover all of them, so your dog has to sniff out the right ones.
Change which cups hold food every time you play, so your dog uses their nose, not memory.

⚠️ Safety

Supervision: Stay with your pet the whole time.

Use balls that are too big to swallow. AKC warns that balls too small for your dog's size are a choking hazard (use a mini muffin pan and mini balls only for toy breeds). Put the tin and balls away after the game so they don't become chew toys. Count the treats as part of your dog's daily food.

👀 What to watch for

Pawing hard at the tin, barking at it or walking away means it is too hard: go back to fewer covered cups, or uncover one so your dog wins quickly.

Sources

Last checked November 3, 2026. These activities are for healthy pets — if yours has a health or behavior condition, ask your vet which games suit them.

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