Recently, I came across a dog owner sharing her experience with Pepper, her two-year-old terrier.
After returning to the office three days a week, she began paying around $40 a day for doggy daycare. Whenever Pepper was left at home, she would whine, pace, and sometimes have accidents indoors—even though she was fully house-trained.
Her first thought was that Pepper simply needed more company. But after speaking with a trainer, she began looking at another possible piece of the puzzle: Pepper was getting two walks a day, but had very few opportunities to sniff, forage, solve problems, or stay mentally engaged.
That does not mean every dog who struggles alone is simply bored. Separation-related distress can be complex and may require support from a veterinarian or qualified behaviour professional. But in Pepper’s case, adding more mental enrichment to her routine appeared to make a meaningful difference.
It is an experience many dog owners can relate to: a dog may receive regular walks and still have difficulty settling. Physical activity matters, but it does not always meet every behavioural need.
That is where mental enrichment comes in.
What Is Mental Enrichment for Dogs?
Mental enrichment includes activities that encourage a dog to think, explore, and engage with their environment. That might mean sniffing for hidden food, working through a simple puzzle, learning a new cue, or eating from something other than a standard bowl.
A walk provides physical movement, fresh air, and exposure to the outside world. Enrichment adds opportunities to make choices and use natural behaviours such as sniffing, foraging, licking, chewing, and problem-solving.
The two support different needs, and most dogs benefit from having both in their routine.
Enrichment does not need to be complicated. A few treats scattered in the grass can be enrichment. So can five minutes of training or part of a meal served in a snuffle mat.
Mental enrichment — especially activities that engage a dog’s sense of smell.
The goal is not simply to make a dog tired. It is to give them a safe and satisfying way to use their mind.
Signs Your Dog May Need More Mental Stimulation
Boredom can appear in different ways, and the same behaviour can have more than one cause. Some signs that your dog may benefit from additional mental stimulation include:
• Destructive chewing — looking for household objects to chew, carry, or investigate
• Frequent barking — especially reacting to every small sound or movement
• Restlessness and pacing — difficulty settling, even after physical activity
• Repeated attention-seeking — nudging, pawing, or bringing toys over and over
• Constant food searching — checking counters, bags, and floors
• Creating their own activities — turning household objects into games
These behaviours are often mistaken for stubbornness or poor training. In reality, they are usually signs that a dog is trying to find an outlet for energy their body and brain haven’t had a chance to use.
However, these behaviours do not always mean a dog is bored. Sudden behavioural changes, house-soiling, or significant distress when left alone can also be connected to pain, medical conditions, or separation-related problems. A veterinarian or qualified canine behaviour professional can help identify the underlying cause.
Why Sniffing and Foraging Matter
Dogs experience much of their environment through scent. Sniffing helps them gather information about places, objects, animals, and people. Foraging gives them an opportunity to search, make choices, and work toward a reward.
Research also suggests that scent-based activities can support canine welfare. One study found that dogs participating in nose-work activities showed a more positive judgment bias than dogs completing heelwork exercises — in simple terms, they appeared more likely to respond positively when faced with an ambiguous situation.
This does not mean that sniffing replaces physical exercise or professional help for behavioural concerns. It does help explain why scent-based activities can be a valuable part of a dog’s routine.
Rather than rushing through every walk, consider allowing your dog time to investigate safe areas at their own pace. At home, you can recreate part of that experience through food searches, scent games, and snuffle activities.
5 Easy Ways to Enrich Your Dog’s Day
You do not need to overhaul your routine. Start with one simple activity and observe how your dog responds.
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• Snuffle mat — hide part of your dog’s regular meal between the fabric sections and let them search for it. Start with the food easy to find, then gradually tuck pieces deeper as they get the hang of it.
• Puzzle feeder or treat dispenser — swap out the regular bowl at one meal. Your dog will need to roll, nudge, or lick to access the food, turning an everyday routine into a small problem-solving challenge.
• Scatter feed — scatter a portion of kibble across clean grass or a folded towel and step back. No prep, no equipment — just your dog using their nose the way it was designed to work.
• “Find it” game — ask your dog to wait, hide a treat somewhere easy to see, then say “find it.” Once they understand the game, make it gradually harder. Most dogs pick this up in a few minutes.
• Short training sessions — five minutes of practising a familiar cue or introducing a new one is enough. Keep it positive, stop before either of you loses interest, and finish on a win.
Taking enrichment on the go? A portable enrichment toy clips onto your bag or leash so your dog has a scent-based outlet on walks, at cafés, or during travel — the same sniff-and-search instinct, wherever you are.
Always supervise enrichment activities, especially if your dog tends to chew or pull at fabric or toys. Start easy and adjust the difficulty based on how your dog responds.
How Much Mental Enrichment Does a Dog Need?
There is no single amount that applies to every dog. Enrichment needs vary depending on age, health, breed tendencies, previous experience, confidence, and individual preferences.
If enrichment is new to your dog, begin with one short activity each day. Five to ten minutes may be enough to start. Instead of focusing only on time, watch how your dog responds:
• Do they remain interested without becoming frustrated?
• Is the activity too easy or too difficult?
• Can they settle comfortably afterward?
• Are they still choosing to participate?
Adjust based on the dog in front of you. If your dog remains restless after a walk, try a short enrichment activity before simply making the walk longer — a food search, a few minutes of training, or part of a meal in a snuffle mat.
Where to Start
Pepper’s owner eventually reduced her daycare schedule from three days a week to one. On the other mornings, she introduced a snuffle mat before leaving — not as a cure, but as something to keep Pepper’s brain occupied while she adjusted to the quieter house. According to her update, Pepper settled more easily and the mornings started to feel less stressful for both of them.
That will not be the right answer for every dog. But it is a useful reminder: a dog who is already getting regular exercise and still seems restless may simply need something to do with their mind.
Pick one activity from the list above, try it for a few days, and watch how your dog responds. That is usually enough to know whether more is worth exploring.
