3 DIY Puzzle Toys For Dogs

For my entire life, I have always loved to craft and find DIY projects! It’s always so fun to make something new for a friend, your home, or even your pets! Something I’ve started doing recently is making my very own DIY puzzle toys for dogs! 

I love trying new dog enrichment activities and in this post I’m going to be sharing three dog enrichment ideas you can make at home with items you already have! Hint: one involves toilet paper rolls, we all have those! 

Follow along below for three DIY puzzle toys for dogs that you can assemble in minutes for your dog to enjoy!

P.S. Find even more homemade dog puzzles and dog enrichment ideas at the bottom of this post!

1. Busy Box Dog Toy

The first DIY puzzle toy for dogs is called a busy box dog toy! A busy box toy for dogs is one of my favorite boredom busters for dogs. A busy box dog toy is filled with all of your dog’s favorite toys like treat dispensing dog toys and snuffle toys for dogs and is designed for your dog to use their sense of smell to find all of the food or treats inside! I love making busy box dog toys for Diesel and Annie for dinner throughout the week. It’s a great homemade dog toy to keep them busy and they have a ton of fun. 

Below is what I have in my busy box dog toy:

1. Bottom Layer: Dog snuffle mat or Nina Ottosson dog puzzle

2. Middle Layer: Dog enrichment toys like West Paw Tux or Classic Kong, snuffle toys for dogs (Octopus snuffle toy for dogs) and homemade dog puzzles (rolled up towel with treats).

3: Top Layer: Dog toys that have fun sounds or textures: squeaks, crinkles, etc. Anything to get their attention. I like to combine big and small dog toys so that my dog has to take the time to move the bigger items out of the way in order to get to more.

Bonus layer: Sprinkle extra food/treats throughout for easy access to encourage your dog to solve from the beginning!

Watch your dog solve! This will take longer than if they just ate their food out of their bowl, and by adding in dog enrichment activities like this, your dog will be happier and get smarter the more you do it!

I would rate this DIY dog puzzle as EASY.

2. Toilet Paper Roll Box Homemade Dog Puzzle

The second DIY puzzle toy for dogs is called a toilet paper roll box! This dog enrichment idea is truly a homemade puzzle toy because all you need is a small box and toilet paper rolls! 

This boredom buster for dogs can be as big or as small as you want it to be, you just have to have a ton of toilet paper rolls, which if you have a family of three or four, you’re probably set, ha!

Below is how to make the toilet paper roll box homemade puzzle toy:

Step 1: Grab a small box, toilet rolls and dog food or treats.

• I used a small square box and about 9 toilet paper rolls. I probably could’ve fit a few more to take up a bit more room.

Step 2: Place all of your toilet paper rolls standing up in your box.

Step 3: Sprinkle all of your dog food or treats in the box, filling all of your toilet paper rolls.

• In this post I used the Fruitables Skinny Minis dog treats. Since these low calorie dog treats only have 3 calories, and they have a tasty apple bacon flavor, they really keep my pups interested to solve!

Watch your dog solve! 

Pro Tip: This DIY dog puzzle is also a great addition to your busy box dog toy. I actually did this the other night for Diesel where I added this homemade dog puzzle toy plus a dog snuffle mat as the bottom layer of the busy box dog toy and then added the next layers and he loved it! 

I would rate this DIY dog puzzle as EASY.

3. Water Bottle Dog Enrichment Idea

The last dog enrichment idea is the water bottle dog enrichment idea! Out of all of these DIY puzzle toys for dogs, I would say that this one is the most challenging. Like the others, this homemade dog puzzle is made out of items you already have in your house including water bottles, string and two dining room chairs.  

Below is how to make the water bottle dog enrichment idea:

Step 1: Grab at least three plastic water bottles.

Pro Tip: If your dog likes to destroy things, I recommend taking the branded paper off the water bottles. Some dogs don’t care but others see it as another toy.

Step 2: Cut a small hole towards the top of each water bottle.

Step 3: Feed your string through each hole of your water bottles. Leave some space in between each (but be prepared to watch them move around when your dog plays with it, ha!)

Step 4: Fill your empty water bottles with food or treats (that smell really good, ha!).

Step 5: Grab your two chairs and secure each side of the string to a chair. 

Watch your dog solve! The goal of this homemade dog puzzle is for your dog to flip the water bottles upside down, releasing the food or treats in the water bottle. As mentioned, this dog enrichment game is a big harder and was even a challenge for my pups! Don’t be surprised if your dog tries to bite the water bottles instead of flipping them. Diesel did that, ha!

I would rate this DIY dog puzzle as MODERATE/HARD.

If you’re a dog mom on a budget or are looking for new dog enrichment ideas, these three DIY puzzle toys for dogs are a great place to start! Homemade dog puzzles are so easy to make, usually require items you already have at home, and your dog will be excited to try them!

If you loved this post about dog enrichment ideas, make sure to check out my other posts below featuring more dog enrichment activities like my favorite snuffle toys for dogs, enrichment dog toys and more boredom busters for dogs : 

• DIY Snuffle Mat Ball: JW Pet Holee Roller Ball Dog Toy Idea 
• 3 DIY Dog Enrichment Ideas To Combat Dog Cabin Fever 
• How To Use A Snuffle Mat For Dogs
• 3 Snuffle Toys For Dogs 
• Nina Ottosson Dog Puzzles Level 1: Beginner Puzzles For Dogs 
• Nina Ottosson Dog Puzzles Level 2: Intermediate Dog Treat Puzzles
• 3 Ingredient Yogurt Dog Treat Recipe With Lickimat Soother

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Photography: Kate Kelley Collection