4 Summer Enrichment Activities For Dogs
Where I’m from, we live for the summer! With the sun shining bright and longer daylight hours, there are so many fun dog enrichment activities we can enjoy with our pups to keep them happy, healthy, and mentally stimulated. Plus, who doesn’t want to spend the summer with their pups?!
If you’re looking for new things to do with your dog at home or some new summer activities for dogs, check out the four fun summer enrichment activities for dogs below! Don’t fur-get to check out my entire Dog Enrichment Ideas section for even more boredom busters for dogs!
Summer Dog Enrichment Activity 1: Dog Pool Party
Alright, I had to kick things off with my favorite summer dog enrichment idea because I have the absolute funniest photo in the world to show you. When we were shooting the photos for this blog post, I was at my parent’s house and my mom’s youngest dog, River, LOVES the pool and that is definitely written in capitals for a reason, ha! So when I tell you I was laughing SO hard when I saw this photo I’m not exaggerating at all! Please zoom in on her face hahaha (she’s the one crashing into Annie)!
Every summer, we always get out our folding collapsible dog pools and have the ultimate pool party for our dogs. We actually have two dog pools, this one from Amazon and this swimming pool for dogs from BitMouth Pets. This year I actually stepped it up and got some new dog pool toys. I found these summer pool toys for dogs at PetSupermarket from a brand I’ve worked with before, Territory Dog Toys! This is a great way to keep your dog cool in the summer while letting your dog enjoy their environment!
P.S. I worked with BigMouth Pets a few years ago to showcase their pawesome outdoor dog products including their dog pool, dog sprinkler, dog pool floats and so much more! Check out my post: Summer Outdoor Dog Activities with BigMouth Pets to see it all!
Summer Dog Enrichment Activity 2: Sniffari
Have you ever heard the term sniffari? A sniffari is when you take your dog on a walk and let them stop and take in all of the smells that they can smell that we can’t (and possibly don’t want to, ha!).
Fun Fact: Did you know dogs have up to 100 million scent receptors in their noses versus our 5-6 million? Did you also know that some breeds have even more like bloodhounds with 300 million?
If you’ve ever wondered why dogs like to sniff, it’s because they find everything about their environment and upcoming visitors through their nose! When they go up to another dog they can immediately know the gender and other facts about their health. When they smell a piece of food we have, we just smell what it is (like cake), but dogs smell the flour, eggs, oil, sugar and each individual ingredient!
Letting our dogs stop and smell allows them to get the “tea” of the neighborhood so to speak, ha, and let them utilize a huge part of their brain.
Summer Dog Enrichment Activity 3: Dog Agility
Another really fun thing you can do with your dog at home is dog agility! Now, of course if you want to actually learn how to do agility with your dog, I highly recommend searching something like “dog agility lessons near me” and doing a bit of research there. Annie and I do agility and having the lessons really helps!
But, if you just want to play at home, you can easily set up agility jumps for your dogs and have some fun! To ensure you’re putting your dog agility jump at the correct and safe height for your dog, please see the jump height information below that’s directly from AKC. Your dog’s withers is at the top of their shoulders!
- 8 Inches: For dogs 11 inches and under at the withers.
- 12 Inches: For dogs 14 inches and under at the withers.
- 16 Inches: For dogs 18 inches and under at the withers.
- 20 Inches: For dogs 22 inches and under at the withers.
- 24 Inches: For dogs over 22 inches at the withers.
Another dog agility item you can get for your home is a dog agility tunnel! The ones you’ll see at competitions or lessons have sandbags attached to keep the tunnel in place as your dog goes through it. You can find some online that aren’t very expensive with sandbags as well and I personally recommend it, especially if you have a bigger dog. Whenever Diesel does it, if I don’t have the sandbags on it, he takes the tunnel with him, ha!
Summer Dog Enrichment Activity 4: Dog Hide And Seek
Last but not least is one of Diesel Weasel’s favorite games, dog hide and seek! What’s great about this game, is you can do this outdoors or inside if it’s too hot, it’s a rainy day, or if you want to test your dog’s finding skills with even more obstacles!
No matter where you do this, what I like to do is let my dog just be where they are, I go and hide when they’re not looking or sniffing something, and then call my dog. Every single time I do this with Diesel he has an absolute blast finding me, and seeing his pure excitement when we celebrate together after he’s found me is so cute!
Want even more dog enrichment ideas and activities? Check out some of my favorite and most popular dog enrichment posts below:
- 3 DIY Puzzle Toys For Dogs Using Containers
- Woofsie: 50+ Enrichment Ideas For Dogs
- DIY Snuffle Mat For Dogs (video tutorial included!)
- 3 Summer Dog Lick Mat Treat Ideas
- 3 Easy Dog Lick Mat Ideas
- 3 Dog Enrichment Activities Using Toilet Paper Rolls
- 3 Easy Summer Frozen Dog Lick Mat Ideas
- Teach Your Dog To Talk With Hunger For Word Dog Voice Buttons
- 4 DIY Enrichment Activities For Dogs Using Egg Cartons
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