Dog Enrichment Idea: Dog Easter Egg Hunt
A fun tradition I started with Diesel when he was two years old, was doing a dog Easter egg hunt! I found some cute Easter Egg shaped plush dog toys (this one and this one) which he shockingly never destroyed by the way. It was SO odd since he rips all of his toys to shreds in seconds, ha! I placed them in the yard and let him go on a fun little dog Easter egg hunt! I actually have photos from this on my blog from 2019 that you should totally check out – he’s absolutely adorable!
Nowadays, our dog Easter egg hunts look a little different, in a good way! Sure, you can most definitely still use fun Easter egg or Easter-themed dog toys and do this, but now I like to turn our dog Easter egg hunts into an awesome dog enrichment activity (which ya’ll know I love!). Plus, this dog enrichment idea doubles as a pawesome scenting game/nose work game for dogs!
Scroll down below to see how to create your own dog enrichment Easter egg hunt activity!
Dog Easter Egg Hunt Enrichment Idea Essentials:
Alright, for this enrichment activity for dogs, we’ll need the obvious basics, plus some extremely exciting rewards!
- Plastic Easter Eggs
- Featured here are the large size that are 7 inches which are great for dogs 40+ pounds and up in my opinion, but you can also get a smaller size that are 3.5 inches for smaller breeds! I wouldn’t get the normal small plastic Easter eggs you see in stores for smaller breeds, only because I think it’s pushing it size wise on what they can put in their mouth and become a choking hazard, depending on the breed!)
- Smelly, moist & possibly stinky dog treats, ha!
- I love using fish treats for dogs or jerky dog treats because of their distinct smells and textures! I also love using these kinds of treats for my nosework games for dogs!
- Featured here are some of my favorite fish skin treats for dogs from Icelandic+ (Cod Skin Rolls and Redfish Skin Rolls), some tasty freeze dried lamb liver dog treats from probably my all-time favorite freeze dried dog treat brands, PureBites (who also has cat treats too!) and one of Diesel’s all-time favorite jerky dog treat brands, and definitely one of the best dog jerky treat brands out there, SpotFarms and their Organic Turkey Tenders.
Funny story: When I first opened the Icelandic+ fish treats, I got the biggest whiff and was like holy cow that’s fresh hahaha! So be prepared, ha!
Dog Easter Egg Hunt: How To Set Up
Now that we’ve gathered everything we need for one of my pup’s favorite enrichment activities for dogs, there’s a few ways you can do this to add different challenge levels.
For dogs that have never done any kind of scenting game for dogs or dog enrichment activities, in your yard, place all of the eggs in plain sight. Once you’ve done that, you can release your pup and watch them have fun!
If you have a dog that does dog enrichment games all the time or is even involved in dog scent work regularly, kick things up a notch by actually hiding the eggs! You can do slightly discreet places like behind the dog statue shown in the photos below, or you can put them in harder places to really challenge your dog’s nose!
Pro Tip: Just make sure however you decide to add the challenge that your pup knows what to do! The last thing you want is for your dog to go out, struggle to find anything and then get frustrated and leave. Dog enrichment activities are always supposed to be fun!
I do this for both of my dogs one at a time every year and I usually bring the eggs over to my parents house so their pups can have a pawesome time too!
Our dog Easter egg hunts are definitely one of my favorite enrichment ideas for dogs that we do every year. It’s so fun to see them have so much fun while finding some super tasty treats!
Want even more dog enrichment ideas and activities? Maybe even some DIY dog puzzles or dog lick mat recipes? Check out some of my favorite and most popular dog enrichment posts below (including more fun Easter ideas!):
- 3 Easter Dog Treat Lick Mat Ideas
- 3 Easy Dog Lick Mat Ideas
- 3 Easy Summer Frozen Dog Lick Mat Ideas
- Teach Your Dog To Talk With Hunger For Word Dog Voice Buttons
- DIY Snuffle Mat For Dogs (video tutorial included!)
- 4 DIY Enrichment Activities For Dogs Using Egg Cartons
- 3 Dog Enrichment Activities Using Toilet Paper Rolls
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