Enrichment for puppies: safe games for the first months

Bringing a puppy home is exciting and exhausting. Puppies explore the world with their mouths and noses, and they need plenty of outlets for that curiosity. Enrichment gives them safe ways to sniff, chew, lick and solve small problems, and it gives you a few quiet minutes to make a cup of tea.

This guide covers simple, safe enrichment for young puppies. Follow your vet’s advice on diet, vaccinations and when your puppy can go out, and adjust everything to your puppy’s size and stage.

Puppies need lots of sleep

Before adding activities, remember that young puppies need a great deal of sleep — far more than adult dogs. An overtired puppy is often a bitey, frantic puppy. Enrichment should fit around naps, not replace them. Short sessions of a few minutes are plenty.

Licking

Licking can help a puppy settle. Spread a thin layer of their normal puppy food — wet food, or soaked and mashed kibble — on a lick mat. Soft silicone mats like the LickiMat Soother are easy to clean. Stay with them, because puppies are more likely than adult dogs to chew the mat itself.

Stuffed rubber toys

A puppy-sized rubber toy filled with soaked kibble is a classic. The KONG Classic comes in a range of sizes and strengths, and the maker also produces a softer puppy version. Choose a size the puppy cannot fit wholly in their mouth. Start with an easy filling that falls out readily, so they succeed quickly. Our guide to stuffing a rubber treat toy explains how to make it harder over time.

Sniffing

Sniffing is calming and natural. Try:

• Scatter feeding. Scatter part of a meal on a clean rug or a patch of lawn (once your vet is happy for them to be outside).
• Find it. Drop a piece of kibble by your feet and say “find it”. Then toss one a short distance away.
• Snuffle mats, with caution. Puppies often chew fabric. Only use a snuffle mat while you watch, and take it away if they start pulling at the strips.

Easy puzzles

Keep puzzles very simple so your puppy succeeds. A muffin tin with kibble in the cups is a good first puzzle; add a tennis ball over each cup once they have the idea. Avoid puzzles with small removable pieces that a puppy could swallow.

Cardboard and paper

Many puppies love ripping cardboard. A cardboard box with kibble scattered among scrunched paper is a cheap foraging game. Remove tape, staples, plastic and labels first, and watch to make sure they are ripping rather than eating it. Some puppies swallow cardboard — if yours does, stop this game.

Chewing and teething

Puppies chew, especially while their adult teeth come through. Give them suitable puppy chew toys and swap them in when they chew something they should not. Avoid very hard chews, antlers, cooked bones and anything small enough to swallow. Our chew safety guide has more detail.

Exploring the world

Gentle, positive experiences of new sights, sounds, surfaces and people are an important part of puppyhood, and many owners join a puppy class. Let your puppy explore at their own pace, and keep experiences short and pleasant. Ask your vet when it is safe to go out.

Safety basics

• Supervise all enrichment with a puppy.
• Choose toys sized for your puppy, and replace them as they grow.
• Use part of their daily food allowance, not extras.
• Avoid grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions, garlic, cooked bones and xylitol.
• Remove broken toys and loose pieces.
• Keep sessions short, and let your puppy sleep.

Kit worth having

You can search Amazon UK for puppy lick mats (affiliate link, opens Amazon UK) or puppy treat dispensing toys (affiliate link, opens Amazon UK). Check the size guidance and the live price in the listing before buying.

If you have questions about your puppy’s diet, growth, teeth or behaviour, speak to your vet.