Enrichment activities to help your dog beat the heat

Oleg Sobol
Jun 28
6 min read

It happens almost every summer here in Chicago. Soaring temperatures, heat indices over 100º, extreme heat warnings. These heat waves can last several days or even longer. What do we do with our doggies during these oppressive and dangerous weather conditions? There are loads of enrichment activities our dogs can enjoy while staying cool and safe.

Safety first

A close up of the sun burning bright orange

First things first. Safety is paramount. Heat wave conditions are just as serious for dogs as they are for humans. Heat stroke in dogs can develop very quickly and can be life-threatening. Keep in mind the following safety tips during periods of extreme heat.

Stay indoors most of the day. Do not walk or exercise your dog during the mid-day heat.
Provide lots of fresh, clean water throughout the day. Plan on more than usual.
Walk only in the early morning or evening when temperatures are on the cooler side. Keep walks short in any case.
Walk in the grass and on the shadier side of the street as much as possible. Consider using Musher's Secret dog paw wax for some paw protection.
If your dog enjoys it, gently wet your dog before starting a walk. Use the gentle mist setting on your hose or wet your dog by hand.
Do not shave your dog's coat close to the skin. Dogs need their coat for sunburn protection, among other things.
Never ever leave your dog in a car in hot weather like this. Not even for a minute with the window cracked.

Box games

Now let's get into the fun enrichment activities! First up is playing box games, which is one of my favorite indoor enrichment activities.

To prepare, save some package delivery boxes of a few different sizes and clean packing paper. These are the supplies you'll need, along with treats. Start out with easy box configurations. Gradually make it more challenging and more interesting. Here are some variations for increasing difficulty.

Put some smelly food or treats in a few boxes with the open part facing out, not up. We're just getting warmed up with this super easy first step.
Same thing, but now turn the boxes so the open part faces up. A little harder, but still pretty easy for most dogs.
Start adding some crumpled up packing paper to the box among the food bits. This will make it a little harder to find the food.
Now the real fun begins. Put one piece of food in a small piece of packing paper, crumple it into a ball, toss it in the box. Make a bunch of these. Include some food-less crumples too.
Same thing, but now place the boxes within one another. Do this without any crumpled paper first. Then gradually add more and more crumpled paper. The following video shows this level. Don't start here if this is new to your dog. My Sadie was already a pro when we recorded this.

https://vimeo.com/1205275404

Work-to-eat toys

There are hundreds of different food-dispensing and scavenging toys on the market to choose from The options are limitless. Here are my top 3 to start with.

Frozen stuffed Kong and Topl toys

An oldie but a goodie. Try freezing a Classic Kong or West Paw Topl with a combination of healthy-ish fillings like plain pumpkin puree, plain Greek or goat's milk yogurt, cream cheese, butter, meat baby food, liverwurst (gross, I know), a carrot stick, a freeze dried goodie, a little smashed banana, a few blueberries, and some super-food bone broth to fill up the empty spaces. Freeze a few at a time so you easily have them on hand.

Yellow dog sitting on a white couch with a red Kong toy and blue and white snuffle mat.

Snuffle mat and nose work blanket

This is one of my all-time favorites. Awaken your dog's inner scavenger with a sniffing and food-scavenging snuffle mat. It's simple. Just toss some of your dog's meal portion and/or smelly treats onto the mat, spread them around so the food is nice and hidden, and watch your dog happily "find" the food like the scavenger she was born to be. Repeat, and watch (and hear) your dog have a blast! For even more fun, try a nose work blanket too.

Pupsicle toy by Woof

The Pupsicle by Woof is a fun and easy-to-use licking toy. You can use it with Woof's pre-made refill pops or create your own frozen concoction using their treat tray molds. Perfect for freezing wet food, broth, plain yogurt, meat baby food, or anything lickable that your dog enjoys. Check out their other enrichment toys and chews, too.

DIY shredding activities

Black and white dog shredding a toilet paper roll.

If your dog loves shredding and dissecting activities, but you don't have an unlimited stuffed-toy-destruction budget, try DIY shredding activities with everyday items you have at home. Toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls are perfect everyday items you can use for this activity.

Hide a few stinky treats in there, and let your dog go to town shredding and dissecting the roll to get to the treats. Start out easy to keep your dog interested with quick success. Then, gradually make it more challenging. Here are some variations for increasing difficulty:

Treats only, pinch and fold one end
Add crumpled packing paper, loose
Add crumpled packing paper, tight
Pinch and fold both ends, punch several holes
Pinch and fold both ends, punch one hole
Pinch and fold both ends, no holes
One treat inside each piece of crumpled paper, some treats loose
One treat inside some pieces of crumpled paper, some treats loose
One treat inside each piece of crumpled paper, no loose treats
Hide around the house
Several rolls inside a cereal box

It's not uncommon for dogs to accidentally ingest little pieces of cardboard or paper here and there. This usually isn't too concerning. However, if your dog is voraciously gobbling up entire rolls or mounds of paper, this activity might not be suitable for your dog.

Hide and seek

Another favorite indoor activity of mine is hide and seek. No special toys required. Here's how to play:

Ask your dog to "Wait." If you haven't trained a "Wait" cue yet, have a helper occupy your dog for a few seconds.
Hide in another room. Start with the closest room to make it easy at first.
Call your dog to you, using a special cue for this game (example: "Where am I?" or "Find Me"), or your regular recall cue ("Doggie Come!", "Doggie Here!", or whatever word you've been training for recall). You can also use a fun sound instead of a word if you like.
When your dog finds you, throw a party! Give her a treat and praise her like crazy.
Repeat in different locations, gradually making it harder with farther rooms and less calling.

For a variation, you can play with a helper and have the helper be the person who gives the cues while you hide silently. Then both of you throw a party at the location you were hiding. Not only is this a blast for your dog (and the humans), it's great practice for your wait and recall cues too.

Cool car ride

Yellow dog in the backseat of a car looking out the window

Enrichment isn't always about scavenging for food. Taking in new smells, sights, and sounds can be an enriching experience too. If your dog is comfortable with car rides, how about a slow drive through a shady forest preserve. A/C on, windows open. So many smells! Do your best to find the shadiest routes. If your A/C is on the fritz, go later in the day as the sun is getting low. A shady, forest-y drive might be a wonderful enrichment break for your dog and for you!

Indoor walk

Since you're already in the car, how about a visit to a large, dog-friendly store for an air-conditioned walk? Many home improvement stores are dog-friendly and large enough to get in some good exploring and sniffs. If your dog doesn't enjoy meeting strangers or is nervous about new environments, this activity isn't for you. That's OK, you and your dog have plenty of other options to choose from.

Teach a new trick

Yes, you most definitely can teach an old dog new tricks. Being stuck inside is a perfect opportunity for a dog of any age to learn a new skill or a fun trick. Does your dog know how to put her paws on an object? Does he know how to spin? Can she roll over? So many possibilities! Check out this Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever for some ideas and step-by-step instructions. If you've got kiddos in the house, you might also like 101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition. Here's my Sadie learning a "paws up" trick at age 12 and having a blast doing it!

https://vimeo.com/1205275806