For dogs to develop to their full potential, they must be challenged to perform their evolutionarily vibrant roles.  Dogs should be encouraged to “hunt” for their dinner and work to get their meals.

This does not mean you should set your dog loose in the forest at dinner time, quite the opposite is beneficial. Having a dog engage the searching part of the mind can increase self-confidence, provide learning skills, problem solving, improve impulse control and provide many other benefits. 

Curiosity is a wonderful thing. It establishes safety in areas where nothing bad has happened. It provides predictability and the opportunity for the dog to make a positive choice in their interaction with the environment. 

So, let’s get those neurons firing and bring back the fun in dinner! Go to the hardware or plumbing store. Get a selection of PVC angles (45 & 90 degrees). You can use a coupler or short straight pieces. Use the diameter that suits your dog. Remember, you don’t want the dog getting their head stuck so always use with supervision. 

Each elbow holds about an ounce or two of raw food. Spoon the mixture into each elbow and just start with each piece stuffed separately. Then put two pieces together loosely so they can figure out how to get them apart to get the goodies. Gradually over days add more pieces together but don’t press them too tightly together. We want success not frustration. 

Make dinner a challenge by changing the configuration of the pieces. Make more curves or make it into a snake. Make dinner into a puzzle that your dog has fun solving! Be creative but just make sure it is easy enough for your dog to get the piece apart in the beginning and gradually increase the difficulty. You want your dog to have fun playing with their food!