Ideas for Dog Enrichment Activities Outdoors

As many know, my dogs are inside dogs with pretty much unlimited outdoor privileges via a doggy door.  Sometimes they choose to spend a great deal of time outside.  We have cuddle and training time in the house, and they are taken on frequent walks and adventures away from the house.

I am always looking for ways to make things fun for them, to keep their brains and their bodies stimulated, working, and tired.  Having a yard to run around in is nice, but I wanted something more for them in the yard.

I found some ideas on Pinterest that interested me.





Some of my dogs favorite things are climbing, jumping, and splashing/swimming in water.

We have a heavy duty 180 gallon livestock tank that I had purchased to use as a brooder box for the chicks.  It is a perfect big dog swimming pool, and has a plug for easy draining and cleaning.  Using some scrap wood we have, we built a low platform for it, and a taller platform next to it for the dogs to hide under, and jump on.  We also placed two cinder blocks in the bottom of the tank to make a step for Neeko, as she is not comfortable jumping straight down into the tub.

Some other ideas for outdoor enrichment activities include:

• A sandbox for safe, appropriate digging;
• Kiddie swimming pools;
• Agility equipment; and
• Hiding treats in upside down buckets or bales of hay/straw.

Any other ideas for outdoor enrichment activities?