The Association Blog

A stinky dog toy, that is….  

Looking for a great volunteer project and some effective (and cheap) behavior enrichment? These cardboard scent tubes, originally shared with the field by the ASPCA, will fit the bill.

Simple to make, cardboard tubes are filled with a little kibble and synthetic prey scent that can be purchased online. Here are the instructions to bring dogs some nose-wiggling fun over at your agency:

Materials:

• Cardboard tubes from toilet paper, paper towels & wrapping paper
• Kibble
• Synthetic prey scent (consider alternating scents weekly to keep things fresh and interesting for the dogs)

Instructions:

• Close one end of the tube by pressing down on the sides with your thumbs
• Squeeze two drops of scent into each tube, allowing it to drip down the sides so that the scent spreads
• Place 3 pieces of kibble into each tube
• Close the other end of tube

Be prepared for the dogs to (happily) obsess over and demolish these scent tubes. To that end, you’ll want to keep an eye on them when you first give this type of enrichment item to make sure they don’t gobble it down.

Feel free to share your fave (and free) behavior enrichment ideas.