We all love how sweet, cuddly, and playful our pups can be. Unfortunately, when dogs are bored, upset, or anxious they can display some less than desirable behaviors such as destroying your favorite shoes, eating your tv remote (mine ate 7 remotes in her puppy days), soiling the carpet, perusing your counter for snacks, the list could go on. One way to combat some of these behaviors is by providing activities to keep your pup busy, provide mental stimulation, and ease anxiety. In this blog I am going to share a few activities you can create using a simple plastic kiddie pool and a few other goodies.

• Water- The most obvious activity using the pool is to fill it for water to let your pup play in. One of our pups loves to play with the water coming out of the hose as we fill the pool and then dig in the water. He starts howling with excitement as soon as he hears the hose go on and then after 10 minutes of play he rests the remainder of the afternoon. Our other pup prefers to lay in the pool once it is full. Either way they are both very satisfied after a little water play. If your dog enjoys tennis balls you could also throw some in the pool for them to play with.

Supplies needed for the activity: a pool and a hose, possibly tennis balls

• Ball Pit Balls- Another pup favorite is to fill the pool with ball pit balls, like the ones from kids’ ball pits. After filling it with the balls you can hide treats or your pup’s favorite toys in the balls for your pup to find. Sniffing provides a lot of stimulation for a pup and they are rewarded with a yummy snack. (If your dog is trying to watch their figure you could hide pieces of your pup’s kibble in the balls instead). You can often find the ball pit balls pretty cheap on facebook marketplace, yard sales, and thrift stores but if you don’t feel like going that route they are available at places like Amazon, Walmart, etc.

Supplies needed: pool, ball pit balls, your pup’s favorite treats, food, or toys

• Cotton- Similar to the ball pit balls, you can fill the pool with cotton batting like the kind you would get from a craft store to stuff pillows or quilts. After filling it with the batting you can again hide treats, food, or your pup’s favorite toys in the batting for your pup to find.

Supplies needed: pool, cotton batting, your pup’s favorite treats, food, or toys

Each of these activities will provide entertainment for your pet and can be made for a fairly cheap price (probably a lot less expensive than replacing your favorite pair of shoes). We hope you and your pup have a blast giving them a try! Be on the lookout for more fun activities to come!