Activity ideas for miniature poodle?

I think he seems bored, most of the time he likes to sleep, but recently he's been getting into things, like opening bags of flour in the pantry, or chewing up a silicone mat sort of thing.
I would make sure he has a few suitable toys to chew on, and maybe consider putting a little smear of something tasty (like peanut butter) on one toy or another to make it extra-interesting. (For peanut butter or anything similar, of course you should not give him large quantities of it, because that would probably make him fat.)
 
I would make sure he has a few suitable toys to chew on, and maybe consider putting a little smear of something tasty (like peanut butter) on one toy or another to make it extra-interesting. (For peanut butter or anything similar, of course you should not give him large quantities of it, because that would probably make him fat.)
I'll try that! I've tried giving him kongs with almond butter (my sisters allergic to peanuts) but he didn't quite figure it out. He tried to stick his entire tongue inside to lick it out.
 
I'll try that! I've tried giving him kongs with almond butter (my sisters allergic to peanuts) but he didn't quite figure it out. He tried to stick his entire tongue inside to lick it out.

Yes, almond butter makes sense-- anything sticky the dog likes :)

I think that is usually the way a dog gets peanut butter (or almond butter) out of a kong: stick the whole tongue in, stretching as far as possible. Some dogs will keep at it for a long time, while others will give up fairly soon, so it's definitely one of those things where you don't know how your dog will react until you try it.
 
Yes, almond butter makes sense-- anything sticky the dog likes :)

I think that is usually the way a dog gets peanut butter (or almond butter) out of a kong: stick the whole tongue in, stretching as far as possible. Some dogs will keep at it for a long time, while others will give up fairly soon, so it's definitely one of those things where you don't know how your dog will react until you try it.
He's definitely one of the "Oh... this is hard... I give up" dogs
 
Or make him search for his normal meals, by hiding the usual amount of food in several places. Dry kibble can be hidden all over the place, while wet food should probably be in dishes (but it could be in several small dishes, in different places each day.)

"Hiding" might be as simple as putting it in a different corner or under the table, if he is not good at finding things.
I second this so much! I have a medium-sized chihuahua mix who isn't very food motivated at all but has tons of energy, and her favorite way to eat meals is to search for it. My husband will put dry kibble in her bowl and she will try to bury it with her nose and ignore it, but when I place little piles throughout the house she will run around like crazy looking for food.

It took some teaching for her to understand what to do - I started when we would hang out at a local park and we would sit in the grass after some play time. I would have her sit next to me (I had to hold her back at first) then toss a treat just a foot or two in front of us, then tell her "go find it!" and she would usually find it right away since she saw it land. After some practice, I would have her face me and throw the treat behind her so she wouldn't see it, and she got the hang of sniffing and searching. When I started hiding food in the house I would have my husband hold her in the middle of the living room so she could watch where I put the food, then release her with a "go find it!".

Working for meals is such a great way to stimulate their minds, keep them busy, and get them tired without extra calories or much effort on your part! Another favorite of mine is laying an old sheet on the floor, scattering dry kibble on the sheet, then bunching it up with my hands so she has to sniff and nose around the sheet to get the food. If you have a food-motivated dog it will not take him long to pick this up, but definitely start small and make it very easy at first so he always wins and doesn't get frustrated.
 
I ended up getting him a lick mat-he LOVES it! I like to spread a little bit of pumpkin and almond butter on it. I'm planning to try giving his meals on it too, even though it's just dry food.
 
What’s an example of a smart toy? I don’t think I have.
Here if you look up smart toys for dogs basically you stuff treats in the toys and they have to figure out how to get them out
Screenshot_20220404-130917_Google.jpg
 

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