Indoor enrichment toys/“jobs” for your ACDs

[agapeandrew]

I keep hearing that high-energy dogs like ACDs enjoy jobs or tasks, but haven’t found much relevant to the indoors. I work from home and want to keep my 1.5 y.o. pup entertained, but she seems to get bored of bones/antlers pretty quick, and usually defaults to pulling all the stuffing out of her soft toys.

She has a Jolly Egg but that’s obv. WAY too loud when on calls. Any other recommendations?

 

[moflamingo]

@agapeandrew Placework is a job! It’s not fun but it is a job. Staying in one spot quietly is mentally draining lol!

Stuff a holee ball with fabric to simulate the ripping of stuffing

My dog likes to go for the loudest possible toy he can find whenever I’m on a call… something he literally never plays with is suddenly the most important thing while I’m on a call i usually give him a bully stick before getting on a call

 

[agapeandrew]

@moflamingo Ooh never heard of the holee ball, thanks for the tip!

 

[ironmike663]

@agapeandrew What I've found works best for us is to just make everything we do in the house intentional.

So if it's time to settle while I'm on a call, then she needs to do it in a specific area depending on the room. Time to eat or have a treat? Then she needs to find it hidden in a box layered with packing paper (also a great outlet for destruction desires) or hiding in safe spots around a room. Same with things like her antlers, chews, or toys - she has to either find them or do some other work for them, like carrying them to her bed.

I also extend this to things like me going to the bathroom or going to the kitchen. She can follow me, but she has to "work" while doing it. So either waiting in a certain spot or before going through doorways, checking something out on command and then leaving it, or just doing a quick practice of whatever commands we've been working on lately while we move around the house.

I don't think this would be the case for all dogs since some thrive on routines, but for us I've found she prefers and gets more mentally tired by switching up the place or action we're doing around the house. It also seems to be helping her truly settle in different spots.