Canine enrichment ideas for your Great Dane

Enrichment activities satisfy a dog’s innate behaviors such as chasing, smelling, chewing and scavenging, resulting in happier and healthier dogs.

Does your Great Dane dig through the toy box looking for the right toy? Martok does this and when he can’t find what he wants he then thinks about ripping up his bed. I’ve therefore been searching for more engaging toys for him.

A bored dog is a destructive dog and when that dog is a Great Dane that level of destruction can be epic. One of the easiest ways to keep your dog busy is exercise. While Martok does get regular daily walks, living in a condo limits his outside playtime. When we are on the road, new places provide enriching experiences. At home, finding enriching activities is more challenging.

There are a ton of enrichment toys or games on the market but the first question I have to ask is can they survive a Great Dane?

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As a Chewy and Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission. This won’t cost you anything more.

Basic chewing and licking toys

Martok’s most basic enrichment toy is his Kong which gets a spoonful of peanut putter added to it whenever he is left alone. He actually seems excited for us to leave sometimes as he sits on his bed drooling. Although, his excitement level is always higher when he knows he is going with us, his teeth start chattering he gets so excited.

His next favorite thing is his Qwizl, by West Paw, which is beginning to border on obsession. He will toss it around to get my attention that it needs to be treat filled. When I ignored that, he has learned to politely set in on my lap or on the table where I’m sitting. New house rule is only one Qwizl treat per day.

Great Dane with a West Paw Qwizl toy on a table — Martok wanting his Qwizl filled

We do have lots of Nylabones around but in my general move to reduce plastic in our lives I haven’t been replacing them. But he never gets rawhide chews which are leather industry leftovers that have been soaked in chemicals and are hard to digest. (More information can be found at the bottom of the post 9 tasty types of treats your Great Dane will love.

More mentally stimulating toys

I have been experimenting with puzzle toys for Martok. These take supervision since he would probably destroy them if left with him too long. The first one I bought is Dog Brick by Outward Hound. The first problem I noticed was with the flip open compartments. The lids can be removed which Martok did immediately and started to chew on. I’ve since taken them off. I also have to make sure he doesn’t chew on the bone shaped pieces.

canine enrichment toy from outward hound and Nina Ottosson, dog brick — Dog Brick without the flip covers

piece of canine enrichment toy from outward hound and Nina Ottosson, dog brick — Removable flip cover isn’t Great Dane proof

I also got a generic puzzle toy from Amazon that only has slides so he can’t chew on the pieces.

Subscription boxes

New toys provide enrichment by simply being novel. A subscription box is a great way to provide constant variety. The only experience I have had is when K’Ehleyr was gifted a BarkBox once, which she loved. There are boxes for heavy chewers from BarkBox and BullyMake. I would love to hear if you have had experience with subscription boxes.

Products in this post available at Amazon:

If you prefer to shop at Chewy here are some links to make it easier for you:

Will canine enrichment help your Great Dane?

Stress and anxiety can lead to unwanted behaviors. Safe alternatives to keep your Dane busy can reduce both, and maybe save a few dogs beds from being destroyed. Does your dog have a favorite toy or activity? Feel free to share it in the comments below.

For more information and suggestions than I have here, check out this post at Preventive Vet