There are lots of activities you can do with your pet to provide them with the mental and physical exercise they need. Allowing your pet to do natural activities like digging, chewing, chasing and searching in a safe and appropriate way is incredibly beneficial!

When animals don’t have an outlet for these natural behaviors, they often resort to undesirable behaviors like being destructive or hyperactive. Enrichment increases confidence, decreases anxiety and helps you and your pet forge a stronger relationship.

When planning enrichment activities, aim for a mix of interactive and independent activities for the best results. Don’t be afraid to mix and match and try new things! If you’re looking for activities you can do inside, check out our list of indoor activities.

Independent Activities

These are activities that your pet can do by themselves with supervision.

Large Balls: Dogs who enjoy chasing and herding may love playing with a soccer ball, old basketball or the Jolly Egg toys that “run away” from them as they give chase.

Suspended Ball: Products like the Tree Tugger Dog Toy can be attached to a tree in your yard like a tetherball. This game is best played under supervision for safety.

Pet Sandbox: If your pet loves to dig, give them an appropriate place to do it! Bury their favorite bones in a sandbox just for them, or in a baby pool filled with playground sand, dirt (with no fertilizer added) or large flake bark nuggets. Choose a filler that your pet is unlikely to eat and fill the box with toys for them to bury or uncover. We recommend rubber or other hard toys for this activity.

Swimming: Swimming is a great form of exercise and can make fetch much more interesting. Not all pets naturally know how to swim. Whether it’s a pool or the ocean, make sure your pet wears a life vest and is supervised at all times.

Wading Pool: Many pets will love spending hot summer days splashing in a shallow pool. You can buy one made for children at a number of stores or grab one made just for dogs that can be stored during the winter months.

Interactive Activities

These are activities that you and your pet can do together.

Tricks: There’s no greater bonding experience than learning together, and this can be done virtually anywhere! Pick one or more new tricks to learn from this playlist: Dog Trick Tutorials.

Obstacle Courses: Create an obstacle course with household objects that become jumps, tunnels and hoops. Pool noodles, large boxes and step stools can all be reimagined as obstacles. Keep jumps low so your pet doesn’t get injured.

Flirt Pole: A flirt pole channels your pet’s prey drive in a healthy way. Make sure you move away from your pet as you play.

Retrieving: Fetch isn’t considered mental enrichment by itself because it is so repetitive. However, you can add difficulty by asking for a behavior such as “down” before you throw the ball again. This means your dog must listen to earn the reward of another throw. You can also name your pet’s toys and ask them to retrieve a specific one from a pile.

Sniff Walks: Going for a quiet walk focused on sniffing in a park is a great alternative to a walk in your neighborhood, especially if your pet is overwhelmed by passing many dogs or people on a walk. We recommend county parks as they are generally quiet. Learn more about the benefits of sniff walks: Take a Sniffari!

Hikes and Outings: Many city and state parks allow on-leash pets to accompany their people on hiking trails or in campsites. Be sure to always bring your poop bags and be kind to the wildlife.

Pet-Friendly Restaurants & Events: San Diego is a very dog-friendly city, offering tons of restaurants with pet-friendly patios and pet-focused events and attractions throughout the year. While these can be great places to help socialize your pet, make sure they’re comfortable. While some pets are happy to curl up under a sidewalk café table, others might be overwhelmed by passing cars, people and dogs.

SniffSpot: Have you ever wanted the dog park all to yourself? SniffSpot allows you to rent someone’s yard for a minimal fee as a private dog park.

Dog Sports

Opportunities to participate in these sports can be found locally through an internet search. Just search the sport you’re interested in learning more about for options near you!

Trick Training: A fun, challenging and rewarding way to work your dog's brain and body. Trick training builds dogs' confidence and strengthens their bond with you.

Scent/Nose work: Dogs learn how to sniff out a specific odor and find the source. Try one of our K9 Nose Work classes.

Tracking: The competition version of canine search and rescue.

Lure Coursing: Dogs chase a lure through a course. Dogs are judged on speed, agility and style.

Agility: Dogs run through obstacle courses with competitions for the fastest time and most accurate performance.

Herding: Training your dog to move a flock of sheep or other farm animals.

Flyball: A high-energy game where dogs race relay-style to retrieve a ball.

Treibball: Treibball is a new dog sport that combines classic obedience and herding cues to train pets to “herd” large, lightweight balls as though they are sheep.

Disc Dogs: This sport focuses on a pet’s ability to catch a flying disc in a variety of challenging ways.

Service to the Community

These are specialized opportunities that require additional training. Search online for more information about how to get involved locally.

Pet-Assisted Therapy: Volunteer pets and their handlers visit patients and work with therapists and social workers in hospital, court and nursing home settings.

Search and Rescue: A volunteer position where a dog and handler assist police and disaster-relief groups to find people in the wilderness or after natural disasters.