How to make a destruction box

A destruction box keeps your dog's brain busy using some simple scent work.

Looking for a new way to keep your dog entertained? Putting together a destruction box is simple and cheap to do. Whether you're looking for a calm game on a hot day or want to shake up their enrichment routine, your dog will love digging out their favourite treats.

Note

Treats should be given occasionally and alongside a well-balanced diet. If you need to, adjust your dog's meal size accordingly after giving them a destruction box.

What you'll need:

Empty cardboard box – a shoe box is an ideal size, but this will depend on the size of your dog
Newspaper or scrap paper
Empty egg container
Tasty bite-size treats

How to make your dog a destruction box

Get your cardboard box and make sure it's empty
Get some newspaper or scrap paper and shred enough of it to fill at least half the box.
Scrunch up the remaining paper into rolls and mix it in with the shredded paper to fill the box to the brim
Pop some treats in your empty egg container and bury this in the paper, somewhere in the middle of the box
Scatter some treats in the rest of the box, making sure to keep some of them more hidden
Once you've closed the box, let your dog into the room to investigate and dig out the treats

If you feed your dog dry food, you can hide some or all of their food in the box. This will make meal times much more interesting.