TL;DR: Your dog's nose is their best boredom-buster, and you do not need to buy anything to use it. A crumpled newspaper treat hunt turns recycling into a foraging game, apple bobbing adds a splash of water play, and a rolled-up sheet of shipping paper gives a puppy a safe first shredding challenge. All three take under five minutes to set up, cost next to nothing, and tire a dog out far more than another lap around the living room.
If your dog is bouncing off the walls, start with their nose. A few minutes of focused nose work can settle a dog more than a much longer stretch of plain play — which is why winter indoor guides keep coming back to foraging games.
1. The Crumpled Newspaper Treat Hunt
The step up from simply hiding treats around a room, and the zero-cost paper foraging game winter-indoor guides are currently pushing.
Scatter kibble or small treats across a few sheets of newspaper or an old magazine section. Scrunch each sheet loosely into a ball, with some treats tucked inside the folds and some sitting between the balls, and drop the pile on the floor. Then step back and let your dog nose and paw the paper open.
It gives your dog two jobs at once — sniffing out treats and working out how to reach them — and slows a fast eater down far more than a bowl.
Make it harder as your dog gets good:
- Start with loosely crumpled sheets and visible treats, so a beginner succeeds straight away.
- Progress to tighter crumples, more layers, and treats hidden deeper inside.
- Try a cardboard box filled with crumpled paper balls, with treats buried at the bottom.
- Mix in a few empty balls with no treats, so your dog has to actually sniff rather than shred everything in sight.
Cleanup note: this game makes a mess, gloriously. Play it on a hard floor or an old sheet you can shake out afterwards, and skip paper with glossy coatings or staples.
2. Apple Bobbing
Chopped apple and cucumber floated in a tub of water, which your dog dunks their face in to fish out. It showed up in an autumn outdoor enrichment reel in late October — a water-based twist on food games as the weather cools and outdoor play gets shorter.
Fill a shallow tub with a few inches of cool water, drop in small pieces of apple (seeds and core removed — apple seeds are not safe for dogs) and cucumber, and let your dog have at it. Some dogs plunge straight in; others fish delicately with their lips. Both are fine, and both are surprisingly absorbing.
It combines sniffing, problem-solving, and a novel sensation — water on the face — that most dogs rarely get indoors, and the moving pieces are genuinely unpredictable.
Tips for a good first bob:
- Keep the water shallow — just deep enough for the pieces to float. A dog that has to hold their breath to reach a treat will not enjoy it.
- Start with just a few pieces so your dog learns the game quickly, then add more.
- Play it outside or on a towel-covered floor. Splashing is not a bug, it is the whole point.
- If your dog is nervous about water on their face, start with pieces in a nearly empty bowl and add a little water at a time over several sessions. Never push a reluctant dog's head toward the water.
3. The Shipping-Paper Roll Forage (for Puppies)
Most enrichment lists assume an adult dog that already knows how to problem-solve. This one is specifically for puppies, framed in a late-October reel as cheap, fast, and easy puppy enrichment — the angle most lists skip.
Lay out a sheet of brown shipping paper (the kind that comes as packing material), scatter treats across it, and roll the paper up loosely. Hand the roll to your puppy and let them sniff, unroll, and tear it open.
It is pitched at exactly a puppy's level: easy to tear, easy to find treats in, and it rewards natural puppy instincts — sniffing, mouthing, pulling things apart — in an allowed way. A puppy that learns early that shredding the right thing earns treats is less likely to shred the wrong things later.
Puppy-specific notes:
- Use plain brown shipping paper, not paper with tape, labels, or staples still attached.
- Keep the roll loose. A tightly rolled tube frustrates a puppy rather than entertaining one.
- Supervise closely. Any puppy that starts eating the paper rather than tearing it should have the game ended for the day.
- Keep sessions short — five minutes is plenty for a young puppy, and you can repeat it later in the day.
Make It a Routine, Not a One-Off
- One sniffing game a day. Rotate between the three: newspaper hunt on Monday, apple bobbing on Wednesday, paper roll for a puppy on Friday — or whatever rhythm suits your week.
- Use them before the hard parts of the day. A sniffing game before guests arrive, before you leave the house, or before bedtime takes the edge off restlessness far better than one offered after your dog is already wired.
- Count the treats. Use part of your dog's normal kibble ration for the games rather than adding extra treats on top, especially if you play daily.
- Pair with a walk, not instead of one. Sniffing games are mental enrichment, not a replacement for exercise. Walk first, then a sniffing game as the settle-down activity afterwards.
Safety Notes
- Supervise new games. Watch the first few times — especially with paper, which some dogs try to eat — and remove the game if your dog starts swallowing material rather than just tearing it.
- Check what you are hiding treats in. Skip paper with staples, tape, or glossy coatings, and never use paper that has been in contact with cleaning products.
- Apple seeds and cores are not safe for dogs. Remove them before bobbing, and keep pieces small.
- Watch for frustration. If your dog gets stressed, barks at the game, or gives up entirely, make it easier next time — looser paper, shallower water, more visible treats. Enrichment should tire a dog out, not wind them up.
- Clean up thoroughly. Check the floor for leftover paper shreds and uneaten treat pieces after each game, especially with puppies.
FAQ
How long should a sniffing game last? Most dogs get 10–20 good minutes out of a newspaper hunt or paper roll, and a few minutes of bobbing. That is plenty — sniffing is hard mental work, and a tired nose usually means a calmer dog.
My dog just shreds everything without sniffing. Is that a problem? Not really, especially for puppies. Shredding is its own enrichment, and sniffing improves with practice. Hide treats in only some paper balls and leave others empty to encourage more sniffing.
Can I use these games for a dog that eats too fast? Yes — that is one of their best uses. Foraging games stretch a meal out far longer than a bowl does. Use part of your dog's normal kibble ration for the game, and it doubles as a slow feeder.
Is apple bobbing safe for dogs that do not like water? For most dogs, yes, as long as you keep the water shallow and let the dog choose how deep to go. If your dog is genuinely water-shy, skip bobbing and stick with the dry paper games.
Can puppies do the newspaper hunt too, or just the paper roll? Puppies can do all three, with supervision and easier settings: loosely crumpled paper, shallow water, short sessions. The paper roll is simply the one designed with puppies in mind.
