Mealtime Enrichment for Your Dog

Stretch your pet food budget and enrich your dog’s mealtime by mixing in (dog-safe, obviously) foods from your fridge, freezer, pantry, and garden!

I get it: Everything is becoming more expensive, and pet food is projected to experience a big ole hike pretty soon. In our home, we’re striving to expand our veggie garden and grow more herbs in pots, and we’re stocking up on canned and frozen fruit and vegetables.

These moves cut down on our grocery bill, but how does it impact our pet food spending?

The good news is that lots of cheaper or homegrown food options can be shared with our dogs AND provide an enrichment opportunity at mealtimes by adding in new flavors, textures, and scents.

Let’s save some money and provide our dogs with mental stimulation!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Here is a–by no means exhaustive–list of food in your fridge, freezer, pantry, or garden you can use to supplement your dog’s meals while making mealtime an enrichment opportunity!

Note: Talk with your vet. Make sure you’re adjusting your pup’s food to account for daily caloric intake, health concerns like allergies or medications taken, and so on. This post is for informational purposes only and is just what I do with my dogs, so, again, talk with your vet.

This post falls into the category of Notes to Self because I need to keep this in mind, too. In the meantime, if I stand up from my desk, walk over to the kitchen, and crack open my fridge right now…

Here’s what I’ll find in my fridge that I can share with Penny and Stola:

• yogurt
• cottage cheese
• shredded cheese
• fresh spinach
• blueberries
• carrots
• cucumber

I should probably head to the store pretty soon. Our shelves are looking a little bare! But, here are a handful of additional fresh foods I could add to my shopping list:

• eggs
• green beans
• other berries, like strawberries and raspberries (but, man, are these expensive)
• apples
• peas
• watermelon
• sweet potatoes
• chicken

Many of these can also be purchased canned or frozen to save even more money. (And, no, frozen foods are NOT less healthy than fresh!)

And maybe on the counter you have bananas or grape tomatoes. We almost always have a big box of grape tomatoes, and they’re a fun tidbit to toss to Stola when she’s underfoot in the kitchen.

For even more ideas, check out 15 dog-friendly veggies with tips on how best to prepare and serve them for your pup.

Here’s what I can share with my dog from the pantry:

• rice
• pasta
• canned pumpkin
• canned veg, like mixed, corn, or peas
• peanut butter

Herbs I can share with my dogs from the spice cabinet or garden:

This is NOT my area of expertise. I’ve always given the dogs basil from my garden (Stola spits it straight out, so not all foods for all dogs!), but this post has tons of other ideas and explanations why certain herbs are good choices, but from reading that post I’m definitely adding to my garden:

• mint (in containers, not the ground!)
• parsley
• cilantro

I also grow catnip, cat grass, and microgreens in small containers on my kitchen table. The cats DEVOUR the cat grass, so I find myself planting it in containers in waves. (I’ve always bought the seeds from The Cat Ladies, but it doesn’t look like they sell just the bags of seeds anymore? I might be missing it, but some of the refill kits could work if you don’t want a whole new container.)

I’m sure this grocery list could keep growing, but I hope this is a helpful place to start!

Make Mealtimes More Interesting

In addition to mixing in different tastes and textures, I also find it to be really enriching for the dogs if the mealtimes aren’t the exact same all the time. The same food in the same bowl in the same spot every single day can feel tedius, even to the most food-motivated dog! So, here are a few totally free ways to layer some mealtime enrichment into your dog’s day:

• Change the location of the bowl. Sometimes I feed them outside to really up the interest factor.
• Try a different type of bowl. Or skip the bowl altogether and put the food in pieces of recycling as I did here.
• Use the “scatter method” and toss your dog’s food in a place where it’s safe for him to forage for it.
• Freeze the food! I like to pour some kibble in a Kong or a bowl, then stir in something wet–yogurt, peanut butter, cottage cheese, bone broth, etc.–and pop it in the freezer. It really helps slow down a gulper while keeping their mind and body busy!
• Split the food into multiple “puzzles” throughout the day. I know this doesn’t work for everyone’s work or school schedule. I’m lucky I get to work from home, so I will sometimes split Stola’s breakfast into a couple different puzzle toys, frozen Kongs, recycling, etc. and then give her bits of it throughout the day when I need her to be busy! (More on this in the puppy survival guide I have coming soon!)
• Mix up your feeding routine. We do rotational feeding so they never get too bored in the first place.

In another post, I’m going to share the puzzles (bought and DIY) and games we play to make feeding more interesting, challenging, and engaging–this is especially important for a wild-child like Stola, who needs constant stimulation to achieve even moderately appropriate behavior. (:

I’m curious: Do you add any fresh, frozen, or homegrown foods into your dog’s bowl? How do you later in mealtime enrichment for your dog? I’d love to learn any tips and tricks from you in the comments below!

And, in the meantime, if we’re not yet connected on Instagram, that’s where I share lots of our ideas and DIYs, so let’s get in touch!

Read More