A lovely customer reached out to me recently as their dog has recently had spinal surgery and is on strict crate rest for a number of weeks. She was worried about her companion being bored while in his crate and was looking for things to keep him occupied and engaged.
It's something I get asked about relatively regularly - crate rest can be really tough on dogs (and their owners!)
I've pulled together a list of things that can help keep your dog entertained while they are recovering from surgery or illness. This blog contains affiliate links as well as links to my own store. For affiliate links I may be paid a commission (and depending on the product, the customer may get a discount too!)
A reminder to always follow your vet's recommendations as they are best-placed to advise how to manage your dog's activity levels while on crate rest, however the below are low-impact activities that most dogs should be able to do while on rest:
1. Foraging
Using their noses to find food, toys or interesting smells is a great way to keep boredom at bay as well as engaging an important natural behaviour!
There are lots of things you can try, but in particular I love the Pickpocket Foragers! Handmade by the lovely Kate, there are foraging bags, foraging caterpillars, foraging blankets, foraging pouches, and even crate foragers! You can use these to hide food, toys or even scents for your dog to enjoy. There are lots of pockets for your dog to investigate and they can do this while lying down. When Honey was having issues with her cruciate and was not doing walks for a short spell, I took Kingsley for walks and foraged things from the walk to hide in the foraging caterpillar for Honey to find - grass, feathers, sheep's wool, pinecones, fallen leaves etc. It means she could still indirectly participate in her usual walk and she really enjoyed it.
You can buy the foraging caterpillars, foraging pouches, beanbag, foraging bags and foraging blankets from my store.
For the crate forager, these can be ordered from Kate directly in different sizes.
Other enrichment toys that are great for crate rest are snufflemats and snuffleballs (I have both fleece and silicone snufflemats). You can set out a couple of items together and use the dog's own food for these, which is great, and to extend the activity you can refill the mats and balls a few times.
2. Chewing
Chewing is something dogs absolutely love to do, it is great for stress relief and there are plenty of options for food and non-food chews. For food chews, Honey loves a Whimzees rice bone, and Kingsley loves his wild boar chews. Beef tracheas are also great and long-lasting, plus you can stuff them with other food - Kingsley loves one with a crunchy chew pushed into it, and it turns it into a bit of a puzzle as he tries to work out how to get the treat out!
For non-food chews, stay clear of anything too hard or plastic that could damage teeth - I recommend instead an olive branch or a briar root. These are incredibly long lasting (Kingsley's had the same one for over 6 months and he chews it every day) plus they flake rather than splintering and as a result are much safer.
3. Shredding
I've said it before and I'll say it again - shredding is my favourite behaviour to provide an outlet for! There are loads of options here, including DIY options such as loo roll tubes stuffed with paper and treats and destruction boxes (Amazon boxes filled with paper and treats).
I make a number of different kinds of shredding balls specifically as an outlet for this behaviour. The fleece variety allows dogs to pluck each strip, is machine washable and tumble dryer safe, and easy to retie. The wool cage shredding ball adds the scent and texture of sheep or alpaca wool for dogs to rip, tear (and roll on, throw in the air and catch - Honey's fave!) and is also straightforward to restuff - refills are also available. The cage shredding ball with fleece strips can have food added and the challenge can be increased by pushing the strips further into the ball.
4. Passive enrichment
You can also provide passive enrichment to provide comfort and enjoyment to your dog. Try adding a heated blanket, a cosy burrow bed and some crinkly cuddly toys.
If you are able to, provide your dog with access to a window or door they can look through from their crate, or put on a dog-friendly TV channel. There is some evidence that classical music can be calming for dogs, so putting music on for background sound may be beneficial too.
The Pet Remedy calming spray is an excellent natural spray made of essential oils which can help reduce stress. The plug-in diffusers are also great. Use my link and you'll get 25% off your purchase!
5. Licking
Licking is a super calming behaviour for dogs. You can try this licking mat which has suction cups that can stick to the bottom of the crate, or the owl bowl is great too, Kingsley eats most of his meals out of it and it is dishwasher safe. Yoghurt / kefir, dog safe peanut butter, mashed sweet potato and dog paté are great options - or your dog's wet or raw food. You can also blend their kibble with some low-sodium stock to make a purée. If your dog likes frozen lick mats (some don't and that's ok!), you can freeze these as well - or for a DIY option, you can take an empty yoghurt pot (unrinsed) and sprinkle treats over the sides of the pot so they stick to the yoghurt remains and freeze it.
6. Touch
Depending on the aftercare for your pet during recovery, you may be required to do some at-home physio exercises, which can be a great form of enrichment as well. You can also look up some TTouch bodywork exercises you can do with your dog that can be hugely beneficial for how your dog feels.
Hopefully the above are useful in helping your dog (and you!) survive the challenges of crate rest. I'm always happy to provide further ideas - drop me a DM on Instagram or use the form on the website!