Best Enrichment Toys for Chihuahuas

Have you ever wondered what the best enrichment toys are for chihuahuas? Have you ever thought of asking the chihuahua? We went straight to the source and asked our dogs which toys they thought were the best, by stuffing all 5 puzzles and giving them out at the same time. The dogs could choose which puzzle to go to, helping us rank them.

In order to keep things fair, we used their favorite dry and wet treats, so the toys weren’t being selected due to how good the snack was. As you can imagine, this was quite a festive occasion for the dogs, and they came in with tails wagging!

First Place: Snuffle Mat

Although Leia paused to give the sushi mat a brief sniff, the snuffle mat was clearly the favorite with all three dogs crowding onto it to scavenge for snacks. Even after it was completely stripped of treats, they still came back to poke around the snuffle mat in case they missed something.

I love, use, and recommend snuffle mats of all kinds! If you’d like a similar one, we found this adorable gardening themed one on Amazon. (ad) I like this one a bit better because it makes the holes a little more challenging, requiring the dog to pull carrots out before they can get in the hole to get the treat. (For beginner dogs, you could just take the carrot out, but you still have the option to add it in later.)

Second Place: Licky Mat

Tank actually did leave the snuffle mat before the others to check out the licky mat. He is very food motivated and likes to eat food very quickly, so puzzles like the licky mat can help slow them down. Tank stayed at the licky mat for the entire rest of the experiment, content to lick away at the treats without exploring more.

Third Place: Sushi Slider

Once the girls were sure there were no more treats  in the snuffle mat, they eventually moved on to the sushi slider. I confess, I thought this one would be their favorite as they get so excited when I prep this one for them.

They quickly whipped through this one like the professionals they are, and then went back to make double sure they really did  get everything from the snuffle mat. Like most of the toys I used, I can’t find the original, but here’s a similar sliding toy on Amazon. (ad)

Fourth Place: Kong

Kongs have never been popular at our house. Although Tank used them during his crate rest recovery, none of the dogs completely finish a kong and just get what they can lick out of the opening.

Leia refuses to use them at all, no matter how enticing the filling, so I was surprised when she wandered up to give it a go. This time I’d just put a small amount at the very front of the kong, and she stayed at it until completion!

Fifth Place: The Roller Ball

This used to be Rocco’s favorite enrichment toy ever. He loved to use his paws, and so getting a puzzle that required his feet to work really excited him. When he passed away however, the other dogs couldn’t figure out how to use it.

Eventually, Tank learned how to use it, and I thought he would go for this one, but once again he had zero interest. In fact, when all the other puzzles were done everyone pretty much left and the roller ball was still sitting there, stuffed with treats.

I was about to pick everything up  when suddenly, Sandy decided to give it a go! At first, she tried to push her nose through the hole to access the treats, and then pawed at it to try and dig them out. When she pawed at it the roller ball rolled, and a treat fell out.

That was all Sandy needed to figure out the treat situation with the ball, and she rolled it along with her nose like a complete professional until the ball was empty.

I was really surprised and impressed by my two super senior dogs both choosing to try a new thing and successfully learning it. I was also a little surprised by some of their choices. Its always neat to learn more about my dogs, and what they care about.

What’s your dog’s favorite enrichment toy?

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• How to Survive Crate Rest With Your Chihuahua
• Enrichment ideas for your Chihuahua
• How to Entertain Your Dog During a Blizzard
• Satisfying Your Chihuahua’s Prey Drive
• 15 Ideas for Stuffing a Kong